COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) Board of Trustees approved a total of $11,360,950 through its two largest grant programs for 2023. GCAC awarded 16 General Support grants totaling $801,218 and 22 Operating Support grants totaling $10,559,732.
These grants are made possible through funds that GCAC receives from the city of Columbus through the hotel/motel bed tax and the arts and culture ticket fee, as well as funds from Franklin County.
“Our arts organizations are still experiencing residual effects of the pandemic, but thanks to this funding, they’re able to continue looking forward,” says Alison Barret, vice president of grants and community engagement for GCAC. “This gives them the flexibility to focus on strategic planning, expanding community outreach and access, employing more central Ohio artists and attending to the well-being of their teams.”
“We’re able to share this record amount of grants because of the robust support we receive from the city bed tax, the arts and culture ticket fee, and Franklin County,” adds Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of GCAC. “This year’s grants truly demonstrate the efficacy of the arts and culture fee in particular, and how that minor addition to ticket sales in the city equates to major funding for our artists and cultural institutions.”
OPERATING SUPPORT
Operating Support is directed to keystone arts and cultural organizations with annual budgets over $500,000 that are firmly established, well-managed, and have a significant impact and broad community engagement. Operating Support organizations are required to apply the arts and culture ticket fee on admissions.
Award amounts are determined based on a formula of application scores and revenue averages. The standard cadence stipulates that organizations in their first year in Operating Support are eligible to receive one-third of the maximum allowable grant in their first year, two-thirds in their second and the full amount as determined by score in their third year. This is the second year, for instance, for National Veterans Memorial & Museum in Operating Support.
| Organization | Amount |
| BalletMet | $640,726 |
| CAPA | $1,127,000 |
| Columbus Children’s Theatre | $231,122 |
| Columbus Museum of Art | $1,039,790 |
| Columbus Symphony Orchestra | $784,000 |
| The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio (formerly CATCO) | $215,966 |
| COSI | $1,009,235 |
| Franklin Park Conservatory | $758,111 |
| Gateway Film Center | $422,096 |
| Glass Axis | $122,557 |
| Jazz Arts Group | $337,916 |
| King Arts Complex | $240,640 |
| Lincoln Theatre Association | $196,051 |
| National Veterans Memorial & Museum | $433,333 |
| Ohio Designer Craftsmen | $177,302 |
| Ohio History Connection | $572,000 |
| Opera Columbus | $306,781 |
| ProMusica Chamber Orchestra | $427,105 |
| Shadowbox Live | $439,774 |
| Short North Stage | $217,521 |
| Thurber House | $116,706 |
| Wexner Center for the Arts | $744,000 |
TOTAL: $10,559,732
GENERAL SUPPORT
Launched in 2022, General Support provides unrestricted financial support and capacity-building resources for organizations with annual budgets under $500,000. These organizations produce and present full seasons of performances, exhibitions and arts events, and have previously received Project Support. General Support is intended to help organizations on their path to sustainability and growth.
This program follows a calculation model similar to Operating Support grants. In addition, organizations new to General Support are provided with an additional stipend to help with costs and time related to collection of data required for reporting. To apply for General Support, organizations must pre-qualify by submitting three years of financial documentation to demonstrate acceptable bookkeeping practices and financial stability. As an example, The Fuse Factory Electronic and Digital Arts Lab prequalified and joined the General Support roster this year.
| Organization | Amount |
| 934 Gallery | $18,757 |
| Actors’ Theatre of Columbus | $47,383 |
| All People Arts | $17,704 |
| Available Light Theatre | $17,337 |
| Capriccio Vocal Ensemble | $25,608 |
| Columbus Children’s Choir | $87,648 |
| Columbus Dance Theatre | $84,958 |
| Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus | $76,907 |
| Columbus Landmarks Foundation | $83,867 |
| Friends of Early Music, Inc. | $81,000 |
| Maroon Arts Group | $80,720 |
| Opera Project Columbus | $78,615 |
| ROY G BIV Gallery for Emerging Artists | $28,164 |
| Six String Concert, Inc. | $13,932 |
| The Fuse Factory Electronic & Digital Arts Lab | $12,041 |
| Wild Goose Creative | $46,577 |
TOTAL: $801,218
For more information on community funding, including guidelines and upcoming deadlines, go to gcac.org or contact the Grants & Community Engagement team at grants@gcac.org or (614) 224-2606.
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, the Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University.
For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
