GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL INC

aka Columbus Arts Festival   |   Columbus, OH   |  www.gcac.org

Mission

To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus.

Ruling year info

1974

President

Tom Katzenmeyer

Main address

182 E. Long St.

Columbus, OH 43215 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

31-0833384

NTEE code info

Arts Council/Agency (A26)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

We currently are focused on issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the arts and cultural community. In addition to providing resources to our grantees to address this issue we recently completed a five-year strategic plan that incorporates DEI initiatives throughout all the pillars and every department. We have published both a DEI and Racial Equity statement on our web site and envision this work being a core part of our organization for years to come.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Community Funding

The Greater Columbus Arts Council uses funds it receives from the City of Columbus and Franklin County to support a broad array of programs. In accordance with its contracts, the Greater Columbus Arts Council has to direct at least 75% of all City funds and at least 95% of County funds it receives for community funding. Grants are awarded to local arts organizations for general operating support and projects. Funding also can be used for individual artist grants/fellowships and designated project support. If eligible expenditures do not total the minimum as stated above, the funds will be reserved and carried over to the next contract year for allocation.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Greater Columbus Arts Council organizes the annual Columbus Arts Festival, which is held in early June. The Festival provides opportunities for the community to view and purchase work by local and national visual artists, experience live performances in music, dance and spoken word, and participate in art activities free of charge. The revenues of the Festival represent sponsorships, contributions, booth and tent rentals, as well as revenues from beverage sales. Festival expenses are for administrative expenses, programming, equipment, materials, and supplies. The Festival receives no public dollars and is completely privately supported.

Population(s) Served
Adults

For many years, the community arts programs included: Artists-in-Schools, Franklin County Neighborhood Arts, Junior Achievement, and local arts projects. Artists-in-School, and Franklin County Neighborhood Arts are programs that were were transferred to the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) in 2012 and continue to be supported by Greater Columbus Arts Council through grants to OAAE. Junior Achievement programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workforce. The Greater Columbus Arts Council supports BizTown, a program that helps 4th and 5th graders understand personal financial responsibility as well as the role of different businesses within a community. Local arts projects include expenses in which the Greater Columbus Arts Council participates in contracts with local businesses to provide services and/or funding. Further information is provided on each of this programs in Schedule O of our 990.

Population(s) Served

In 2013,the Greater Columbus Arts Council began a fiscal sponsor program to support organizations engaged in activities related to it’s mission that are applying for tax exempt status. The organizations operate as a project of the Greater Columbus Arts Council until obtaining tax exempt status. The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives grants, tax-deductible contributions, and other revenues that are made available to the fiscally sponsored organization for the purpose of carrying out the project. The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives an administrative fee for the services provided.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Greater Columbus Film Commission (Film Columbus) aims to grow the film industry in Columbus and central Ohio by creating jobs and providing significant economic impact for the area. Film Columbus strives to build Columbus as a top city for film education, exhibition, and production. Film Columbus is a division of the Greater Columbus Arts Council and is primarily supported by funds provided by the City of Columbus.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Adults

Where we work

Accreditations


Since 2008

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our mission: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus.
Our vision: A thriving Columbus where the arts matter to all of us.

The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) funds artists and arts organizations, connects constituents to educational and business-building resources, convenes the community around important issues in the arts, collaborates with other organizations on community projects, and provides marketing services that support artists and organizations through the ColumbusMakesArt.com event calendar, public art database and Artist Directory providing free profiles for artist in five disciplines. We also produce the annual Community Arts Partnership Awards recognizing business and individual contributions to the community; the Columbus Arts Festival, the city's welcome to summer event that takes place each June; and our Annual Public Forum, giving the community an opportunity to discuss timely and important topics, as well as ask GCAC questions about our activities, grant programs and more. In 2015 we launched Art Makes Columbus/Columbus Makes Art, a marketing campaign telling the stories of artists in Columbus in an effort to increase engagement in the arts.

Arts Council programming provides access to the arts for people of all cultural backgrounds, economic status, sexual orientation, age and physical ability and ensures broad public access to the arts. Supporting Columbus artists, and arts and culture organizations enhances the cultural image of the Greater Columbus area.

GCAC is a private non-profit organization that receives a portion of the Columbus hotel-motel bed tax to dedicate to supporting the arts. In 2018, we successfully advocated for a new 5% admissions fee to benefit arts and culture in Columbus. This fee went into effect in July 2019. In 2019 the Greater Columbus Arts Council also began receiving support from Franklin County to support grant-making. GCAC also solicits corporate and media sponsorships to support the Columbus Arts Festival, the Art Makes Columbus/Columbus Makes Art campaign and the Community Arts Partnership Awards. Additional partnerships throughout the community, such as our Community and Street performer program, which partners with outdoor and public spaces such as Gallery Hop, the John Glenn International Airport, the North Market and others help us maximize our resources and expand our reach. Strong partnerships between businesses, community members and the arts stimulate economic growth, promote the city's revitalization, encourage tourism and enhance Columbus' cultural image.

In addition, we convene the community and our constituents on a regular basis and produce workshops to help share best practices and our expertise.

Until the pandemic in 2020, GCAC has seen growth in sponsor contributions, revenue for the Arts Festival, number of artists grants awarded, number of free educational and networking opportunities provided, number of artists and organizations engaged and number of partnerships in the community. In 2018, the Arts Council accomplished a long-term advocacy goal of securing an additional funding source for the arts in Columbus and the fee went into effect in July, 2019. In 2019, the Arts Council also received funding from Franklin County for its grant programs. In 2020 we quickly pivoted our Support for Professional Artist funding program to an Emergency Relief fund for artists which supported 438 artists with nearly $330,000 in funding for critical needs such as rent, food and medical expenses. In 2021 we are focused on the four pillars in our new our strategic plan, implementing our DEI work across the agency and helping our grantees in this work in their own organizations, providing sustainable funding for the arts community to assist with recovery from the pandemic, and a major new public art and community equity campaign called Deliver Black Dreams, in partnership with the City of Columbus and Maroon Arts Group.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL INC

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Michael Bongiorno

Michael Bongiorno

Barbara Brandt

Shannon Crane

Michael Gonsiorowski

Dave Hetzler

Christine Kullberg

Catherine Lang-Cline

Eileen Paley

Kimber Perfect

Yohannan Terrell

Priscilla Tyson

Karla Rothan

Julie Taggart

Amy Tillinghast

Christie Angel

David Teed

Cheryl Brooks-Sullivan

Jessica Burton

Mark Cain

Alex Frommeyer

Lea Goldsmith

Celeste Malvar-Stewart

Jim Negron

Shyam Rajadhyaksha

Emmanuel Remy

Matthew Satterwhite

Jon Sherman

Marshall Shorts

Jayme Staley

Julie Taggart

Sarah Townes

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 1/27/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/27/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.