By 1812Blockhouse
In July, the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board approved $18,246,306 in grants to support Ohio artists, arts and cultural organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming.
The 764 grants approved at the meeting constitute the initial and major state fiscal year 2023 funding round for the OAC.
Five of those grants, totaling $147,366, are headed to Richland County.
“We thank Ohio’s elected leadership—especially Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate—for their steadfast support of our state’s creative sector,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “With these awards, Ohio’s resilient arts and culture sector will continue to play a critical role in the health and vitality of communities across the state.”
For each of the last four state biennial budgets, the OAC has directly funded the arts in all 88 counties. “By broadening access to the arts, the Ohio Arts Council is keeping our promise to strengthen our state and provide greater opportunity for Ohioans,” she said.
The local grants were awarded in three categories:
Arts Partnership grants support arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC aims to strengthen arts education locally, regionally, and statewide.
Sustainability grants support ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the largest and most administratively sophisticated organizations in the state’s arts and culture ecosystem. This four-year funding supports a wide range of the state’s arts providers that are positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.
TeachArtsOhio grants bring schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences.
Local organizations receiving grants were:
Mansfield City Schools – $36,000 TeachArtsOhio grant
Mansfield Fine Arts Guild, Inc. – $32,922 Sustainability grant
Renaissance Performing Arts Association – $10,050 Arts Partnership grant
Renaissance Performing Arts Association – $40,201 Sustainability grant
Richland Academy of the Arts – $28,123 Sustainability grant
Source: Ohio Arts Council
