Columbus arts leaders outline funding mix, programs and the case for continued public support

Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and leaders from several Columbus cultural institutions told the Funding Review Advisory Committee on Oct. 26 that public funding and local programs are central to the region’s arts ecosystem and its economic footprint.

Katzenmeyer, speaking for the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), said "Central Ohio arts nonprofits generate $885,000,000 in local economic impact," and described a mix of public and private revenues that now supports grants, capital projects and programs for artists and audiences.

The presentations — which included Stephanie Matthews, executive director of A Tribe for Jazz; Frederick Burtley, president and CEO of COSI and CEO of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum; and Stacy Board, CEO of Shadowbox Live — emphasized three main themes: the arts’ role in education and human services, workforce development tied to on-the-job arts training, and the need to preserve and upgrade cultural facilities.

Katzenmeyer told the committee GCAC distributed about $23,000,000 in grants last year to 114 arts and culture organizations and 1,576 artists, and that GCAC grantees provided more than 1,000,000 audience experiences for schoolchildren. He said a city ticket fee, now assessed at 5 percent, produced roughly $13,000,000 for the local arts sector last year and helped expand GCAC’s budget from under $6,000,000 to nearly $30,000,000. "We now lead in public funding for the arts because of this effort," he said.

Presenters described specific programs that aim to expand access. GCAC’s Navigator Artist Ambassador program has 28 navigators who helped nearly 250 artists access funding last year, the council said. GCAC’s capital expense grant program (launched in 2023) awarded $6,500,000 to 28 organizations for projects such as HVAC, lighting and accessibility upgrades. A pilot community grant-review process engaged more than 400 residents to evaluate 101 artist projects totaling $1,200,000 in 2024.

Frederick Burtley described COSI’s community-facing initiatives and partnerships with human services organizations. "Science is everywhere and science is for everyone," he said, summarizing COSI’s mission. Burtley also outlined programs such as the Learning Lunchbox partnership with food-assistance providers and a four-day COSI Science Festival that brings STEAM programming into neighborhoods.

Shadowbox Live’s Stacy Board described the company’s on-the-job workforce development pathways. She said Shadowbox’s 45-member ensemble includes artists who trained in-house and that roughly 25 percent of its professional artists came through its workforce programs. Board highlighted that those programs provide career and life skills in addition to artistic training.

Committee members asked presenters about changes in philanthropic and federal support. Katzenmeyer said corporate philanthropy has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic and that federal support has become more constrained: "There is no help coming from the federal government. Period. End of discussion," he said, citing canceled NEA grants to local organizations and a shifted federal funding environment. He added that state support through the Ohio Arts Council is uncertain pending state budget actions.

Panelists discussed operational responses: shared services among institutions to lower costs (for example, groundskeeping or security), investment in technology and expanded earned-revenue strategies such as blockbusters and programming partnerships. Burtley noted COSI’s employment dropped from about 246 employees before the pandemic to 43 at the lowest point and has since recovered to about 160. Katzenmeyer and others said multiple revenue streams — city ticket fee, county funds, bed-tax revenue and private philanthropy — are key to sustainability.

Presenters and committee members also discussed public art and facilities: GCAC said more than 40 murals appeared in neighborhoods over the past two years and that the council will release a public-art plan with funding recommendations later this year. Committee members asked about regional coordination and the potential to extend ticket-fee models to other municipalities; Katzenmeyer noted city authority under the Ohio Revised Code allows cities to implement ticket fees and said neighboring cities have inquired but implementation and revenue designation vary by locality.

The presentation closed with committee direction to continue review; committee members then moved on to a subsequent internal discussion. The presenters provided their two-page report and said they welcome follow-up questions and data requests from the committee.