Artspace Projects

Name

Artspace Projects

Legal name

Artspace Projects, Inc.

Website

https://artspace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Development

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Nonprofit real estate development
• Affordable artist housing
• Creative placemaking consulting
• Live-work housing development
• Community development financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Rental Income: Monthly rent from affordable live/work housing units for artists and families. Units priced at 30-120% AMI depending on property and location.
2. Commercial Rental Income: Rental income from commercial/retail spaces leased to creative businesses, arts organizations, and community tenants in Artspace properties.
3. Consulting Services: Fee-based technical assistance, feasibility studies, and coaching services for municipalities and arts organizations. Revenue supports consulting department operations.
4. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting Artspace's mission. Includes planned giving, stock gifts, and corporate sponsorships.
5. Foundation and Government Grants: Program-Related Investments (PRIs), foundation grants, and public funding for specific projects and the Impact Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Artspace Projects develops, owns, and operates affordable live/work artist housing and arts centers across 20 states, serving roughly 2,000 households and 700+ commercial tenants through 56 owned properties. It also runs Artspace Consulting (feasibility studies and space-planning advisory for municipalities and arts organizations) and Artspace Immersion (a cohort-based capacity-building program for arts organizations planning space projects). Revenue comes from project-based residential and commercial rent, fee-based consulting engagements, donations, foundation grants, and a $15M impact-investing fund.

Product overview

Artspace Projects is a nonprofit real estate developer providing a portfolio of affordable housing, workforce housing, and creative space across the nation. The organization operates through three primary service lines: (1) Property Development of affordable live/work artist housing and arts centers; (2) Artspace Consulting offering feasibility studies and space planning services; and (3) Artspace Immersion, a cohort-based capacity-building program for arts organizations. The company manages 56 properties in operation and 5 in development across 20 states, with individual projects including Artspace NKB Lofts, Artspace Feed & Grain, Pullman Artspace Lofts, Mesa Artspace Lofts, Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments, Ambassador Theater Redevelopment, and Oglala Lakota Artspace, among others. Additional offerings include the Rafala Green Fellowship Program for emerging leaders in the field and the Artspace Impact Fund for impact investing in creative communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Northrup King Building (NKB): 317,000 sq. ft. commercial complex in Minneapolis with 350+ artist studios and creative businesses
• Artspace NKB Lofts
• Artspace Feed & Grain
• Mesa Artspace Lofts
• Pullman Artspace Lofts
• Artspace Jackson Flats
• Oglala Lakota Artspace
• Rafala Green Fellowship

Products and services

• Artspace NKB Lofts 84-unit adaptive reuse project converting the historic Northrup King industrial complex into affordable live/work housing for artists in Minneapolis, with 8,120 sq ft of commercial space for creative businesses. Tenants income-qualified at 30-120% AMI; rents ranging $770-$2,400/month by bedroom size.
• Northrup King Building (NKB) 317,000 sq ft commercial complex in Minneapolis organized across 10 buildings on 13 acres, housing over 350 tenants including artist studios, creative businesses, and nonprofits; Minnesota's largest art complex. Commercial leases negotiated directly through Artspace.
• Artspace Feed & Grain Nine units of live/work housing for creatives and 4,000 sq ft of sustainable commercial space in downtown Loveland, Colorado, on the Loveland Arts Campus. Units priced at 80-120% AMI.
• Artspace Jackson Flats 35-unit affordable live/work housing for artists and families in Minneapolis's Northeast Arts Corridor, including family-friendly amenities and community exhibition space. Developed in partnership with Northeast Community Development Corporation.
• Pullman Artspace Lofts 38-unit mixed-use affordable live/work housing with exhibition and community areas in Chicago's Pullman Historic District; developed with Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and PullmanArts.
• Mesa Artspace Lofts 50 units of live/work space for artists and families in downtown Mesa, Arizona, with ground-floor commercial space and community facilities; transit-oriented development in partnership with Mesa Arts Center.
• Ambassador Theater Redevelopment Adaptive reuse of a historic Art Deco theater in Baltimore's Liberty Heights neighborhood into affordable performance, rehearsal, and creative technology space; project led by predominantly women and architects-of-color team from Quinn Evans.
• Oglala Lakota Artspace Cultural center on the Pine Ridge Reservation featuring artist studios, computer lab, production studio, credit union offices, and space for the Rolling Rez Arts mobile program; developed in a unique LLC partnership with First Peoples Fund and Lakota Funds, with architecture by the first Native American woman licensed architect. Construction cost $3 million.
• Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments (BACA) $254 million development creating 283 affordable rental apartments with a 28,000 sq ft cultural arts center in Brooklyn, NY; joint venture with Gilbane Development Company and Blue Sea Development Company; financing through NYC HPD and other public sources. Construction began July 2025 with completion scheduled December 2027.
• Artspace Utica Lofts 43-unit affordable housing development with gallery space in Utica, New York's growing arts and cultural district; $18.6 million project completed in September 2025.
• Artspace Consulting Technical assistance, feasibility studies, and coaching for organizations and municipalities planning creative spaces, combining real estate expertise with creative-sector understanding. Initial engagements typically involve two-day site visits, focus groups, and written recommendations.
• Preliminary Feasibility Study Initial Artspace Consulting engagement including two-day site visits, stakeholder focus groups, site evaluations, and written recommendations for creative space development. Sold to municipalities and arts organizations.
• Artspace Immersion Cohort-based capacity-building program for arts and cultural organizations in the planning stages of space-related projects, providing professional development training, tools, templates, and one-on-one technical assistance.
• Rafala Green Fellowship Program Two-year fellowship funded by Ford Foundation that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion by training emerging leaders from underrepresented communities in nonprofit real estate and artist-led community development.
• Artspace Impact Fund $15 million impact fund blending foundation grants, program-related investments (PRIs), and debt to advance equity and opportunity in creative community development; impact investors include McKnight Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Bush Foundation, Erich & Hannah Sachs Family Foundation, and Calvert Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 547 units of affordable live/work space delivered through 12 projects supported by $3M Ford Foundation PRI
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Gilbane Development CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2025Joint venture developer with Artspace and Blue Sea Development on the $254 million Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments project in Brooklyn. Construction began July 2025 with completion expected December 2027.
• Blue Sea Development CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2025Joint venture developer with Artspace and Gilbane Development on the Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments, bringing affordable housing development expertise for the 283-unit project.
• First Peoples FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding partners (along with Lakota Funds and Artspace) in unique LLC partnership to develop the $3 million Oglala Lakota Artspace on Pine Ridge Reservation. Led community engagement and vision development over decade-long planning process.
• Lakota FundscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity development financial institution and LLC partner with First Peoples Fund and Artspace for Oglala Lakota Artspace. Provides financing and capital access for Indigenous artists in the 2.1 million acre Pine Ridge Reservation area.
• Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner with Artspace and PullmanArts on Pullman Artspace Lofts in Chicago's Pullman Historic District.
• PullmanArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner and community partner for Pullman Artspace Lofts; represents local arts community in the Chicago Pullman neighborhood.
• Pepper ConstructionminorOthersGeneral contractor for Pullman Artspace Lofts construction project.
• Community Foundation of Southern New MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged Artspace Consulting for preliminary feasibility study on artist live/work spaces for Las Cruces. Co-lead for study with $7,500 USBank Foundation matching grant.
• Doña Ana Arts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Community Foundation on Artspace preliminary feasibility study for Las Cruces Arts and Cultural District.
• Intermedia ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided grant funding supporting Artspace's 2019 acquisition of Northrup King Building campus; partnership advanced in conjunction with preserving space for existing arts community of 300+ artists.
• MetroPlains ManagementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProperty management company handling leasing for NKB Lofts and Jackson Flats residential properties.
• Northeast Community Development CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Jackson Flats project in Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
• Spectrum General ContractorsminorOthersGeneral contractor for Feed & Grain restoration project.
• Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal development partner for Mesa Artspace Lofts with community development financial institution expertise.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Reinvestment Fund: National CDFI that finances affordable housing and community development projects using similar LIHTC + public/private leverage strategies. Operates in overlapping geographies with Artspace.
• IFF (formerly Illinois Facilities Fund): Community development financial institution providing capital and real estate solutions for nonprofits serving low-income communities. Comparable CDFI + nonprofit-tenant financing model, though arts-specific focus is less concentrated.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit affordable-housing developer and investor with a broad multi-asset portfolio that includes creative and arts-led projects. Operates the same nonprofit real estate development model as Artspace but at much larger scale across many product types.
• NeighborWorks America: Congressionally chartered national network supporting 250+ affordable housing and community development nonprofits. Compares on operating model (nonprofit developer + capacity builder) and capital stack, though portfolio is much broader than arts.
• Capital Impact Partners: National CDFI providing capital and capacity building to community development projects including affordable housing and arts space. Comparable nonprofit-finance + advisory operating model at smaller scale than LISC or Enterprise.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution that co-funds Artspace projects and runs an analogous LIHTC + grants financing stack. Overlaps heavily in affordable housing and creative-economy community development.

Direct peers

• MASS Design Group: Nonprofit architecture and design practice that builds affordable, community-centered buildings (housing, schools, health facilities) and embeds impact measurement in delivery. Highly comparable mission-driven built-environment model with overlapping consulting services.
• ArtPlace America: National nonprofit funder dedicated to creative placemaking that has directly funded Artspace projects. Operates in the same intersection of arts/culture and community development, making it the closest niche peer.

Others

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit preservation organization that runs adaptive reuse grantmaking and programming directly comparable to Artspace's historic-building rehabs (e.g., New Orleans school, Baltimore Ambassador Theater). Adjacent mission and overlapping project pipeline.
• Kresge Foundation: Major national philanthropy with dedicated arts/culture and creative-placemaking programs that have funded Artspace projects. Comparable funder-side counterpart; comparable in the creative-place ecosystem rather than as a direct operating peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/artspaceusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artspace-projects
• Instagraminstagram.com/artspaceusa
• Xx.com/artspaceusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Artspace Projects