Creative Impact Fund

The Assembly for the Arts Creative Impact Fund (CIF) will be awarded to sixteen (16) artists, art collectives, and informal groups with $6,250 for flexible funding and project-based placemaking. Our goal with this Fund is to support the investment and growth of transformative arts projects with a focus in redlined communities that lack arts investment, developing areas of significant arts activity, and promoting increased walkability. This Fund will help lay the groundwork for the City of Cleveland’s Rescue & Transformation Plan, which identified Arts and Neighborhood Amenities as a priority.

The Creative Impact Fund is open to individual artists or art collectives of all expressions, including but not limited to painting, sculpture, photography, film/motion pictures, dance, ballet, theatre, music, comedy/improv, writing/literature, architecture, design, and fashion. In addition to funds, CIF also includes professional development, marketing support, and connections (creative, business, and institutional). Priority will be given to artists of color and art collectives with diverse representation. The Creative Impact Fund is funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Individual artists, multi-disciplinary artist collectives, and informal groups are encouraged to apply.

The Creative Impact Fund Includes: 

• $6,250 includes up to $2,500 in unrestricted support and $3,750 in project support
• Support from Assembly’s staff who will advise project leads in attaining their project goals via marketing and professional development support and connections to institutional partners, potential collaborators or thought partners
• Assembly for the Arts Membership

Eligibility

• The Creative Impact Fund is open to individual artists and artist collectives that reside in Cuyahoga County.\
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Applicants cannot be staff or board members of Assembly for the Arts or Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
• Applicant projects must be centered around arts and culture and focused in creative discipline including, but not limited to, visual art, media/film,
• dance, theater, music, comedy/improv, literature, design and/or craft.

Eligible Creative Impact Fund projects must take place in one of the following neighborhoods:

• Asiatown
• Broadway-Slavic Village
• Buckeye-Woodhill
• Central-Kinsman
• Clark Fulton
• East Cleveland
• Fairfax
• Glenville
• Hough
• Lee Harvard
• Midtown
• Mr. Pleasant
• North Collinwood
• Shaker Square
• South Collinwood
• St. Clair Superior
• Union Miles

Applicants do not need to reside in one of listed neighborhoods to be eligible for this program, however they must be able to demonstrate partnership or collaboration with residents of the community where their project is being proposed.
Only one application per artist will be accepted. Please note: artists applying as part of a collective, will not be eligible to submit an individual application.

How to Apply
Interested artists and teams can apply using the online application found on this Assembly web page using the Apply button.

Paper applications will be accepted for accessibility reasons on a case-by-case basis. If you have a disability and require assistance in applying for CIF, please contact cif@assemblycle.org

The CIF application is available in English only. Spanish translation services are available upon request.