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Contact: Chris Barr T: 440.893.7529 x224 E: cbarr@the-human-fund.org THE HUMAN FUND ANNOUNCES FUNDING DISTRIBUTION TO 20 CLEVELAND ARTS ORGRANIZATIONS February 23, 2007 Cleveland, OH - The Human Fund, a foundation that supports arts education for under-served youth in the city of Cleveland, has announced the twenty organizations that will receive funding this year. The $200,000 that is being distributed comes from both donations and proceeds from their annual fundraiser, the pARTy. The Human Fund will give $150,000 of its grant money to the Cleveland Municipal School District’s All–City Arts Program. It encompasses 12 student musical, dance and visual-art ensembles; private musical lessons; an annual arts festival; and student exhibitions and performances, including an annual musical theatre production.  This program touches children in grades K- 12 in over 100 schools.   Dr. Eugene T.W. Sanders, CEO, Cleveland Municipal School District states, “We are extremely pleased to have The Human Fund’s continued support of our All City Arts Programs and annual spring musical. We greatly appreciate the substance of this donation, and understand that the real value of these funds is immeasurable when considering how they facilitate growth and performance opportunities for our students. We are grateful that you are partnering with us to further enable standards-based arts education for our students as we strive to become a premier school district in the United States of America.”   The following organizations have also received varying grant amounts: Art House Near West Theatre Big Brothers Big Sisters of America ParkWorks Broadway School of Music & the Arts Passport Project Cleveland Institute of Art Playhouse Square Center Cleveland Integrated Arts Collaborative Red {an orchestra} Cleveland Museum of Art The Roberto Ocasio Foundation Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Roots of American Music (ROAM) Cleveland School of the Arts Suzuki Strings Groundworks Dance Theater Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland Ingenuity Festival Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) In addition to funding, the Human Fund is initiating in-house programming that will facilitate career development within the arts.  Creative careers are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. economy, making up 30% of the American workforce (some 40 million people), and contributing nearly two trillion dollars to our nation’s economy.  The Human Fund is on the forefront of this exciting economic trend by developing programming that will work with students to identify potential careers and understand the positive effects of globalization on the arts.   Human Fund co-founder and co-chairman, Heather Guess states, “it is truly exciting to fund things that introduce students to their creative possibilities. We look forward to expanding those possibilities as we work to create a new model in career development that hopefully other cities will emulate.” The foundation will hold its annual fund–raising event, “The pARTy” on Saturday, October 13, 2007, which will pay tribute to Andy Warhol, by hosting a curated exhibition of original Warhol works. The Human Fund will also host the 2nd annual Geezeroo concert on Sunday, August 12, 2007. For more information on tickets to these events or sponsorship opportunities, please call 440-893-7529 x 228