![A continuing drop in cigarette smoking is great for the health of Northeast Ohio residents but not for local arts funding, much of which comes from Cuyahoga County's "sin tax" on cigarettes. [Kevin Anderson / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/aadfbb2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x551+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F11%2F14%2FPHSbyKAnderson.jpg)
The view from the Idea Center
Many of our local cultural organizations and artists would not be able to do what they do without financial help from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. ideastream is among them.
Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) announced its awards for 2020. ideastream will receive $618,996. I’m sure that’s good news for the higher-ups in the C Suite. However, it’s less than what ideastream and others have received in the past. Fewer people are smoking – and that’s a good thing – but that means revenue generated by the “sin tax” has been dropping pretty much since the moment of its inception.
So CAC is trying to do more with less: For the first time, the group is capping its grants. CAC Interim Executive Director Jill Paulsen told ideastream’s David C. Barnett that CAC wants to spread the remaining money to more recipients. It awarded operations funding to four new grantees.
The group is also trying to address concerns about racial bias in its awards. In another first, CAC asked grant recipients for information about the diversity of their leadership and their audience. Paulsen said 34 percent identified “as being run, led by and for people of color.”
Doing more with less isn’t limited to CAC. I try to do more (work) with less (sleep) every day, and I frequently fail. I made a name error in yesterday’s “Noon(ish)” on the potential sale of Shaker Square, identifying the head of Coral Co. as Paul Rubin. It’s Peter Rubin.
I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning on the radio,
Amy Eddings
Need to KnOH
Headlines from Northeast Ohio and Beyond
- Environmentalists Hopeful Judge Will Set New Limits On Lake Erie Pollutants
- Cleveland Heights Residents Push Back On Proposal To Pave Over Brick Roads
- Dayton Abortion Clinic Gets State License Back
- Speaker Admits Frustration On Priority Bills, But Senate Says They’re “Moving Fine”
- 7 Moments That Stood Out From The 1st Day Of The Trump Impeachment Hearings
Your ideas
Cigarette tax revenue continues to drop for Cuyahoga County cultural organizations. Should the county come directly to the voters and ask for an arts levy? Would you vote for one? Call us at (216) 916-6476 or comment on our Facebook page. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.
