Equity in the Arts Fund opens application process for 2022 grantmaking

Fund has awarded more than $9 million since its inception in 1994

Release Date: 9.1.2021

CLEVELAND – The Minority Arts and Education Fund, soon to be known as The Equity in the Arts Fund (EITAF), announced that it has opened the application process for its 2022 round of grants.

Now through Nov. 1, 2021, EITAF is accepting applications for grants ranging from $5,000-$20,000 to organizations that are led by people of color and serve, engage in, and promote the arts and cultures – both traditional and new – of communities of African, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous and Middle Eastern descent. Organizations that are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt may apply for grants to strengthen their capacity and/or to host fellowships for artists of color.

Earlier this year, the Fund’s board approved a name change from the Minority Arts and Education Fund to the Equity in the Arts Fund. “The Fund’s board recognized that the use of ‘minority’ is an outdated term and not the correct way to define a whole diverse community of people,” said Courtenay Barton, Cleveland Foundation program director for arts & culture and racial equity initiatives. “We wanted the name of the fund to reflect our goal: an equitable arts and cultural sector. And we can achieve this goal by assisting organizations led by people of color to build their capacity and infrastructure.”

In 2021, the Fund awarded $185,000 to 18 Greater Cleveland organizations in support of capacity-building and artist fellowships at their respective organizations.

2021 Equity in the Arts Fund Recipients

EITAF is an endowed fund with assets of approximately $3.6 million that provides grantmaking in the local community from investment income. Including the 2021 recipients, the fund has now granted out more than $9.2 million since its inception in 1994.

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