How We Got Here
The arts and culture scene in Cuyahoga County is second to none. But how’d we get here?
Prior to 2006, Cleveland was one of only a few major cities without sustainable public funding for the arts. An engaged community came together to support the conception and implementation of a cigarette excise tax to fund its vibrant arts and culture sector. In fact, 56% of Cuyahoga County voters supported this groundbreaking initiative in 2006, and a resounding 75% of voters approved the renewal of the measure in 2015.
Since its inception, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) has been a cornerstone in stabilizing and strengthening our region’s arts and cultural nonprofits through the unique use of a cigarette tax. With more than 4,000 grants to 485 nonprofit organizations, CAC stands as one of the largest local public funders of arts and culture in the United States. This funding has touched every community in our county, providing millions of cultural experiences annually.
However, we are at a critical juncture. Declining smoking rates provide many important health benefits, it also has led to a nearly 50% reduction in revenue since the enactment of the tax. This declining revenue stream poses a significant threat to the arts and culture nonprofits that serve Cuyahoga County residents.
This November, voters will have the opportunity to approve a 3.5 cent per cigarette replacement tax issue to ensure longer-term, increased funding for arts and culture nonprofits in Cuyahoga County.
Cleveland Public Theatre, CAC-funded since 2008, Photo by Steve Wagner
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With more than 4,000 grants to 485 nonprofit organizations, CAC stands as one of the largest local public funders of arts and culture in the United States.
Who Benefits?
Kids. Seniors. Underserved communities. Every resident in every neighborhood of Cuyahoga County. Arts and culture are essential to making Cuyahoga County a vibrant and appealing place to live. They enhance our quality of life, provide educational opportunities, and contribute to the uniqueness of our community.
Investing in arts and culture provides tremendous benefits for the region. By supporting this tax, we help improve our quality of life, education outcomes, and economic prosperity:
It helps boost economic development. With a staggering $533 million contribution to the regional economy and thousands of family-supporting jobs, the arts and culture industry not only generates employment opportunities but also elevates our overall quality of life, drives tourism, enhances neighborhoods, and attracts and retains talent.
It enhances the quality of life by funding and connecting residents to tens of thousands of events and programs in thousands of locations in Cuyahoga County. Each year, CAC-funded organizations offer millions of cultural experiences for residents and visitors, and about half of admissions are free of charge.
It builds stronger, more vibrant communities by connecting residents to opportunities to explore new areas or celebrate the cultural experiences in their neighborhoods. Through this tax, grant recipients build stronger communities by using arts as a tool to help residents feel safer, stronger, happier, and more connected to their communities and to each other.
It improves education: In- and -out-of-school arts and cultural activities improve educational outcomes and provide unique opportunities, create safe and healthy options for young people, and important life experiences for young people.
Since 2007, CAC has funded 485 organizations including nearly 300 in 2024.
Check out this year’s grant recipients:
ABREPASO Flamenco
Achievement Centers for Children
AfricaHouse International
America Asian Pacific Islander Organization
America SCORES Cleveland
American Hungarian Friends of Scouting
American Slovenian Polka Foundation
Apollo's Fire
Aradhana Committee
Art House
Art of Me
Art Therapy Studio
Artful
Artists Archives of the Western Reserve
Arts Impact
Arts in Strongsville
Arts Renaissance Tremont
Artful
Arts Without Borders
Assembly for the Arts
Association of African American Cultural Garden
Babel Box Theater
Baldwin Wallace University
Baseball Heritage Museum
Bay Village Community Band
BAYarts
Beachwood Arts Council
Beck Center for the Arts
Bedford Historical Society
Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging
Berea Arts Fest
BigHearted Blooms
BlueWater Chamber Orchestra
BorderLight
Brite Cleveland
Broadway School of Music and the Arts
Brooklyn Heights Service Clubs
Buck Out Foundation
Canalway Partners
Carolyn L. Farrell Foundation
Case Western Reserve University
Cassidy Theatre
Cedar Fairmount Special Improvement District
Celebrate the Arts Performance Academy
Center for Arts-Inspired Learning
Center for Employment Opportunities
Cesear's Forum
Chagrin Arts
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival
Chagrin Valley Little Theater
ChamberFest Cleveland
Children's Museum of Cleveland
Choral Arts Cleveland
City Ballet of Cleveland
City Club of Cleveland
Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers
Cleveland Botanical Garden
Cleveland Chamber Choir
Cleveland Chamber Collective
Cleveland Chamber Music Society
Cleveland Chamber Symphony
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society
Cleveland Composers Guild
Cleveland Contemporary Chinese Culture Association
Cleveland Dance Project Company
Cleveland Grays Armory Museum
Cleveland Inner City Ballet
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland International Film Festival
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
Cleveland Leadership Center
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra
Cleveland Photo Fest
Cleveland Play House
Cleveland Pops Orchestra
Cleveland Pride Band
Cleveland Print Room
Cleveland Public Theatre
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Cleveland Repertory Orchestra
Cleveland Restoration Society
Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future
Cleveland School of the Arts Board of Trustees
Cleveland Seed Bank
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival
Cleveland Silent Film Festival and Colloquium
Cleveland TOPS Swingband
Cleveland Treatment Center
Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project
Cleveland Winds
Cleveland Women's Orchestra
Collective Arts Network
CollectivExpress
Colors+Youth Center
Community Cup Classic Foundation
Hasani Management Inc.
Heights Arts
Heights Youth Theatre
Henry Johnson Center
Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation
Hospice of the Western Reserve
ICA-Art Conservation
Ideastream Public Media
In Harmony Therapeutic Services
India Fest USA
Ingenuity
Inlet Dance Theatre
InMotion
International Community Council
International Women's Air & Space Museum
Italian Cultural Garden
Jennings Center for Older Adults
Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland
Jewish Federation of Cleveland
John Carroll University
Jones Road Family Development Corporation
Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center
Kaboom Collective
Karamu House
Kings & Queens of Art
Kulture Kids
Lake Erie Ink
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy
LakewoodAlive
LAND studio
Larchmere PorchFest
LatinUs Theater Company
Les Délices
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Literary Cleveland
Little Italy Redevelopment Corporation
Little Lumpy's Center for Educational Initiatives
Local 4 Music Fund
LYLESART
M.U.S.i.C.
Maelstrom Collaborative Arts
Malachi Center
Maltz Museum
Mandel JCC
Mantles and Makers
May Dugan Center
Men of Independence
MidTown Cleveland
Connecting for Kids
Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Convergence-continuum
Coventry PEACE Campus
Coventry Village Special Improvement District
Dance Evert
DANCECleveland
Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio
Dancing Wheels
Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio
Djapo Cultural Arts Institute
Doan Brook Watershed Partnership
Dobama Theatre
Downtown Cleveland Alliance
DuffyLit
Dunham Tavern Museum and Gardens
East Cleveland Farmers' Market Preservation Society
Edward E. Parker Museum of Art
Empowering Epilepsy
Encore Chamber Music Institute
Ensemble Theatre
Environmental Health Watch
Euclid Beach Park Now
Far West Center
Folknet
Foluke Cultural Arts
Food Strong
Fostering Hope Ohio
Friends of the East Cleveland Public Library
Friends of the McGaffin Carillon
From Me 2 U
Front Steps Housing and Services
FrontLine Service
FutureHeights
Gardening in the District
German Central
German Music Society
Golden Ciphers Youth Development & Cultural Arts Center
Good Company: A Vocal Ensemble
Graffiti HeART
Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Theater
Greater Cleveland Film Commission
Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association
Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
GroundWorks DanceTheater
Group Plan Commission
Harvard Community Services Center
Mojuba Dance Collective
Morgan Conservatory
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
Museum of Creative Human Art
Music and Art at Trinity
Musical Theater Project
Naach Di Cleveland
NAMI Greater Cleveland
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
Near West Theatre
New Avenues to Independence
NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts & Technology
No Exit
North Coast Men's Chorus
North East Ohio Musical Heritage Association
North Pointe Ballet
North Union Farmers Market
Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development
Ingenuity
OCA Greater Cleveland
Oh Sew Powerful
Ohio City Incorporated
Ohio Contemporary Ballet
Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation
One South Euclid
Open Doors Academy
Open Tone Music
Pakistani Cultural Garden
P.A.L.S. for Healing
Parma Area Fine Arts Council
Piano Cleveland
Playhouse Square
Polish Village Parma
Praxis Fiber Workshop
Radio on the Lake Theatre
Rainey Institute
Re:Source Cleveland
Reaching Heights
Refresh Collective
Renovare Music
Restore Cleveland Hope
Ridna Shkola Cleveland
Roberto Ocasio Foundation
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Rollin' Buckeyez
Roots of American Music
Sankofa
Schmooze Ohio
Sculpture Center
Shaker Arts Council
Shaker Historical Society
Shore Cultural Centre
Singing Angels
Slavic Village Development
Slovenian Museum and Archives
SOS: Strengthening Our Students
SPACES
St. Clair Superior Development Corp.
Stellar Acrobatic Dance Academy
Studio Institute
STV Bavaria
Suburban Symphony Orchestra
Talespinner Children's Theatre
Tender Hearts Crusades
The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Opera
The Cleveland Orchestra
The Foundry
The Gathering Place
The Harvard Square Center
The Movement Project
The Music Settlement
Thea Bowman Center
Tremont West Development Corporation
Trobár Medieval
Ukrainian Cultural Arts Association of Greater Cleveland
Ukrainian Museum-Archives
Union Miles Development Corporation
University Circle Inc.
Upcycle Parts Shop
UpStage Players
Ursuline College
Valley Art Center
VIVA Bavaria
Wake Up and Live's Actor's Studio
Waterloo Arts
West Park Kamm's Neighborhood Development
West Side Catholic Center
West Side Community House
Western Reserve Chorale
Western Reserve Fire Museum & Education Center
Western Reserve Historical Society
Western Reserve Land Conservancy
Westlake Chinese School
Westown Community Development Corporation
Westown Community Development Corporation
Women in History
Writers in Residence
Youth Challenge
Zygote Press
Frequently Asked Questions
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Cuyahoga County residents partially fund the diverse and renowned nonprofit arts and culture organizations and programs through a voter-approved 1.5-cent per cigarette tax that was first passed in 2006. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is the public authority created to distribute the funds in our community. Since then, CAC has supported millions of cultural experiences for residents in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County each year. However, revenues have declined approximately 50% due to decreasing cigarette sales. This poses a significant threat to these vital cultural experiences and programs. Therefore, we are asking voters to approve a small 3.5 cent per cigarette replacement issue.
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CAC is solely funded by the excise tax on cigarettes. This is the only county-wide tax in Cuyahoga County with declining revenue. The steady decline in cigarette sales over the past decades has dealt a heavy blow to CAC’s revenue, reducing annual receipts by nearly 50% since its inception. We need to replace the tax to ensure CAC can continue to fund hundreds of arts and culture nonprofits that benefit residents.
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Investing in arts and culture is not just a matter of aesthetics; it is an investment in a source of tremendous pride for our region. By supporting this tax, we promote a better quality of life, education outcomes and opportunities, and economic prosperity:
Boosts economic development. With a $533 million contribution to the regional economy and thousands of family-supporting jobs, the arts and culture industry not only generates employment opportunities but also elevates our overall quality of life, drives tourism, enhances neighborhoods, and attracts and retains talent.
Enhances the quality of life by funding and connecting residents to tens of thousands of events and programs in thousands of locations in Cuyahoga County. Every year, CAC-funded organizations offer millions of cultural experiences for residents and visitors, and about half of admissions are free of charge.
Builds stronger, more vibrant neighborhoods by connecting residents to opportunities to explore new areas or celebrate the cultural experiences. The work of CAC’s grant recipients helps build stronger communities by using arts as a tool to help residents feel safer, active, happier, and more connected to their communities and to each other.
Improves Education. Through in- and out- of school arts and cultural activities, educational outcomes are improved and unique, safe, and healthy options and life opportunities are provided to young people.
Now, more than ever, we need the transformative power of arts and culture to heal,
inspire, and unite us. We can make a resounding statement about our commitment to the arts and our unwavering belief in their ability to shape a better future for our community through supporting this initiative.
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Kids. Seniors. Eastside. Westside. Every resident in every neighborhood of Cuyahoga County has access to the wide range of free programming available. It adds up to over 5 million experiences every year. Arts and culture are essential to making Cuyahoga County a vibrant and appealing place to live. They enhance our quality of life, provide educational opportunities, and contribute to the uniqueness of our community.
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Each fall, CAC convenes a panel of diverse arts and cultural professionals from outside the region. They are recruited and carefully vetted to ensure grant applications benefit the public. Panelists evaluate applications at a public meeting or through a written review online. Organizations whose applications meet the criteria, which vary between grants, are recommended to receive funding.
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Cuyahoga County-based nonprofits. Since 2007, CAC has granted $247 million through 4,000 grants to more than 485 nonprofit organizations throughout Cuyahoga County. Nearly every community has been touched by CAC funding millions of cultural experiences annually and the programs and organizations funded benefit all county residents.
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CAC makes grants to support the operations of arts and culture nonprofits and public programming initiatives.
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CAC has a small team of seven staff who manages the grantmaking and day to day operations. CAC administrative costs are currently less than 10%. The vast majority of its revenue goes directly to support local arts and cultural nonprofits.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is one of the largest local public funders of arts and culture in the nation and the largest institutional funder of arts and cultural experiences in Cuyahoga County, investing as much funding in the arts as the top three foundations in our County combined. CAC has also emerged as the largest and most influential funder dedicated to enriching arts and culture in the country.
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If we do not change the current tax structure, revenue will continue to decline, and all organizations will suffer. With less funding, organizations may have to eliminate programming and services offered to residents in Cuyahoga County.
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The 3.5 cents per cigarette replacement amount was based on research that included assessing the decline in revenues and input from stakeholders and community leaders.
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If voters pass the issue in November of 2024, revenues would start to be collected
February 1, 2025. Funds could start to be granted in 2026.
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CAC will continue to support the operational expenses of Cuyahoga County’s art and culture nonprofits.
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The State of Ohio would not permit the inclusion of taxing vaping products in the Ohio Revised Code for funding of Regional Arts and Culture Districts.
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Yes, many other options were considered and thoroughly analyzed. We explored taxing a range of products and items, including dine-in meals, alcohol, marijuana, and property taxes. Extensive research on each was conducted that included financial projections, legislative viability, public opinion research, and political assessments.
Currently, marijuana cannot be taxed on the local level in Ohio. Given that Cuyahoga County has some of the highest property tax rates in the state and that property taxes are widely used to fund a number of important public purposes, it was determined that replacing the current tax on cigarettes was the most viable mechanism that would produce the best results.