Clifton Cultural Arts Center

What Clifton Cultural Arts Center does

Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit community arts center headquartered at 3412 Clifton Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, serving the Uptown neighborhoods and surrounding region. The organization was founded in 2004 through a grassroots community effort to repurpose the historic Clifton School building and, after an interim relocation to Turner Hall in 2018, opened its first purpose-built 20,000 sq. ft. facility on March 9, 2024 — a sustainably built structure featuring a two-story Elizabeth Nourse Gallery, 200-seat McKillip Theater, green rooftop terrace, multi-purpose classrooms, MakeShop maker space, and an on-site catering services area.

CCAC's product surface spans nine signature event series (Wednesdays in the Woods, Saturdays in the Park, CliftonFest, The Rooftop Sessions, Second Sunday Showtime, Sunset Salons, The Golden Ticket juried exhibition, the CCAC Gala, and the bi-annual Home & Garden Tour), 296+ annual classes across eight disciplines (visual arts, dance, music, theater, wellness, writing, culture, plus STEM via Blast Off Arts), summer camps, after-school programs, gallery exhibitions, and venue rentals (weddings from $4,500–$5,500, birthday parties at $275, corporate events). Pricing is structured as low-cost tuition ($5–$325), supplemented by Fair Share Pricing (a three-tier sliding scale tied to Federal Poverty Level) and need-based scholarships up to $100 per student per session.

Revenue is diversified across earned income (tuition, ticketed events, venue rentals, a 25% consignment fee on sold exhibition artwork) and contributed income (individual donations, Friends of CCAC memberships at $250+, grants including a $1M Phase 1 grant and a 2023 Ohio Arts Council award, and Gala silent-auction fundraising). The organization explicitly absorbs over $100,000 in costs annually to keep programming accessible. Technology is operational, not strategic — registration runs on Jumbula, ticketing and donations on a WordPress/WooCommerce stack, community room bookings on Koalendar, email on Constant Contact, and silent auctions on Gala Bid. Customer segmentation is horizontal: children and families, adults and seniors, private-event clients, regional artists within a 50-mile radius, and CPS-school partners for Blast Off Arts — yielding a highly distributed, long-tail revenue base rather than concentrated contracts.

Name

Clifton Cultural Arts Center

Legal name

Clifton Cultural Arts Center

Website

https://cliftonculturalarts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) is a Cincinnati nonprofit community arts center offering arts classes, summer camps, signature concerts and festivals, juried exhibitions, and venue rentals from its 20,000 sq. ft. purpose-built Uptown facility, serving residents across ages and incomes via Fair Share Pricing and scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Center

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Community arts center
• Arts education
• Nonprofit arts
• Venue rentals
• Cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Class and Camp Tuition: Revenue from arts education classes and summer camps for children, teens, and adults across disciplines including visual arts, dance, music, theater, wellness, and writing. Tuition ranges from approximately $5 to $325 per program depending on duration and format. Financial accessibility is supported through Fair Share Pricing (sliding-scale subsidy) and scholarships up to $100.
2. Event Admissions and Tickets: Revenue from ticketed events including performances, concerts, and theater shows. Many events are free; ticketed events include Gala ($125/person), specialty performances (e.g., $10 reserved seating at Rooftop Sessions, $12 for Highly Improvable improv comedy shows).
3. Venue and Space Rentals: Revenue from renting CCAC spaces for corporate events, weddings, and private celebrations. Rental packages include Standard Wedding Package ($4,500 in 2025), Premium Wedding Package ($5,500 in 2025), and corporate event rentals with meeting space for 2–200 people. Birthday party packages at the MakeShop cost $275 for up to 8 participants.
4. Donations and Fundraising: As a nonprofit organization, CCAC relies on individual donations, sponsorships, planned giving, stock transfers, and Donor Advised Fund contributions to subsidize programming costs. The organization absorbs over $100,000 annually in costs rather than passing them to students and community members. Friends of CCAC membership requires contributions of $250+ annually.
5. Exhibition and Consignment Fees: CCAC takes a 25% consignment fee on artwork sold during exhibitions. The Golden Ticket juried exhibition charges a $35 entry fee for the first submission plus $10 for up to four additional submissions, with an early-bird discount available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) is a nonprofit community arts center operating a 20,000 sq. ft. purpose-built facility in Cincinnati's Uptown Clifton Gaslight District. It provides arts education classes across multiple disciplines (visual arts, dance, music, theater, wellness, writing, culture), rotating gallery exhibitions, signature event series (concerts, performances, festivals), summer camps, and venue rentals for weddings, corporate events, and birthday parties, supported by a Fair Share Pricing sliding-scale model and scholarships.

Product overview

Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) is a non-profit community arts center offering a diverse portfolio of programs and services including arts education classes across multiple disciplines (visual arts, dance, music, theater, wellness, writing, culture), signature event series (concerts, performances, festivals), rotating gallery exhibitions, summer camps for various age groups, facility rentals for private events, and community outreach programs. The center operates as a unified community arts hub with its main facility at 3412 Clifton Ave, providing free and low-cost programming supported by donations and a Fair Share Pricing model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arts Education Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ annual attendees served (as of 2015, with continued growth since)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ArtsWavecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtsWave is a major arts funding organization in Cincinnati and a season sponsor of CCAC. Andrew Garth, a CCAC board member, is an alumnus of ArtsWave's Boardway Bound program, which connects board candidates with local arts nonprofits.
• Ohio Arts Council (OAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio Arts Council is listed as a season sponsor and provides state-level arts funding support to CCAC, helping sustain free and low-cost programming.
• Summerfair CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummerfair Cincinnati presents The Golden Ticket, CCAC's annual juried art exhibition. This partnership provides over $2,000 in prize money and professional jury credibility, with Summerfair branding on the exhibition and awards.
• Clifton Historical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that hosts events at CCAC, including history-focused presentations and lectures as part of CCAC's partner events programming.
• Highly ImprovableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCincinnati's improvisational comedy troupe performs regularly at CCAC, typically on the last Friday of each month at 8:00 pm. Founded in 2011, the troupe has grown to nearly twenty members.
• Madcap PuppetsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMadcap Puppets performs at CCAC each January, March, and November as part of the Hat's Off series, offering family puppet productions. Performances include post-show Q&A sessions for children.
• Dewey's Pizza (Clifton locations)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDewey's Pizza provides dinner for Blast Off Arts STEM family programming at CCAC and operates in the same building complex as CCAC, sharing a parking lot. Named sponsor of the Dewey's Community Room.
• Toppers Pizza (Clifton)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerToppers Pizza provides dinner for the Blast Off Arts program, supporting free STEM education for partner CPS school families.
• Penn StationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPenn Station provides dinner for the Blast Off Arts program, supporting free STEM education for partner CPS school families.
• Clifton United Methodist ChurchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOverflow parking for CCAC is available at the Clifton United Methodist Church lot (accessible off Senator Pl), connected via stairs to CCAC's main lot. The church's lot on Hosea Ave is reserved for church use on Sunday mornings. The church also donates its lot for overflow parking during CCAC events.
• Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPS partner schools (Clifton Area Neighborhood School, Rockdale Academy, Fairview-Clifton German Language School, Taft Elementary, Parker Woods Montessori) serve as satellite locations for the free Blast Off Arts STEM program, reaching 3rd and 4th graders across Uptown neighborhoods.
• MadTree BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMadTree Brewing provides beverages at CliftonFest, CCAC's annual free street festival in the Clifton Gaslight District.
• Cincinnati Parks (Cincinnati Park Friends)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeason sponsor listed on CCAC's summer concert programs. Supports the Wednesdays in the Woods (held at Burnet Woods bandstand) and Saturdays in the Park (held at Inwood Park) outdoor concert series.
• Calhoun Gallery (Storefront Window)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCAC operates a storefront gallery window on Calhoun Avenue as an additional exhibition space beyond its main building, promoting public art in the community.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kennedy Heights Arts Center: Cincinnati-based nonprofit community arts center offering classes, exhibitions, performances, and event rentals across multiple disciplines. Highly analogous model and mission to CCAC, serving a similar Cincinnati neighborhood catchment and donor ecosystem.
• Contemporary Arts Center: Cincinnati-based nonprofit contemporary arts organization presenting rotating exhibitions, performances, and educational programming. Comparable in city, nonprofit status, and arts-education mission, though larger in scale and more focused on contemporary visual art.
• Wave Pool: Cincinnati-based community arts center and contemporary art space hosting exhibitions, residencies, and community programming. Comparable as a community-rooted nonprofit arts venue serving Cincinnati's creative ecosystem.
• Know Theatre of Cincinnati: Cincinnati-based nonprofit theater producing original and contemporary performances. Directly comparable to CCAC's theater programming (e.g., McKillip Theater, Rooftop Sessions, Second Sunday Showtime) and shared Cincinnati performing-arts donor base.

Broad incumbents

• Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park: Established regional theater producing a full season of plays and educational programming. Comparable in performing-arts presenting but operates at significantly larger scale and is a more traditional theater institution than CCAC's community-arts model.
• Cincinnati Art Museum: Major regional art museum offering exhibitions, educational programming, and community events. Comparable gallery-exhibition function, but operates as a large, established museum rather than a community-driven multi-disciplinary arts center.
• Taft Museum of Art: Historic house museum and art institution in Cincinnati offering exhibitions, educational programs, and private events. Comparable in Cincinnati arts landscape and venue-rental function (similar wedding/event offerings), but operates as a curated museum rather than a community arts center.
• Carnegie Hall: Iconic performing arts venue presenting concerts, educational programming, and community initiatives. Comparable in performing-arts presenting and arts-education mission, but at vastly greater national scale and institutional scope.
• Kennedy Center: National performing arts center presenting theater, dance, music, and educational programming. Comparable in multi-disciplinary performing-arts presenting and education, but at federal-institution scale rather than community-organization scale.

Others

• ArtsWave: Cincinnati's regional arts funder and united arts campaign that supports CCAC as a core season sponsor. Not a direct peer but an ecosystem participant whose funding decisions materially affect CCAC's operating budget and programming capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CCACCincinnati
• YouTubeyoutu.be/8h-IIh_vnhQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CliftonCAC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clifton-cultural-arts-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/cliftonfest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clifton Cultural Arts Center