Ohio Arts Council approves $21.8 million in grants

Jul. 25—Three arts organizations in Ashtabula County have received a boost this summer with the awarding of grants from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC).

The OAC board approved $21.8 million in grants to support Ohio artists, arts and cultural organizations, students, educators and public arts programming, according to a press release from the organization.

There were a total of 907 grants to groups and individuals in all 88 Ohio counties, and groups could apply for several grants in eight different categories.

"Ohio's arts and culture sector is poised for a strong future as we continue to work together for a full recovery of in-person arts programming," said Donna S. Collins, Ohio Arts Council executive director, in the prepared statement.

Locally, the Ashtabula Arts Center received a $29,990 sustainability grant; the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival, a $2,707 sustainability grant and the Conneaut Arts Center a $2,058 ArtStart grant.

"We are very thrilled to be receiving an Arts Council grant," said Ginger Whitehead, executive director of the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival. "We mainly use it for entertainment."

The festival is slated for Oct. 14-15 at the fairgrounds in Jefferson.

Sustainability grants support ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres.

ArtSTART provides flexible, accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects addressing a wide variety of goals and objectives.

This year marks the largest amount of grant dollars distributed to constituents applying to OAC funding programs in the agency's history, according to the release.

These grants follow the recent passage of the state's 2024-2025 operating budget, which included a record-setting, nearly $51.1 million state appropriation for the OAC over the next two years.