The Governing Committee of The Columbus Foundation announced $1,017,010 in competitive grants to support the work of 16 central Ohio arts organizations at its meeting on February 20, 2008. Twenty-one grassroots arts organizations received $150,000 from the Community Arts Fund (CAF).
“The Governing Committee of The Columbus Foundation and its donors are committed to making our community as healthy and vibrant as possible through the arts,” said Douglas F. Kridler, president and CEO of The Columbus Foundation. “This support is for both the major arts and the grassroots arts programs, which play an important role in strengthening our community.”
Support for competitive arts grants awarded by The Columbus Foundation is made possible by donors who create funds to benefit the arts, including the Community Arts Fund (CAF) and the Trilogy Fund, an endowment that supports the art museum and symphonic music in Columbus.
2008 Grants for Major Arts Organizations—$1,017,010
The major arts category includes presenting and performing arts organizations with annual budgets of $350,000 or more. Grants recognize and encourage achievement in six areas: artistic quality. Attendance. inclusion,, financial stability, board leadership, and management. The grants support the work of the major arts organizations from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.
Four additional organizations now included in the category of major arts grants are Phoenix Theatre Circle, Franklin County Historical Society (dba COSI), Friends of the Conservatory, and the Ohio Designer Craftsmen.
Ballet Metropolitan, Inc.—$81,640 to provide general operating support for ballet performances and dance education programs.
Columbus Association for the Performing Arts—$139,070 to provide general operating support for the presentation of music, dance, theatre, and film.
Columbus Children’s Theatre—$20,830 for general operating support for the production and presentation of theatre for children and their families.
Columbus Museum of Art—$101,750 to provide general operating support for the exhibition and collection of paintings, sculpture and works of art, and for the presentation of arts education.
Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Inc.—$103,920 to provide general operating support for the presentation of symphonic music. (Contingencies have been placed on this grant.)
Community Arts Project, Inc. (dba Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex)—$42,480 to provide general operating support for the presentation of African-American art.
Contemporary American Theatre Company—$32,610 to provide general operating support for the professional theatre production of American, international, and new plays for central Ohio audiences.
Franklin County Historical Society (dba COSI)—$149,740 to promote understanding of science and industry through exhibits, demonstrations, and educational activities.
Friends of the Conservatory—$70,800 to support the presentation of arts, education, and botanical programs at Franklin Park Conservatory.
Jazz Arts Group of Columbus—$53,420 to provide general operating support for the presentation and promotion of big band jazz music through the professional jazz orchestra and jazz education activities.
Ohio Desinger Craftsmen—$21,660 to support the exhibition of crafts, offer communtiy and professional education programs, and to provide supportive services fo craft artists in central Ohio.
Opera Columbus—$38,900 to provide general operating support for the production of professional opera for the reisdents of central Ohio. (Contingencies have been placed on this grant.)
Phoenix Theatre Circle—$18,070 to provide general operating support for for the production and presentation of theatre for children and their families.
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Inc.—$34,000 to provide general operating support for the production and presentation of chamber music.
Thurber House, Inc.—$20,000 to provide general operating support for the operation of the historic home of James Thurber, a literary center providing programming for writers, readers, adults, and youth.
Wexner Center for the Arts of The Ohio State University—$78,120 to provide general operating support for the presentation of multidisciplinary contemporary arts.
2008 Community Arts Fund Grants—$150,000
Through its Community Arts Fund (CAF), a field of interest fund, The Columbus Foundation supports smaller arts organizations that offer education and performance opportunities for the community, but have limited access to private dollars. A total of $150,000 in grants, including $5,000 from the Ingram-White Castle Foundation, will support 21 arts organizations with annual budgets of $350,000 or less.
• Actor’s Summer Theatre (dba Actor’s Theatre)—$10,151
• Brass Band of Columbus—$3,387
• Chamber Music Columbus—$10,790
• City Music of Columbus—$6,976
• Columbus and Central Ohio Children’s Chorus Foundation
(dba Columbus Children’s Choirs)—$12,306
• Columbus Dance Theatre, Inc.—$11,250
• Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus—$10,758
• Columbus Music and Arts Academy—$5,980
• Friends of Early Music, Inc.—$6,184
• Glass Axis—$12,991
• Grandparents Living Theatre dba SRO Theatre Company—$3,667
(Contingencies have been placed on this grant.)
• High Road Gallery Inc.—$2,949
• Jefferson Academy of Music—$9,953
• Kiaca Gallery—$3,779
• Little Theatre Off Broadway, Inc.—$6,121
• MADLAB—$6,239
• Six String Concerts, Inc.—$4,710
• SNAP! Performance Productions—$3,444
• Westerville Community Concert Band—$3,894
• Worthington Arts Council —$10,302
• Worthington Chorus —$3,719
CAF was created in 1984 in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Expansion Arts Program. The Foundation received grants of $200,000 over four years from the NEA, which were matched with $100,000 each year from local sources. Funds raised by the Foundation were used to create the CAF endowment. Funding for smaller arts are supplemented by discretionary unrestricted funds.
In addition, the Columbus Museum of Art received $10,000 from the Alfred L. Willson Charitable Fund to support maintenance of the collection.