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Cuyahoga County arts and cultural organizations and local artists can now request funds through a new $4 million grant to offset losses due to COVID-19, county executive Armond Budish announced Friday.

Two-thirds of the money will go to Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), which would be distributed to the area鈥檚 arts and culture nonprofits.

Arts Cleveland will receive the balance of the grant to support individual artists and to distribute to for-profit performing arts venues.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about the economic hit,鈥� Budish said. 鈥淎rts and culture is really the heart and soul of our region.鈥�

Arts, entertainment, and recreation is a $1.35 billion industry in Cuyahoga County, he said.  It employs more than 10,000 people, but Budish said a third of them have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the highest percentage drop for employment in any industry.

鈥淚magine a Cleveland without our world-class arts institutions or your favorite music club that鈥檚 just around the corner, or your favorite performance space, or the artists that are so important to the fabric of our lives,鈥� Budish said.

The primary mission of any organization that receives funds must be centered in the arts and culture sector, he said. Organizations and artists can apply at , and must be able to prove financial losses due to COVID-19 that haven鈥檛 been addressed through the Paycheck Protection program or another public health program.

The emergency fund will likely attract dozens of applicants. 65 non-profit organizations funded by CAC reported laying off, furloughing or cancelling the contracts of over 2,500 people, because of the pandemic. More than twice that many would be eligible to apply.

ideastream is one of the many local organizations that receive funding from CAC.

Some organizations have closed, due to the pandemic, and others that have remained open are operating at such a limited capacity that they actually lose money, Budish said

With COVID-19 cases increasing rapidly in Cuyahoga County and across the region, it doesn鈥檛 look like it will get better any time soon.

鈥淭his is going to be a long, hard winter for many of our beloved artists and culture spaces,鈥� Budish said.

He announced the new funds during a Cuyahoga County Board of Health news briefing on Friday, where health officials also addressed the county鈥檚 higher COVID-19 risk level, which moved from Level 2 to Level 3 this week.

In September, the Cuyahoga County averaged 50 cases per day. Now, the average is 70 new cases per day, health officials said.

Part of the increase is due to people having larger gatherings, said County Health Commissioner Terry Allan. That鈥檚 leading to more community spread.

鈥淲ith COVID fatigue clearly setting in, we鈥檙e seeing people expanding their social circles,鈥� Allan said. 鈥淲e know people are tired of this virus, I鈥檓 tired of this virus. We need to stick with our prevention playbook and do our part to keep our community safe.鈥�

The spike extends well beyond Cuyahoga County, Allan said, with 29 counties representing two-thirds of Ohio鈥檚 population now living in Level 3, or red, counties.

鈥淚nfectious diseases don鈥檛 pay attention to borders or recognize boundaries on maps,鈥� Allan said.

Summit and Stark counties also moved from orange to red this week, and gatherings are also an issue there, according to Health Commissioner Donna Skoda.

Most of the spread is coming from informal gatherings with friends and family, where people aren鈥檛 wearing masks, she said. 

Skoda is concerned that businesses may have to shut down again if people don鈥檛 start limiting their social circles. 

鈥淣ow, more than ever, we have to stop getting together with people,鈥� she said.  

Residents should limit their outside activities to one per day 鈥� such as going to school and making trips to the grocery store, Skoda said.

Stark County was also designated Level due to a high incidence of cases, according to the

A spokesperson for the Stark County Health Department said they are having a hard time keeping up with contact tracing calls due to the recent spike in new cases. 

Neither Summit nor Stark county officials plan to release any new guidance or restrictions for residents at this point.  
 

Ideastream reporters Anna Huntsman and David C. Barnett also contributed to this report.