ArtsWave announced $160,726 in Catalyzing Impact grants to 30 arts and cultural projects across the Greater Cincinnati region, the organization said February 24. The grant program, the only ArtsWave opportunity open to all nonprofits seeking arts project funding, received 93 applications totaling more than $730,000 in requests for the 2026 cycle.

Awards ranged from $1,000 to $10,000. Recipients include ARTE’s “17 Neighborhoods” project, which invites residents in Hamilton to design and paint panels for a traveling mural, and the Cindependent Film Festival’s CindeNext program, which gives high school students hands-on filmmaking education. AfriFest 2026 will showcase African arts and culture at Sawyer Point, while May-We-Help received funding for its Cincinnati Adaptive Arts and Music Camp, serving children and adults with disabilities. Other recipients include the Ohio Justice and Policy Center’s “Just Art Initiative: Voices from the Inside,” Wave Pool Corp’s incubator residency, and the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation’s Arts & Culture Series.

A panel of 13 community volunteers reviewed applications, working alongside ArtsWave’s Women’s Leadership Roundtable — a group of more than 680 women whose collective giving helps fund the program. ArtsWave president and CEO Alecia Kintner said the recipients “reflect the incredible imagination and collaboration happening across our region.” The grants are funded through ArtsWave’s annual community campaign, which is ongoing for 2026.

Source: Movers & Makers