A Foundation of Growth – The Dramatic Work of Steven A. Minter and the Cleveland Foundation

The Foundation’s resources could be felt in the revitalization of the Playhouse Square theaters and “ super block” in Cleveland’s downtown and in the creation of North Coast Harbor, a waterfront development that had sparked interest in the possibility of transforming Cleveland’s heavily industrial lakefront into a recreational asset. Its vision could be seen in the near-miraculous renewal of the Hough neighborhood and signature developments such as the Lee-Harvard Shopping Center on the city’s far eastern boundary and the restoration of Market Square in Ohio City. Additionally, the strengthened administration of the city’s public schools was the product of the Foundation’s steady, behind-the-scenes leadership. And the heightened civic awareness of the significant economic contributions of the region’s arts and cultural organizations had roots in the Foundation’s advocacy.

Clevelanders have long been proud of their city’s cultural assets, especially its world-class orchestra and art museum. However, this sector of the regional economy, which as of 2000 accounted for 3,700 jobs and $1.3 billion in annual economic impact, might have been unwittingly allowed to erode were it not for the enterprise of The Cleveland Foundation.

Aware of the impact of reductions in federal support and increased competition presented by other forms of entertainment, the Foundation moved to stabilize arts funding by creating the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, an umbrella organization that mobilized a concerted effort to have an arts levy placed on the county ballot. Securing local government support for nonprofit arts organizations had been a key recommendation of a Foundationinitiated study of the health of Greater Cleveland’s cultural community conducted in the mid-1990s.

The Cleveland Foundation had traditionally found it gratifying to invest in artistic programs. However, after being approached repeatedly by arts groups requesting emergency funding, the Foundation’s staff and board began to realize that “ we weren’t dealing with the basic issues,” as Steve Minter put it. While the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Art Museum were financially stable, most of the city’s mid-size and small arts organizations were struggling to survive. Kathleen Cerveny, an artist and arts reporter whom Minter had recruited in 1991 to be the program officer for arts and culture, helped the Foundation navigate a 180-degree change in strategy that led to the arts study and to the BASICs (Building the Arts’ 10