Visionary Gifts Endow Staff Positions

Visionaries of their time, many early benefactors of the Cleveland Museum of Art endowed the museum with funds dedicated to the acquisition of artworks of exceptional quality, rarity, and import. More than a century later, despite transformative growth and multiple expansions, a significant portion of the CMA’s endowment still remains designated toward building our distinguished collection. While the ability to bring world-renowned masterpieces to Cleveland remains an extraordinary gift that continues to bear fruit, a museum of our caliber is defined not only by its collection but also by the excellence of those who care for it. 

It is the museum’s remarkable staff who can be praised for the safety, care, and interpretation of the collection as they bring art to life for audiences around the world. That is why permanent support for key staff positions is integral in ensuring a future in which the CMA continues to enrich the lives of audiences throughout our city and beyond.

The gift of an endowed position is both a strategic investment and a profound honor that elevates the museum’s standing as a global institution while recognizing the incredible contributions of the professionals who hold these titles. In the past two-and-a-half years, thanks to extraordinary philanthropic generosity, we have more than doubled the number of named and endowed positions at the museum, adding 13 permanently funded roles and over $39 million in support. Here, we are proud to spotlight three recent visionary gifts that, like those of our founders, help fortify the museum for its next century.

What Is an Endowment? 
An endowment is an established pool of money that is invested by the CMA. Every year, a portion of the earnings generated by the endowment can be used to further the museum’s mission while the corpus remains invested. The impact that an endowment makes on the CMA lasts in perpetuity.

Can an Endowment Be Used for Anything? 
Each endowment is tracked as a separate fund within the museum’s larger endowment. Some endowments can be used for general operations, while others have narrower purposes defined by the donor who established them and are only ever spent as the donor intended.

Sally and Sandy Cutler
Sally and Sandy Cutler’s impact on the CMA and the broader arts and culture communities in Cleveland would be difficult to overstate. Since joining the museum’s board of trustees in 2003, Sally has been a steady and influential leader, offering invaluable guidance during periods of significant change. Sandy, a distinguished businessman, philanthropist, and community leader, has long served as a generous supporter and trusted mentor to arts organizations across the city.

The Cutlers’ philanthropy, including their foundational support of the museum’s historic Transformation Campaign, helped provide the CMA with one of the finest museum buildings in the world. Equally visionary was their early support for the museum’s strategic plan, which helped chart an ambitious path into the CMA’s second century. This forward-thinking leadership has sparked a period of revitalization in membership and attendance.

Citing the museum’s profound personal significance to their family, the Cutlers have completed the naming of the CMA directorship, establishing it in perpetuity as the Sarah S. and Alexander M. Cutler Director. This extraordinary gift ensures continued excellence in museum leadership and helps preserve the institution for generations to come.

Susan and James Ratner
Susan and James Ratner, both community leaders and active supporters of the CMA for many years, took the monumental step of endowing the position of chief learning officer. Each has a lifelong connection to the museum, which began when they were children and participated in the CMA’s educational programs, where they formed memories that have endured for decades. Thanks to their thoughtful philanthropy, the education department will remain one of the museum’s premier programs for generations to come. They are ensuring that more people of all ages can have meaningful and transformational experiences with art.

Eric And Jane Nord Family Fund
Beginning with the visionary leadership of Jane and her late husband Eric Nord and continuing with the dedication and commitment of their foundation and family, the Nords have, for decades, offered critical support for major initiatives that permit the CMA to serve both its community and the museum field. Their most recent gift to the museum, the creation of two newly named and endowed positions, the Eric and Jane Nord Conservation Scientist and the Eric and Jane Nord Conservation Science Fellow, helps realize a key goal of the strategic plan, which is to further expand the capacity of the CMA’s exceptional conservation team to care for the museum’s collection.