Source: Walter Bibikow / Getty
CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio- Major arts organizations in Cuyahoga County are preparing for funding cuts for 2018. Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the initiative that distributes cigarette tax revenue, announced organizations that receive funding will, on average, get 12% less than past years.
The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the biggest recipients, will get $1.2 million in 2018 and 2019, which is a 26% decrease from the $1.5 million it got in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Cuyahoga Arts and Culture distributed about $10 million in General Operating Support to 61 arts and culture organizations, including the Cleveland Botanical Garden. The garden is now facing a 32% decrease in the funding they once got.
“We are disappointed, as a lot of the other organizations in town, but we get it. Ultimately, there is a smaller pot of money to go around and we are continuing to get something which is better than nothing,” said Tara Turner, Interim Chief Advancement Officer for the Botanical Garden.
There is less money to go around because fewer people are smoking.
In 2006, Cuyahoga County residents voted to instate at 30-cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes. The goal was to not only encourage people to stop smoking, but create a steady stream of revenue for the arts.
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Article Courtesy of WJW Fox 8 News Cleveland
Picture Courtesy of Walter Bibikow and Getty Images
