GCF Supports Local Efforts to Ensure a Full Recovery of the Arts

A thriving region requires a vibrant arts community. Ours needs help.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on Greater Cincinnati’s arts scene as it reels from forced closures and capacity limitations. ArtsWave, a funder and supporter of local arts projects and organizations, estimated that more than $30 million in earned revenue would be lost by the end of summer. Hundreds of arts industry employees have lost their jobs, endured furloughs and suffered pay cuts.

ArtsWave established the Arts Vibrancy Recovery Fund to shore up our major cultural assets, enable smart restructuring and new ways of doing business, invest in innovative new audience connections and lift up diverse voices in the arts. Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF), a long-time supporter of the arts, contributed a $100,000 grant to the fund.

“GCF helped to establish ArtsWave’s Arts Vibrancy Recovery Fund with a leading major gift, recognizing that the arts were among the first to close and likely to be among the last industries to re-open and recover,” shared ArtsWave President & CEO Alecia Townsend Kintner.

“A thriving arts scene is critical to our economy and culture, igniting both creativity and conversations that have the potential to drive change,” said GCF President/CEO Ellen Katz. “A full recovery of the arts, with even greater diversity of voices, is essential to creating a vibrant and equitable region for all.”

Kintner further acknowledged GCF’s commitment: “GCF also made a major gift in support of ArtsWave’s African American Arts Grants Program, launched in early 2020 and an equally important investment in becoming a more equitable and inclusive community.”

GCF donors have contributed $5.5 million to arts organizations in our region this year. Further, GCF has been a presenting sponsor for ArtsWave FLOW, It’s Commonly Jazz and is a proud sponsor of the upcoming Black & Brown Faces exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum .

Donate to the Arts Vibrancy Recovery Fund here. ArtsWave will match gifts 2:1. To help GCF continue its longstanding commitment to the arts, contact 513-241-2880.