Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) this week approved $10,750,847 in grants to support 300 Cuyahoga County nonprofit organizations of all sizes in 2025.

The grants were awarded through CAC’s General Operating Support, Project Support, and Cultural Heritage grant programs. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $257 million in 500 organizations.

Euclid Symphony HornsThe grants were approved by CAC’s Board of Trustees during a public meeting on Wednesday, Nov, 20. A diverse and impartial panel of arts and cultural experts from outside the region reviewed and scored Project Support grant applications in September. General Operating Support and Cultural Heritage grants are entering the second year of a two-year grant cycle.

“We are excited to make these grants to 300 nonprofit organizations that serve residents in every zip code in Cuyahoga County,” Jill M. Paulsen, CAC’s executive director said in a statement. “Among the organizations receiving grants are steadfast community pillars like The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Music Settlement, Karamu House, and others that we’ve funded since CAC began.”

Paulsen says 15 organizations are first-time CAC funding recipients, including the Association of Asian Indian Women in Ohio, Euclid Symphony Orchestra, and RhythmiCLE Sound Tap Company.

“We make these grants with heartfelt gratitude for Cuyahoga County voters who recently approved an increase in CAC funding through 2035, which is a sign that county residents appreciate the exceptional work of these 300 organizations,” Paulsen said.

Each of CAC’s support programs help different nonprofits continue their work.

Cleveland Association of Black StorytellersThe General Operating Support program provides unrestricted, multi-year support grants. This is the second year of a two-year grant commitment for the 70 organizations that will receive General Operating Support grants totaling $8,983,725 in 2025. Grants range in size from $11,760 to The Cleveland Opera to $872,000 to Playhouse Square.

The Project Support grant program promotes and encourages the breadth of arts and cultural programming in the community by funding 217 projects of all sizes in Cuyahoga County with a total of $1,546,680 in 2025. Grants range in size from $1,505 for the Association of Asian Indian Women in Ohio to $18,040 for the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

The Cultural Heritage grant program provides flexible funding for organizations with a primary mission of arts and culture that are representative of a culturally specific population. In total, 13 organizations will share grants totaling $220,442 in 2025. Grants range in size from $5,000 to the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers to $30,000 each to Foluke Cultural Arts, Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, and Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center.

A complete list of the 300 2025 grant recipients is available through CAC.

The 2025 grant amounts are not impacted by the increased cigarette tax approved by voters in November 2024. CAC will begin collecting the new tax monthly starting in March 2025 and anticipates higher revenues to impact grantmaking starting in 2026.