Toledo Reporter

The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, in partnership with the Lucas County Commissioners and the City of Toledo, is pleased to announce the first round of organizational and artist grants from the Toledo-Lucas County Rescue Plan Grant program.

In 2021, as the disproportionately negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the the arts ecosystem deepened, The Arts Commission worked with the Toledo Area Cultural Leaders to advocate for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding toward the rescue and recovery of the sector.

In response to this crisis, The Lucas County Board of Commissioners, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Toledo City Council joined together in partnership to approve $6 million in ARPA funds to support a multi-year grant program for the recovery of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and artists in Toledo and Lucas County.

“All of us working in the arts are so deeply grateful to our elected officials for including us in this recovery effort.” said Marc Folk, President and CEO of The Arts Commission. “This funding will assist nearly every nonprofit arts and culture organization in Toledo and Lucas County and over 100 local artists. Our region is widely known as an arts and culture destination and this investment will accelerate our ability to rebound. Simply put, our recovery would have taken years longer without this critical support.”

Nonprofit arts organizations and individual artists were eligible to apply to a competitive process based on their demonstrated practice, need and location within Toledo and/or Lucas County. 37 organizations and 101 artists were approved in this first round of funding for a total of $1,699,000.

Funded organizations include:

• Anthony Wayne Area Arts Commission
• Ballet Theatre of Toledo
• BeInstrumental Foundation
• Believe Center
• Children’s Theatre Workshop
• Clarence Smith Community Chorus
• Collingwood Arts Center
• Glacity Theatre Collective/Toledo Public Works
• National Museum of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Jazz Society
• Imagination Station
• Issue Box Theatre
• Libbey House Foundation
• Lucas County Cemeteries Historical Association
• Masterworks Chorale of Toledo
• Midstory
• Nuestra Gente Community Projects
• Scrap4Art
• Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center
• Sylvania Community Arts Commission
• The Famed Foundation
• The Lakeside Theatre Company
• The Public Broadcasting Foundation of Northwest Ohio
• The Toledo Choral Society
• Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts
• Toledo Area Glass Guild
• Toledo Artists’ Club
• Toledo Cultural Arts Center, Inc., at the Valentine Theatre
• Toledo Federation of Art Societies
• Toledo Jazz Festival
• Toledo Museum of Art
• Toledo Opera Association
• Toledo Repertoire Company
• Toledo School for the Arts
• Toledo Zoological Society
• University of Toledo, Department of Art + Department of Theatre & Film
• Unruly Arts

In addition to organizational funding, 101 individual artists will receive a total of $119,500 in grant awards.

Since 1959, The Arts Commission has played a vital role in providing resources for artists and cultural organizations in the Greater Toledo area. Throughout this time, the City of Toledo and the Lucas County Board of Commissioners have been critical partners and have stepped up to provide funding and other resources that have ensured the ongoing success of arts and culture initiatives in our region.

Original source can be found here.