Editor's Note: WOSU Public Media receives funding from the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) officials are worried about a funding committee's recommendation to eliminate all the money it receives from the Columbus hotel/motel tax to transfer to Experience Columbus.
The Funding Review Advisory Committee (FRAC) report was issued March 12 for long-term funding options for local human services, arts and travel and tourism organizations after federal and state funding was cut. The group was formed last year.
The committee's report recommends "modifying" the current distribution of revenue from the city’s hotel/motel tax to increase the share allocated to Experience Columbus from 43% to 72%, and to reduce the share allocated to the Greater Columbus Arts Council from 29% to 0%.
GCAC received $8.68 million from the tax in 2025, which is 39% of its budget. The group provides grants to support artists and arts organizations in Columbus.
The committee's report on the recommended funding shift said it "reflects the Committee’s view that Experience Columbus plays a central role in driving the regional travel and tourism economy – an economic engine that supports thousands of local jobs, generates substantial visitor spending, and contributes significantly to the region’s tax base."
"Increasing the share of hotel/motel tax revenue allocated to Experience Columbus will better position the organization to compete with destination marketing efforts in peer metropolitan areas, where allocations to tourism promotion and visitor attraction are typically much higher than in Columbus," the report said.
The report also mentioned previous success of the tax, noting that the city should consider a funding cap for the amount of revenue Experience Columbus could receive from it's new percentage.
But it also said the committee recommends that shifting GCAC's funding sources "in a manner that would maintain stability for GCAC while enabling increased investment in the travel and tourism sector."
The report mentions Franklin County instituting a cigarette tax to help fund GCAC. The report recommends the funding change be made in tandem or after the implementation of the cigarette tax.
The report also recommends a tiered-rate structure for the city's ticket tax, which helps fund GCAC. That includes raising the tax rate from 5% to 8% for events exceeding 750 attendees. Columbus City Council approved the ticket tax in 2019.
Columbus City Council would have to approve any changes.
GCAC President and CEO Mitch Menchaca discussed the recommended cut at Wednesday's Columbus Metropolitan Club forum.
"I think what we have to do is when we look at recommendations like that, I have put mayoral committees together to make recommendations and that's what they are," Menchaca said. "Stepping into this role, I do not want a single dollar to go away. In fact, I'd like more dollars."
"I think it's important for all of us to understand that if you read the FRAC report in its entirety, there is no mention of any organization that was reviewed during the FRAC process to get less money," said Experience Columbus President and CEO Brian Ross. "If you've read through it and then look at the presentations and everything, you can see every entity that was a part of that is doing great work in our community and is important to our community's growth."
Ross added Experience Columbus has a strong partnership with GCAC and that Columbus' arts community is one of the greatest things the city has to experience.
GCAC Chief Strategy Officer Jami Goldstein said in an emailed statement that Columbus’ current arts funding model "is a nationally recognized success—it has created stability, growth, and measurable economic impact for artists and organizations and it must be protected.
"GCAC and the arts sector are ready to collaborate on solutions that are equitable, sustainable and reinforce Columbus’ culture, economy and quality of life," Goldstein said.
This comes as Columbus officials are trying to bring a National Women's League Soccer team to the city. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther mentioned the effort in his State of the City address on March 10.
