Fine Arts Association awarded $45K

Grant is year three of four-year funding program from Ohio Arts Council

The Fine Arts Association is an award recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Sustainability grant.

The Ohio Arts Council board this week announced the approval of $18,479,247 in grants to support Ohio artists, arts and cultural organizations, students, educators and public arts programming.

According to officials, this marks the largest amount of grant dollars distributed to constituents applying to OAC funding programs in the agency’s history.

The 746 grants approved constitute the initial and major state fiscal year 2022 funding round for the OAC.

Of those applying for OAC Sustainability Grants, 298 were awarded totaling $14,382,577.

The Fine Arts Association is an award recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Sustainability grant in the amount of $45,653 for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

According to FAA, sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the largest and most administratively sophisticated organizations in the state’s arts and culture ecosystem.

The grant total is year three of a four-year funding program that “supports a wide range of the state’s arts providers that are positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry and cultural wealth.”

Donna S. Collins, executive director of OAC, said the grants are “a significant step toward the fulfillment of the agency’s ongoing commitment to directly fund arts programming in all 88 counties, something it has been able to do for the last six fiscal years.”

She added OAC’s commitment to providing statewide support of the arts has renewed importance following the announcement of a record-setting state appropriation of $40 million for the OAC’s 2022-23 operating budget.

Paul Holm, CEO of FAA, is especially grateful for the “significant award” as the school, along with other arts organizations, is still recovering from the devastating financial impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“We are grateful to Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate for their continued support of the arts,” Holm said. “Guided by the values of equity, integrity, growth and community, FAA’s mission is to create and discover beauty.

“By fostering a community empowered by the arts, FAA will bring people together, create a sense of belonging, build community dialogue, provide opportunities for shared cultural experiences and help to drive economic development — all of which makes for a beautiful place for people and businesses to live and thrive.”

The Fine Arts Association is located at 38660 Mentor Ave.