Local arts groups get some of more than $23M in grants

965 grants awarded to Ohio organizations and artists.
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, which includes Dayton Ballet (pictured), is among the arts organizations to receive major funding from the Ohio Arts Council. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, which includes Dayton Ballet (pictured), is among the arts organizations to receive major funding from the Ohio Arts Council. CONTRIBUTED
Lifestyles
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21 hours ago
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Numerous arts organizations across the Southwest Ohio region will receive grants from the Ohio Arts Council.

The Ohio Arts Council board approved $23,340,516 in grants to support Ohio artists, nonprofits, arts and cultural organizations, students and educators, and public arts programming at its July 30 meeting. This marks the largest single round of grant awards distributed to applicants in the agency’s history.

In addition, these grants stem from the state’s 2026-2027 operating budget, which included a record-high state appropriation of nearly $53.5 million for the Ohio Arts Council over the two-year period.

“This year, the Ohio Arts Council honors 60 years of public investment thanks to the long-term vision shared by many governors and legislative leaders,” said Donna S. Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council in a press release. “Through today’s meaningful, impactful investment, we are proud to increase access to the arts in communities across Ohio to the benefit of Ohio residents and visitors. The arts directly contribute to making our state a place of innovation, vitality, and cultural importance. On behalf of our board, we thank Governor Mike DeWine and members of the Ohio General Assembly for their enduring and unwavering support of Ohio’s arts and cultural sector.”

Donna Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council, delivers the keynote address at the 2025 EPIC Inspires arts symposium at the Dayton Arcade. Photo credit: @ScottyDfoto

Credit: @ScottyDfoto

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Credit: @ScottyDfoto

Grant funding was awarded in the following areas:

Operating Support

  • Sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres.
  • Statewide Arts Service Organizations (SASO) are qualifying organizations that provide statewide professional services to arts and cultural organizations.

Project Support

  • ArtSTART provides flexible, accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects addressing a wide variety of goals and objectives. 
  • ArtsNEXT provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects.
  • Ohio Artists on Tour enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of artists to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.

Arts Learning

  • Arts Partnership supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities.
  • TeachArtsOhio brings schools together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences.

Arts Programs

  • Traditional Arts Apprenticeships provide support for mentor artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms.
ExploreArts news in Dayton: La Comedia Dinner Theatre’s ‘Matilda,’ Cincinnati Shakespeare in Centerville and more

Grant funding was awarded to the following organizations and counties:

Butler

Sustainability: Fairfield Community Arts Center/City of Fairfield $14,909

Arts Partnership: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum $16,548

ArtSTART: Tide Pool, Inc. $3,516

Sustainability: Fitton Center for Creative Arts $41,500

Sustainability: Inspiration Studios, Inc. $39,930

Sustainability: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum $43,096

Sustainability: Nritya Arapana School of Indian Classical Dance $6,500

Traditional Arts Apprenticeship: Anupama Mirle $3,331

Sustainability: Art Central Foundation $6,500

Sustainability: Middletown Fine Arts Center $20,828

Arts Partnership: Maketank, Inc. $15,608

Sustainability: Oxford Community Arts Center $23,714

Sustainability: Performing Arts Series/Miami University $25,145

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts will host the biennial Ohio Arts Professionals Network in October 2026. The conference, which is expected to bring around 200 people from the state and internationally, is expected to have a minimum economic impact to Hamilton of $100,000. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

Credit: Michael D. Pitman

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Credit: Michael D. Pitman

Champaign

ArtSTART: Ohio Art Education Association $3,946

Sustainability: Champaign County Arts Council, Inc. $6,500

Sustainability: The Gloria Theatre/Grandworks Foundation $17,970

Clark

Arts Partnership: Clark State Community College $8,087

Arts Partnership: Springfield Museum of Art $13,222

Arts Partnership: Springfield Symphony Orchestra $8,075

Arts Partnership: Westcott House Foundation $16,548

ArtsNEXT: Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden $22,051

ArtSTART: Springfield Jazz and Blues Festival/Springfield Foundation $4,435

Sustainability: Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden $5,111

Sustainability: Springfield Arts Council $29,187

Sustainability: Springfield Museum of Art $47,007

Sustainability: Springfield Symphony Orchestra $35,570

Sustainability: Westcott House Foundation $25,422

The front of Frank Lloyd Wright's Westcott House on Thursday, April 17, 2025. JOSEPH COOKE/STAFF

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Darke

ArtSTART: Illumination Festival $3,677

Sustainability: Darke County Center for the Arts $14,008

Greene

Sustainability: University Art Galleries/Wright State University $2,864

Sustainability: Caesar’s Ford Theatre $6,876

Arts Partnership: Mad River Theater Works $9,892

Arts Partnership: Miami Valley Public Media, Inc. (dba WYSO Public Radio) $14,988

ArtsNEXT: Mad River Theater Works $11,609

ArtSTART: Sister Trillium/Yellow Springs Community Foundation $3,144

Sustainability: Chamber Music in Yellow Springs, Inc. $6,500

Sustainability: Mad River Theater Works $8,922

Sustainability: Miami Valley Public Media, Inc. (dba WYSO Public Radio) $30,581

Sustainability: World House Choir $4,715

The Haitian Community Alliance, in collaboration with the World House Choir and Yellow Springs Community Foundation, hosted a Celebration of Unity at new event venue The Springfield Metropolis, located at 102 W. High St. in downtown Springfield on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: Tom Gilliam

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Credit: Tom Gilliam

Miami

ArtSTART: Village of Pleasant Hill $2,880

ArtSTART: Overfield Early Childhood Program, Inc. $3,892

Ohio Artists on Tour: Arbogast Performing Arts Center $3,333

Montgomery

Sustainability: Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, Inc. $6,500

Arts Partnership: K12 Gallery $8,873

Arts Partnership: Muse Machine $13,238

ArtSTART: Dayton Printmaker’s Co-op/The Contemporary Dayton $2,971

ArtSTART: Puerto Rican, American and Caribbean Organization (PACO) $3,892

Ohio Artists on Tour: Victoria Theatre Association (dba Dayton Live) $11,783

Sustainability: Bach Society of Dayton $8,381

Sustainability: Culture Works $42,292

Sustainability: Dayton Art Institute $122,624

Sustainability: Dayton Contemporary Dance Company $44,420

Sustainability: Dayton Performing Arts Alliance $160,745

Sustainability: Dayton Public Radio, Inc. (dba Discover Classical) $42,904

Sustainability: Downtown Dayton Partnership $26,620

Sustainability: Friends of Levitt Pavilion $36,180

Sustainability: Human Race Theatre Company $35,679

Sustainability: K12 Gallery $32,398

Sustainability: Kettering Children’s Choir $7,463

Sustainability: Muse Machine $41,770

Sustainability: The Contemporary Dayton $27,998

Sustainability: United Irish of Dayton $19,896

Sustainability: Victoria Theatre Association (dba Dayton Live) $347,884

Sustainability: Washington Township Recreation Center $14,646

TeachArtsOhio: Dayton Early College Academy $35,000

TeachArtsOhio: The Miami Valley School $5,250

Traditional Arts Apprenticeship: Anupriya Krishnan $3,843

Sustainability: Rosewood Arts Centre/City of Kettering $34,267

Sustainability: We Care Arts $27,379

TeachArtsOhio: Brantwood Elementary School/Mad River Local Schools $37,800

TeachArtsOhio: Madison Park Elementary School/TrotwoodMadison City Schools $37,800

The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company presented 'Power & Presence' at Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton on Sunday, Mar. 2, 2025. Here are highlights of "Call(ing)" by DCDC Associate Artistic Director Qarrianne Blayr, performed by Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: Tom Gilliam

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Credit: Tom Gilliam

Preble

Sustainability: Preble County Art Association $9,308

Warren

ArtSTART: Wren Works $3,784

Sustainability: Mason Symphony Orchestra $6,500

ArtSTART: Blue Feather Productions $4,054

Sustainability: Waynesville Area Arts Council $2,895

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About the Author

Russell Florence Jr. is a team leader/coordinator of Lifestyles/Dayton Daily News. He has been an arts/lifestyles reporter for Dayton Daily News since 2012. He has served on Dayton Daily News Community Board of Contributors and assisted Dayton Daily News Editorial Board. He received his BA in mass communications from Wright State University.