Columbus, OH (June 28, 2017)—The Columbus Foundation’s Governing Committee recently approved more than $1.4 million in grants to support 53 arts organizations serving central Ohio. Grants were also awarded to recognize Smart Columbus and ColumbusNext, which will benefit our community as we look to the future.
ARTS GRANTS
Major Arts Organizations—15 organizations—$1,223,343
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 overall management. The following grants support the work of the major arts organizations from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.
- Ballet Metropolitan, Inc.—$84,742
- CATCO-Phoenix, Inc.—$50,096
- Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA)—$140,784
- Columbus Children’s Theatre—$49,424
- Columbus Museum of Art—$127,029
- Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Inc.—$92,357
- COSI—$156,706
- Friends of the Conservatory (Franklin Park)—$95,006
- Jazz Arts Group of Columbus—$52,869
- The King Arts Complex—$48,741
- Ohio Designer Craftsmen—$48,660
- Opera Columbus—$47,904
- ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Inc.—$49,202
- Thurber House—$45,007
- Wexner Center for the Arts—$134,816
Community Arts Fund—34 organizations—$150,000
Through the Community Arts Fund, a Field of Interest Fund, The Columbus Foundation supports small- and medium-sized arts organizations that offer education and performance opportunities for the community, but have limited access to private dollars.
- Arts Nascent Territory dba Ohio Paper Folders—$4,034
- Available Light Theatre Inc.—$5,239
- Brass Band of Columbus—$2,491
- Carpe Diem String Quartet—$6,238
- Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society—$2,493
- Chamber Music Columbus—$5,489
- Columbus and Central Ohio Children’s Chorus Foundation—$7,689
- Columbus Folk Music Society, Inc.—$2,691
- Columbus Women’s Chorus—$2,612
- Friends of Art for Community Enrichment (FACE)—$3,778
- Friends of Early Music Inc.—$4,222
- Jeanne B. McCoy Center for the Arts—$8,869
- Jefferson Academy of Music—$4,525
- MadLab—$4,109
- Maroon Arts Group—$3,638
- New Albany Symphony Orchestra—$8,553
- OhioDance—$4,061
- Ohio Poetry Association Inc.—$739
- Opera Project Columbus Incorporated—$6,180
- Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington—$8,869
- Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative—$2,539
- Red Herring Productions—$3,008
- Roy G. Biv Gallery—$3,380
- Six String Concerts, Inc.—$3,432
- Sunday at Central A Recital Series—$2,539
- The Fuse Factory Electronic and Digital Arts Lab Inc.—$2,717
- The Lincoln Theatre—$8,869
- Thiossane Institute Incorporated—$3,224
- VSA Ohio—$6,220
- Westerville Community Concert Band—$2,741
- Westerville Symphony at Otterbein University—$5,146
- Wild Goose Creative Incorporated—$3,721
- Women in Music-Columbus dba The Women’s Music Club—$3,108
- Worthington Chorus—$2,837
Additional arts grants were awarded to:
- Columbus Dance Theatre, Inc.—$20,000
- Columbus Museum of Art—$10,000
- Greater Columbus Arts Council—$25,000
- Glass Axis—$15,000
- Short North Stage Inc.—$25,000
SMART COLUMBUS and COLUMBUSNEXT GRANTS
The Foundation, thanks to generous donors who have provided unrestricted dollars to address community needs, is also supporting other initiatives focused on our smart and open city.
A $500,000 grant to the Columbus Partnership and City of Columbus was awarded to support Smart Columbus, a collaborative initiative focused on improving the quality of life, growth of the economy, better access to jobs and upward mobility, becoming a world-class logistics leader, and fostering sustainability.
Smart Columbus was developed to aid in the Smart City Challenge bid, where Columbus competed against 77 cities from across the country for $50 million to develop technology and transportation solutions and incorporate an emphasis on electric vehicles and reducing carbon emissions. Columbus was named the winner in June 2016. Over the next four years, the Foundation’s investment will help fund, in part, program and research staff, and public relations and community engagement efforts.
A $50,000 grant to the Ohio News Media Foundation will support a monthly print series, ColumbusNext, in The Columbus Dispatch that debuted in June and runs through December. The series will pose questions to experts, and residents of all ages, with topics around demographics, transportation, housing, education, sports, the arts, and more. To provide further context to the topics, The Dispatch will provide a historical perspective, as well current and future projections. ColumbusNext will include a multi-page, monthly print component as well as ongoing video and digital assets.
ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION
The Columbus Foundation is the trusted philanthropic advisor® to more than 2,500 individuals, families, businesses, and communities that have created unique funds and foundations to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. More than 70 years strong, The Columbus Foundation is ranked among the top ten community foundations in the United States. Visit columbusfoundation.org to learn more.