CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Guardians and the Cleveland Cavaliers have confirmed their applications to the Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant, to receive state funding for their stadium renovations and repairs.
The Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant is the newly established grant program that is funded with $1.7B from the Department of Unclaimed Funds. Any professional sports team in Ohio can request funds from it, with approvals given for up to 25% of a total project.
Currently, the $1.7B of funds from the Department of Unclaimed Funds for this grant are being held up in court as a result of multiple lawsuits. Former Ohio Attorney General Mark Dann is claiming it is unconstitutional for the state to give citizen funds out. In December a Judge put a hold on the $600M that are set to be given to the Cleveland Browns for their Brook Park dome.
As of now, 19 News has not confirmed how much both teams are asking for, with the Cavaliers confirming the money is needed to modernize Rocket Arena as they prepare for the introduction of the WNBA team in 2028.
Rock Entertainment Group, in partnership with our landlord, Gateway, has submitted an application for the Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant. As the largest driver of economic activity in Cuyahoga County and host to nearly 200 ticketed events every year, Rocket Arena is integral to the vitality and vibrancy of our city and community.
The preservation and continued modernization of our thirty-year-old venue are essential to sustaining and growing premier sports and entertainment in downtown Cleveland. This investment will ensure the arena’s readiness to welcome the return of the WNBA to Cleveland in 2028, while serving as home to three professional franchises and supporting a full year-round sports and entertainment calendar.
As for the Guardians, they say the money is needed to support their current renovation project at Progressive Field that has been ongoing for the last few years. That project costs more than $200M with the Guardians contributing $67.5M of that.
We can confirm the Cleveland Guardians, in partnership with our landlord Gateway, have submitted an application for the Ohio Sports Facility Performance Grant. The grant program was established by the State of Ohio to “support the construction or renovation” of Ohio sports facilities like ours. Our grant application primarily focuses on pursuing supplemental support for the Progressive Field Preservation Project, which itself is based on a comprehensive third party Facility Conditions Assessment completed in December 2025. The Preservation Project provides a strategic roadmap for those projects necessary to preserve and modernize the Progressive Field—Ohio’s oldest major professional sports facility—for the remaining 11 years of the approved lease.
The City of Cleveland released the following statement when reached for comment:
The City has made it clear that our focus is on not using our own General Fund to support stadium maintenance — that position that has not changed. We will continue having discussions with the teams as this process plays out.
19 News also reached out to Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s office for comment, as he has been outspoken in his criticism of the Browns receiving state funds for their stadium. As of the story airing they have not gotten back to us.
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