Explanation
This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a grant agreement with the Columbus Association of the Performing Arts (CAPA) in an amount up to $300,000.00 for the purpose of providing funding for health and safety equipment and to maintain essential staff.
CAPA is a leader of the creative class in central Ohio. CAPA owns and/or operates 10 theatres in Columbus, providing both hard and soft infrastructure that is vital to many of Columbus’ arts organizations. CAPA theatres are the rehearsal and performance home for many organizations, including the Columbus Symphony, BalletMet, CATCO, and Opera Columbus. In addition, CAPA provides critical administrative services to seven arts organizations, such as accounting, marketing, and development. By providing these services at below-market rates, their partner organizations save millions of dollars and benefit from CAPA’s staff expertise and efficacy, while CAPA increases staff efficiencies and fulfills their mission.
Additionally, CAPA continues to provide a variety of services for the community, even during the pandemic. CAPA employed many visual artists to paint murals in June at the front of the Ohio Theatre, to inspire and give hope to people in our community. Through their virtual ApART Together series they are showcasing dozens of talented local performers. Their online education programs are providing workshops and classes for free to all Columbus City School students and the young participants in the City’s Recreation and Parks after-school programs. And their theatres continue to serve as the home of Columbus performing organizations, such as the “Columbus Symphony at Home” concerts, which are being recorded in the Ohio Theatre.
CAPA has a long record of solid financial management, with most organizational revenue coming from earned income (e.g., ticket sales and theatre rentals), but with the pandemic, 90% of their revenue has vanished. In 2018-...
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