COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council board of trustees today approved 25 grants totaling $1,498,772 in Operating Support: Phase One, through funds that the Arts Council receives from the city of Columbus through the hotel/motel bed tax and the arts and culture fee.
“During an especially difficult year, the organizations that receive Operating Support are vital to the cultural fabric of our city,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Arts Council. “They create-world class programs and opportunities – many of them virtual these days – that provide important educational and artistic experiences available to every member of our community.”
In light of pandemic response efforts, the Arts Council immediately moved the application deadline and revised its 2020 Operating Support process to allocate awards in three phases rather than one annual pledge. This allowed organizations an opportunity to assess the impact of Ohio’s Stay-at-Home orders, focus on virtual programming and work on forecast scenarios. The organizations will submit updated financials and planning documents to the Arts Council again in September and December as part of the revised cadence. Funds are available to established arts and culture organizations with an average three-year adjusted audited revenue of at least $150,000, and are well managed, firmly established, and have significant impact and broad community engagement. Award amounts are contingent upon funds available.
For Phase One of Operating Support grants, the Arts Council awarded $1,498,772 to the following 25 organizations:
| Organization | Phase One Award |
| Actors’ Theatre of Columbus | $11,629 |
| Ballet Metropolitan, Inc. | $107,663 |
| CAPA | $109,125 |
| CATCO | $50,969 |
| Chamber Music Columbus | $8,617 |
| Columbus Children’s Choir | $13,233 |
| Columbus Children’s Theatre | $47,684 |
| Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus | $18,290 |
| Columbus Landmarks Foundation | $15,400 |
| Columbus Museum of Art | $106,875 |
| Columbus Symphony Orchestra | $111,375 |
| COSI | $110,250 |
| Franklin Park Conservatory | $104,625 |
| Gateway Film Center | $70,833 |
| Glass Axis | $23,336 |
| Jazz Arts Group | $67,705 |
| King Arts Complex | $43,969 |
| Ohio Designer Craftsmen | $39,357 |
| Ohio History Connection/Ohio Historical Society | $65,226 |
| Opera Columbus | $54,668 |
| ProMusica | $63,411 |
| Shadowbox Live | $95,625 |
| Short North Stage | $38,388 |
| Thurber House | $25,906 |
| Wexner Center for the Arts | $94,613 |
TOTAL: $1,498,772
In 2019, Operating Support grants totaling $5,312,563 were awarded to 25 organizations. This included funding from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners awarded in the fall of 2019.
For more information on community funding, including guidelines and upcoming deadlines, go to gcac.org or contact Alison Barret, director of Grants & Services at (614) 221-8406 or abarret@gcac.org.
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 and the Ohio Arts Council.
For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.
# # #
CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
