CINCINNATI, OH.- The Contemporary Arts Center announced that it has been awarded three separate grants originating from a family foundation, a community foundation and a Federal agency, totaling over $100,000. The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts all have revealed recently their awards to the Contemporary Arts Center . Funding will be used for operating and community engagement support, and to provide jobs.

Jim Fitzgerald, President of the Board of Trustees comments, “We are very grateful to the Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the NEA for these awards. Given the environment, to have three grants come in consecutively from such varied sources is amazing and signals the CAC is on the right path. I am delighted to be able to share this news with our supporters.” Raphaela Platow , Alice and Harris Weston Director and Chief Curator, says, “This is great news—for the CAC and for our region. Being awarded these three very competitive grants is remarkable, and we are extremely excited about the opportunities they will create. It is a thrill to be able to announce such positive news.”

The Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation’s award provides operational support. This is crucial to the CAC’s ability to make world-renowned contemporary art exhibitions accessible to the audiences in our region. “Operating dollars are the lifeblood of the organization. What we can do and the extent to which we can do it directly relate to this category of support,” stresses Platow. “The Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation’s gift is a vital component to sustaining our international reputation as a leading contemporary arts organization. It is a much needed boost to that bottom line.”

The GCF grant was awarded to enhance existing community engagement efforts through technology improvements. Platow asserts, “The need for technology in institutions like ours is great, and the benefit it can provide is immeasurable. GCF is a great supporter of our community engagement initiatives which will be enhanced by this support. Our ultimate goal is to utilize the latest technology to maximize, and better deliver, the whole CAC experience to a wider and more diverse audience. This grant will allow us to take a step toward reaching that goal.”

As further indication of the CAC’s impact on the region, the organization also was a recipient of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant from the NEA. One of only a handful in the region to be awarded this grant, the CAC will use it to bring jobs to the area. “It’s been a tough year all around, and we were not immune” Platow explains, “so it’s wonderful to receive word that we will be able to offer jobs, and that we will be able to take advantage of the great pool of talent found here. It’s a win-win.”

For Platow, being awarded these local and national grants is encouraging. She states, “It reinforces the importance of arts venues like the CAC to the soul and vitality of the region. It is a vote of confidence, testifying to our strength and purpose in the community.”