2025 CAC grants for new projects bring ‘something for everyone’

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Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) unwrapped quite a few gifts this holiday season—a collective $10,750,847 in grants to support more than 300 Cuyahoga County nonprofits in 2025.

The grants, approved by the CAC’s board of trustees on Nov. 20, include first-time recipients Darl Center for the Arts, Seat of the Pants Productions, and Community Life Collaborative.

CAC’s support of countywide programming arrives after the passage of Issue 55 in November, which replaced and expanded the cigarette tax funding the organization’s contributions to the local creative scene.

This year’s grant awards, ranging in size from $1,505 for the Association of Asian Indian Women in Ohio to $18,040 for Cleveland Cultural Gardens, demonstrate the strength of the local arts scene, says CAC executive director Jill Paulsen.

“When you look at the 15 new projects we are funding in 2025, you can see there’s something for everyone,” she says. “The work of Community Life Collaborative and Darl Center for the Arts, for example, brings new opportunities to glimpse into other people’s lives and champion acceptance and understanding. We hope residents take advantage of all the different types of programming next year.”

Love for the city

Darl Schaaff spent $600,000 for infrastructure improvements upon purchasing his now eponymous arts center in 2022. Among other repairs, Schaaff replaced the roof and replastered the entirety of the decagon-shaped building’s interior. The Slavic Village facility—which began life a century ago as the first library out of the 15 libraries 19th Century industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated to Cleveland—now serves the neighborhood as a bustling museum and event space.

The Darl CenterThe Darl CenterThe Darl Center also showcases a life well-lived, via a collection of 400 artworks Schaaff has amassed over the years. Works from Andy Warhol and Norman Rockwell are interspersed with Egyptian sarcophagi and a replica of the Iditarod sled dog race finish line.

“I’ve lived on every continent besides Antarctica,” says Schaaff, a classically trained ballet dancer turned globe-trotting event planner. “When I walked into this building, I saw every piece of art I ever owned in my life filling the place.”

The center also hosts small theater productions with partners including Cleveland’s Broadway School of Music. Next June, Schaaff will hold the world premiere of Cleveland playwright Eric Coble’s play.

Schaaff initially came to Cleveland in 2009 as part of an advance team selecting cities for the 2014 Gay Games. The Alaska-born entrepreneur and ex-Broadway touring performer loved the city’s spirit, settling here in 2022 with intentions of opening a museum.

Facing significant funding challenges, Schaaff is grateful for a $3,760 CAC grant to support an upcoming quilt and wearable art show. Scheduled for March, the program will feature a traveling postcard quilt exhibit together with a wearable Marie Antoinette ballgown made entirely of thin wood veneers.

As a first-time CAC grantee, Schaaff's application was limited to a maximum of $5,000. However, he views the award as the start of a beautiful friendship with the arts and culture organization.

“I want them to see what I’m doing and figure out ways we can become partners in the future,” Schaaff says.

A ‘Seat’ at the table

Staging a play at Seat of the Pants Productions costs between $15,000 and $25,000, with most expenses funding those onstage and involved in production.

Licensing fees and materials are costly as well—lumber in particular is sky-high due to ongoing supply chain disruptions.

Yet, the ensemble theater's flexible location model significantly reduces its overhead costs, says artistic director Craig Joseph. His latest play, AMERIKIN by Chisa Hutchison, will premiere in March at the LatinUs Theater Company in Tremont.

“It was an intentional decision for us not to have a permanent building,” says Joseph, whose theatrical journey began at age five with backyard productions of “The Wizard of Oz.”

“That means 90% of the budget goes to actors and designers.”

With annual expenses of about $110,000, the theater is funded by foundations and the Visit Canton tourism board. Seat of the Pants debuted in 2013 with “a terrible business model” relying on crowdsourced funding, says Joseph.

Seat of the Pants artistic director Craig JosephSeat of the Pants artistic director Craig JosephPast seasons have dealt with how people navigate each other’s differences. This year’s theme delves into the nature of “endings,” examining how they manifest in relationships, beliefs, and family structures. This past fall, Seat of the Pants received a $4,700 CAC grant for AMERIKIN, a play exploring race relations in the U.S. The grant will pay the rental fee for showings at LatinUs Theater.

Joseph notes that his pitch to CAC, a new funding source for the theater, was relatively straightforward.

“It was an introduction into how our company works—we are site-specific, and process driven,” Joseph explains. “Our actors are also getting the equivalent of grad-school instruction with subject matter experts. We wanted CAC to see how we do theater differently.”

Joseph finds it liberating to prioritize creativity over financial matters, he adds.

“Anytime I don’t have to think about raising money, I can focus on producing art,” he says. “What CAC does so well is bring visibility to the arts and artists.”

Building ‘a thriving village’

When asked for the definition of environmental justice, Community Life Collaborative (CLC) executive director Destinee Burse refers to a single guiding principle: “Environmental justice is thriving villages working in rhythm with one another in nature for all people, particularly black and brown communities that have been historically marginalized,” she says.

This translates to ensuring underserved populations have access to clean air and water, a challenge evident in cases like Flint, Michigan, and other communities facing unjust conditions, Burse says.

CLC executive director Destinee BurseCLC executive director Destinee Burse“It even goes beyond the environment to the homes we can afford that are safe from lead,” says Burse, who joined the nonprofit as executive director in January.

With an annual budget of $250,000, CLC spearheads local initiatives that uplift marginalized communities, providing these populations with sustainable gardening practices and food security.

The Collaborative’s community partners encompass churches, educational institutions, and other nonprofit organizations.

A collaboration with Cuyahoga Valley National Park, for example, helped secure a $4,700 CAC grant to fund free exhibits highlighting CLC’s foundational themes.

Held in CLC’s Garden View Gallery, the social- and environmentally-focused displays will feature regional artists working in photography, textiles, paints, and graphic design. CAC dollars will cover both artist fees and construction of the exhibit.

“We’re thrilled to offer artists funding to develop the programming that works best for their art,” Burse says. “The challenge for us is capacity building to make these exhibits accessible.”

CAC's support for local arts initiatives perfectly reflects the core mission of CLC, she adds.

“Our goal is to engage through collaboration, but art is the start of that conversation,” says Burse. “The ultimate goal is for this platform to grow and for us to reach more people.”

Douglas J. Guth
Douglas J. Guth

About the Author: Douglas J. Guth

Douglas J. Guth is a Cleveland Heights-based freelance writer and journalist. In addition to being senior contributing editor at FreshWater, his work has been published by Crain’s Cleveland Business, Ideastream, and Middle Market Growth. At FreshWater, he contributes regularly to the news and features departments, as well as works on regular sponsored series features.