FAQs

• The purpose of the institutional partner is to strengthen the connection between Cleveland artists and institutions in Cleveland.
• The institutional partner has an essential role in the application concept ideation and may recommend additional resources to implement the project.
• Institutional partners must also act as the fiscal agent–and disburse checks for materials and supplies, vendors, artist personnel, and other approved expenses in the final approved award budget.
• Institutional partners must agree to the terms of the application and submit all requested materials to be reviewed.
• If awarded, the institutional partner must agree not to pay any expenses over 20% of the approved budget line item.

• Yes, applicants and their institutional partners must have a verified Cleveland address in order to be eligible to apply.
• Additionally, artist applicants will have to supply a residential address and not the address of their studio on the application.

An institutional partner is an organization that all artist(s) will partner with on the Transformative Arts Fund. An institutional partner should be able to support their sponsoring artist’s creative production throughout the implementation process if their artist(s)’s proposed project gets funded. Artists may choose a Cleveland-based organization from all industries, including:

• Nonprofits
• Corporations
• Education
• Religious groups
• CDC
• Schools
• Social Service Agencies

No, only the lead artist is required to apply to the Transformative Arts Fund, but they must have the sponsoring institutional partner’s information ready when they’re applying.

Yes! We encourage institutions in all sectors and fields to work with an artist to submit an application.

Artists and creatives of all disciplines are encouraged to apply. This includes craft, dance/choreography, design, film, media, music, theater/performance, traditional arts, visual art, and literary art. Please refer to the Guidelines for additional details.

Awarded project budgets for the Transformative Arts Fund range from $250,000 to $500,000. In order to assess the viability of an institutional partner to be a fiscal agent, we require the following documents:

• current year operational budget
• 2 years of audited financials
• staffing org chart of department supporting proposed project/entire organization
• liability insurance (for execution of proposed project if awarded)

• June 17th is the tentative project start date for Transformative Arts Fund grant recipients.
• All projects must be completed before August 30th, 2025, so the project period is tentatively one year and about two months.

• Transformative Arts fund applications must include one lead artist.
• A lead artist can work alone or with collaborating artists.
• While there is no limit on the number of artists who can work with, please note that your proposed budget must include compensation for the lead artist as well as all collaborating artists.

• Each application requires an artistic personnel budget to be detailed separately from the project implementation expenses.
• Compensating artists for their work on the project is central to this effort.
• The application artistic personnel budget should recognize the time, effort, and execution of the project.
• Working on this project is not intended to replace full-time work, even if the artist or artists is not employed with full-time work.
• Artists who hold part-time and full-time employment are eligible to apply and serve as a lead artist and/or as part of an artist collective.

• All applicants will be notified in writing about the status of their application.
• Applications invited to participate in the finalist review will also be notified.
• If selected to advance to the next stage, the lead artist(s) and the representative from the partnering institution must also participate in the next steps of the process.

• Applicants can submit project proposals of their choosing.
• Applications with project proposals that address: vacant land reutilization, the environment, food insecurity, violence prevention, matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion, safe spaces in Cleveland, and social determinants of health, i.e., Black maternal-fetal health, smoking cessation, and physical and mental health may receive special consideration.

• Yes, only one application should be submitted per concept.
• The application institutional partner requirements are stated in the guidelines.
• The institutional partner is also required to participate at all stages of the process.
• Applicants may save their progress as they complete it and return to finish the application any time before the due date.

Resources to identify vacant lots for the proposed project can be found at the City of Cleveland's Land Bank.

The legislation 895-2022 that established this fund requires funds to be transferred to an institution/entity, not individuals.

Applicants may email transformativeartsfund@clevelandohio.gov with questions.

If audited financial statements are not available institutional partners should upload/submit the following with the TAF application: the last 2 years of: request tax returns, unaudited financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows) and bank statements.

No. artists, collaborating artists, and/or institutional partners are only able to be associated with one application.

The TAF Team has prepared information that provides detail and contact information about the above. Please click here to review the information.