Friday afternoon, ArtsWave’s Board of Directors approved $10.4 million in grant expenditures from its recent 2017 Community Campaign, slated to support more than 100 arts organizations throughout the Greater Cincinnati region in its Fiscal Year 2018.  In addition, 21 grant recipients were approved to receive over $135,000 in Catalyzing Impact Grants from FY 2017 funding, closing out the last of three rounds of grantmaking.

As part of the FY 2018 approval, $9.7 million in Sustaining Impact Grants, designed to underwrite operating expenses, will be distributed to 37 arts organizations approved for year two of a three-year grant cycle. These organizations were evaluated relative to the progress made on ArtsWave’s Blueprint for Collective Action, a 10-year strategic plan to create a more vibrant economy and connected community through the arts sector. More than 50 volunteer panelists representing business, civic and community groups participated in this year’s grants review process.

Over a half million ($550,000) of the $9.7 million approved will fund 2018 grant initiatives, including Young Professionals grants, support for neighborhood arts and festivals and Catalyzing Impact grants. During the Board meeting, five YP grant recipients for FY 2018 were also approved.

The remaining monies from the $9.7 million approval (approximately $220,000) will be used for special arts initiatives related to education, health, and multicultural programming.

Recipients of the final round of FY 2017 Catalyzing Impact Grants, one-time awards made to organizations to maximize the breadth of arts and cultural heritage programming offered locally, were approved during the same meeting.

Grants were made possible by the 2017 Community Campaign, which ended April 27 with $12.5 million in donations given by almost 40,000 Cincinnatians and 400 companies.

ArtsWave President and CEO Alecia Kintner praised the outcome of both the Community Campaign and subsequent Board meeting. She indicates, “With the contributions of thousands of Cincinnatians and key business supporters, we can quickly but thoughtfully make a sizeable investment back into the community – to those arts organizations that make our region an amazing place for all of us to live and work. I thank Campaign Chair Tim Elsbrock of Fifth Third Bank, our generous community and our volunteer leaders for their support and commitment.

Sustaining Impact Grantees FY 2018:

Young Professionals Program Grantees FY 2018:

Catalyzing Impact Grantees FY 2018 (Round 3 of 3):