Arts and Culture

The Cleveland Museum of Art is the only major museum in the United States still offering free admission to its permanent collection.
The Cleveland Foundation is committed to sustaining a vibrant and healthy cultural community. Our proactive grantmaking focuses on these initiatives:

Creative Fusion supports long-term residencies for international artists within Cleveland's cultural institutions. Prospective applicants should review the request-for-proposal document, application preview, and the "Help For Your Residency" planning guide.
- You may also read news and information on artists being hosted by Cleveland institutions through Creative Fusion, as well as this extended review of the program and its artists.
Sustaining Excellence is a program designed to strengthen and maintain a small group of invited arts organizations. (NOTE: This program is not open to new participation.)
Engaging the Future, an audience development initiative aimed at helping our vital arts institutions attract nontraditional, diverse audiences to supplement current patrons, some of whom are growing older and may relocate in retirement. Read this Plain Dealer story about Engaging the Future, and watch this space for more information coming soon.

A note to grantseekers

Grantmaking in arts and culture is not limited to the programs featured on this page. The Cleveland Foundation seeks to be responsive to the changing needs of nonprofit organizations in our community and welcomes grant requests. Click to learn more about applying for a grant from the foundation.

Arts Advancement Program

In recent years, the foundation has focused on strengthening important but undercapitalized arts organizations through its Arts Advancement Program. You can read an evaluation and outcomes of the program here.

Other arts and culture initiatives

The Cleveland Foundation invests in developing supportive public policy for the arts. We provided leadership to establish the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture and worked vigorously for the 2007 passage of Issue 18, a Cuyahoga County-wide tax that generates operating revenue for the arts sector. Funds from this tax are administered by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
- Both of these important developments emerged from recommendations in the foundation's 1996 "Civic Study Commission on the Performing Arts."