Equity in the Arts Fund
Equity in the Arts Fund is a public charity based in Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1995, it makes grants on behalf of the Cleveland Foundation to support the foundation or carry out its charitable and educational functions.
Equity in the Arts Fund at a glance
- Total assets
- $5,230,841
- +12.4% vs 2023
- Revenue (2024)
- $322,812
- +184.5% vs 2023
- Net investment income (2024)
- $322,812
- +184.5% vs 2023
- Expenses (2024)
- $42,638
- -83.4% vs 2023
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Equity in the Arts Fund
- Contact
Mailing address: 6601 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103
Phone: (216) 861-3810
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Equity in the Arts Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 54 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The listed 2023 grantees are based in Cleveland, Shaker Heights, and University Heights, Ohio. The fund’s filing describes its grantmaking as supporting the Cleveland Foundation’s charitable and educational functions.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is Equity in the Arts Fund open to new grantees?
60%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 6 of 10 grantees (60%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $22K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $23K first-time, $15K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2023). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $214K (2023) to $354K (2022). In 2023 it made 10 grants totaling $214K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly for the Arts Cleveland, OH | Fiscal sponsorship - cleveland burlesque academy project marinka *accessible artistic ecdysiast | $45,000 |
| Balance Point Studios Cleveland, OH | Balance Point Studios: Unlocking Greatness | $27,000 |
| Environmental Health Watch Inc Cleveland, OH | Ghetto Art Therapy | $27,000 |
| E66TH Street Services Cleveland, OH | Fiscal Sponsorship-Palestinian American Heritage Society | $23,000 |
| Buck Out Foundation Cleveland, OH | Buck out cleveland: transitioning from voluntary to paid leadership | $22,000 |
| Djapo Cultural Arts Institute Inc University Heights, OH | Djapo Cultural Arts Capacity Initiative | $15,000 |
| Duffy Liturgical Dance Ensemble Cleveland, OH | Capacity Building (Relocation) | $15,000 |
| Life Exchange Center Cleveland, OH | Express Yourself: a Performance Motif | $15,000 |
| Peel DEM Layers Back Beachwood, OH | Peel DEM Layers Back - Growth & Sustainability | $15,000 |
| Latinus Theater Experience Company Cleveland, OH | Strengthen latinus theater capacity building's audience engagement using digital marketing=part two | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,230,841 | $322,812 | $42,638 | — | — | $322,812 |
| 2023 | $4,652,668 | $113,467 | $256,631 | $214,000 | 10 | $113,467 |
| 2022 | $4,163,391 | $48,408 | $413,118 | $354,000 | 21 | $48,408 |
| 2021 | $5,301,425 | $73,224 | $46,956 | — | — | $73,224 |
| 2020 | $4,754,746 | $-20,420 | $391,166 | $343,000 | 23 | $-20,420 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to carry out the charitable and educational functions of the Cleveland Foundation. Its program description says it makes grants for or on behalf of the foundation to support those functions.
The 2023 grantees listed include organizations with varied missions. Assembly for the Arts says it convenes and collaborates with people in Greater Cleveland to support the region’s arts and culture community. Balance Point Studios says it makes, teaches, and shares art. Djapo Cultural Arts Institute says it preserves traditional African and diasporic art forms and educates and empowers communities through cultural programming. Other listed grantees describe work in environmental health, recovery support, and cultural performance.
Grantmaking
In 2023, the fund reported 10 grants totaling $214,000. The available award examples range from $10,000 to $45,000; the sources do not establish a typical grant size. The fund reported zero grants in 2022 and 2024.
Among the listed 2023 recipients, Assembly for the Arts received $45,000; Balance Point Studios and Environmental Health Watch each received $27,000; Djapo Cultural Arts Institute and Life Exchange Center each received $15,000; and LatinUs Theater Experience Company received $10,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Keisha Gonzalez as president. Listed trustees are Luis Gomez, Zulma Zabala, Honey Bell-Bey, Tony Sias, Deidre McPherson, Antwoine Washington, Kevin Conwell, Veronica Thornton, and Esther Ngemba.
The filing states that the Cleveland Foundation appoints five of the fund’s nine trustees and the City of Cleveland appoints four.
Equity in the Arts Fund is led by Keisha Gonzalez, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 15 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Keisha Gonzalez
President
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Luis Gomez
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Antwoine Washington
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deidre McPhersonuntil
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Esther Ngemba Eff
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Honey Bell-Beyuntil
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ina Cox Eff
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Conwell
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Letitia Lopezeff
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Veronica Thorntoneff
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vince Robinsoneff
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Zulma Zabalauntil
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Gattuso
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Boris Oichermanuntil
Secretary
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bronlynn Thurmaneff
Secretary
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Tony Sias (2022–2024) — Trustee · Filing note: Until 10924
- Former: Deidre McPherson (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Lillian Kuri (2020–2023) — Vice President
- Former: Zulma Zabala (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Boris Oicherman (2022–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Honey Bell-Bey (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Antwoine Washington Eff (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Kevin Conwell Eff (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Courtenay Barton (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Jasmin Santana (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Kathy Allen (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Kevin J. Kelley (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Nelson Beckford (2020–2022) — President
- Former: Yvonne Pointer (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Maria Spangler (2020) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Equity in the Arts Fund
How large is Equity in the Arts Fund?
Equity in the Arts Fund reported $5.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $323K.
What does Equity in the Arts Fund fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to carry out the charitable and educational functions of the Cleveland Foundation. Its program description says it makes grants for or on behalf of the foundation to support those functions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Equity in the Arts Fund?
Equity in the Arts Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does Equity in the Arts Fund make grants?
The listed 2023 grantees are based in Cleveland, Shaker Heights, and University Heights, Ohio. The fund’s filing describes its grantmaking as supporting the Cleveland Foundation’s charitable and educational functions.
What is Equity in the Arts Fund's EIN?
Equity in the Arts Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 34-1832689. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Equity in the Arts Fund funds
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Equity in the Arts Fund's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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