From the Team

Ohio Equity GAP Project

In 2022, the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) and NASAA collaborated on the Equitable Grantmaking Assessment Pilot Project—known as the Equity GAP Project. The objective of this initiative was to examine arts funding patterns in Ohio and help OAC work toward its goal of making arts funding opportunities more accessible to all Ohio communities. The project contributed to collective state arts agency knowledge of how to attune grant equity assessments to the unique roles and responsibilities of government arts funders.

Operating support funding was the primary focus of this evaluation, which analyzed funds to BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and/or people of color) populations, rural communities, low-income areas and organizations serving individuals with disabilities. The assessment method comprised a mixed-method approach, mining a variety of input streams including qualitative research, statistical and geospatial analysis of OAC grant-making data, confidential interviews with Ohio organizations in historically underserved communities, and a field survey. The assessment design was led by independent consultant Angela Han. The research revealed numerous strengths in OAC’s current systems as well as opportunities for ongoing learning and improvement. The project also offered 22 action recommendations for OAC’s consideration to reduce obstacles to general operating support funding.

In addition to informing the work of OAC, the Equity GAP Project can serve as a study model for other state arts agencies. NASAA and the initiative partners are sharing the results and using the project to facilitate reflection about ways state arts agencies can continually strive toward equitable funding. For more information, contact NASAA Chief Program and Planning Officer Kelly Barsdate.