Assembly for the Arts

Research on Public Funding of the Arts to Inform Cuyahoga County

Assembly for the Arts engaged Lord Cultural Resources and SMU DataArts to conduct a comprehensive study of the arts funding landscape in Cuyahoga County and identify strategies to support its long-term sustainability. Cuyahoga County is a national leader in public support for arts and culture, but its primary dedicated funding mechanism—a cigarette tax first established in 2006—faces a declining revenue base even after its successful renewal and expansion in 2024.

Working in partnership with SMU DataArts, Lord conducted a national environmental review of public-sector arts funding across 15 U.S. regions, examining different approaches to dedicated taxes, general fund appropriations, private philanthropy, and hybrid funding models. Our team then led in-depth research and interviews with five peer regions—Denver, Pittsburgh, Portland, Minneapolis, and Columbus—to understand how different funding mechanisms operate in practice, including their governance structures, equity frameworks, political durability, grantmaking approaches, and measures of success.

The research found that Cuyahoga enters this next chapter from a position of considerable strength, ranking among the nation’s most arts-vibrant communities and benefiting from unusually strong public and private support. At the same time, rising operating costs and reliance on a single dedicated public revenue source create long-term vulnerabilities. The study identified revenue diversification and regional collaboration as important areas for future exploration, providing Assembly for the Arts and its partners with an evidence-based foundation for continued conversations about cultural investment in Greater Cleveland.