Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Receives ArtsWave Impact Grant

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company received an impact grant of $70,000 from ArtsWave to support the company's efforts in bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for the Greater Cincinnati community.

“ArtsWave has played such an important role in helping arts organizations of all disciplines reach out to audiences all over the region. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is grateful to have received funding from them since 1999. We are thrilled that ArtsWave has determined that the impact we are making in the community has warranted an increase,” said Brian Isaac Phillips, Producing Artistic Director.

This year marks the first time that ArtsWave has made grant-making decisions based on the community impact of the recipient organizations, using data and measurement strategies chosen by the organizations. Grantmaking committees also considered criteria such as leadership, stability, and collaborations with other arts organizations. Community volunteers committed over $9.4 million for impact grants to thirty-three local arts organizations ranging from $10,000 to over $2 million.

“The new requirements of ArtsWave’s granting process have asked us to look at ourselves from a different angle. We know the arts are good. But now, with these new measurements, we can begin to talk about WHY and HOW that good can affect the lives of the people of Cincinnati and the region,” says Managing Director, Lettie Van Hemert. “This process has given us some wonderful new tools with which we can more clearly tell our story. And it has helped us realize that we directly contribute to making Cincinnati a better place to live. ”

In preliminary data, CSC found that 64% of students surveyed were more comfortable with the arts after one visit to CSC to watch a play. 90% of teachers surveyed said that visits to or from CSC increased the quality of their school’s curriculum.

Jay Woffington, Executive Director, says “Every dollar this company takes in is reinvested in our programming. Every additional dollar from ArtsWave will help us reach further. Last year Shakespeare in the Park performed in twelve neighborhoods around the city, from Boone Co. to West Chester. This year, because of ArtsWave, we can add tour dates to bring Shakespeare to even more families. We can take productions and workshops into more schools to give many students the only theatre education available to them after rounds of funding cuts.”

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company wishes to thank the thousands of people who contribute to ArtsWave’s annual community campaign—donors who recognize the importance of the arts to everyone in Cincinnati and the region. Van Hemert says, “It’s really all about the people in the audience, whether it’s here in our theatre, in a school auditorium, or sitting in the grass in the new Washington Park. It’s gratifying and humbling to know that we’re making people’s lives just a little richer.”