Exploring the Arts
Exploring the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with 62 public middle and high schools in historically underserved communities across New York City and Los Angeles to deliver multi-year arts education, paid internships, and performing-arts scholarships to over 30,000 students.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersAstoria, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Exploring the Arts does
Exploring the Arts (ETA) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 by Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto alongside the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA), ETA's flagship public-school partner in Astoria, Queens. Headquartered in Astoria, NY with a regional office in Pasadena, CA, the organization partners with 62 public middle and high schools — the majority Title I — in historically underserved communities across New York City (44 schools) and Los Angeles (18 schools), supporting more than 30,000 students cumulatively.
ETA delivers a coordinated portfolio of programs built around two tracks. The school-side track centers on the 4-Year Plan, a multi-year capacity-building engagement that provides Partner Schools with funding, coaching, and technical assistance to build sequential, school-day arts curricula, supplemented by Arts Access Grants ($2,500 per teacher per year), Peer Learning Communities launched in 2020, and ongoing Professional Development. The student-side track comprises two cohort pipelines: the Arts Internship Program (AIP), a 2-year paid internship program placing ~1,000 cumulative students at creative institutions in NY and LA, and the Lang Arts Scholars (LAS) program, a fully-funded 3-year performing-arts training and college/career-prep program for 15 NYC students per cohort, underwritten by the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, reporting a 100% college enrollment rate among graduates. The organization's underlying technology is conventional (Squarespace-hosted web properties, Click & Pledge donation processing); there is no proprietary software platform.
ETA's revenue model is a multi-source nonprofit funding stack: government grants (NYC Department of Cultural Affairs with City Council, NYSCA, California Arts Council), private foundation grants (Eugene M. Lang Foundation, Annenberg, Pinkerton, Ralph M. Cestone, Riggio, BFF, The Genesis Inspiration Foundation which granted $3M in 2023 and $50K in 2024), corporate sponsorships (SAP, Silver Lake, Netflix, Steinway & Sons, Hearst, Macy's, CBS, Viacom, Target), and individual donations via the Tony Bennett Legacy Fund launched in 2023. Programs are free to students and schools; there is no service pricing. GTM is relationship-driven (school-district partnerships and cultural-organization interest forms) supplemented by earned media and Instagram/newsletter channels.
Exploring the Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Exploring the Arts
- Legal name
- Exploring the Arts, Inc.
- Website
- https://exploringthearts.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Exploring the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with 62 public middle and high schools in historically underserved communities across New York City and Los Angeles to deliver multi-year arts education, paid internships, and performing-arts scholarships to over 30,000 students.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Exploring the Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts Education Programs (Nonprofit)
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing) (EDAJAFAK)
Keywords
Where Exploring the Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Astoria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Exploring the Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Government Grants: Funding from public-sector agencies including NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (in partnership with the City Council), California Arts Council, and New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). Multi-year and project-based.
- Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations including Eugene M. Lang Foundation (which fully funds the Lang Arts Scholars program), Annenberg Foundation, Pinkerton Foundation, Ralph M. Cestone Foundation, Riggio Foundation, BFF, and others.
- Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship and donations from corporate partners including SAP, Silver Lake, Netflix, Steinway & Sons, Hearst Corporation, Macy's, CBS, Viacom, Target, and others.
- Individual Donations: Individual giving via the Tony Bennett Legacy Fund and general donation forms, processed through Click & Pledge. Founders Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto founded the organization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Arts Access Grants (AAG): $2,500 per teacher annually |
| Other | — | Lang Arts Scholars — fully-funded 3-year program |
| Other | — | Arts Internship Program — paid 2-year internship cohort |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Exploring the Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Exploring the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with 62 public middle and high schools in historically underserved New York City and Los Angeles communities to deliver multi-year arts education programs. Core offerings combine funding, coaching, and technical assistance to schools (the 4-Year Plan), paid arts internships for high school students (AIP NY and AIP LA), and a fully-funded three-year performing-arts scholarship (Lang Arts Scholars). All programs are provided free to schools and students and are sustained by government grants, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations.
Product overview
Exploring the Arts (ETA) is a single nonprofit organization — not a multi-product software platform — that delivers a portfolio of arts education programs built around two coordinated tracks: (1) the core Arts Education Program for Partner Schools (the 4-Year Plan), supported by the ongoing Partner School Network, Arts Access Grants, Peer Learning Communities, and Professional Development for educators; and (2) student-facing programs, namely the Lang Arts Scholars (LAS) intensive performing-arts scholarship in NYC and the Arts Internship Program (with separate LA and NY cohorts), which together serve the organization's 62 partner public high schools across New York and Los Angeles. The flagship site of this work is the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA), ETA's founding partner school in Queens, and sustainability is further supported through the Tony Bennett Legacy Fund.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lang Arts Scholars: A three-year, fully-funded performing-arts training and college/career preparatory program for 15 students from ETA's NYC Partner Schools, supported by the Eugene M. Lang Foundation.
- Arts Internship Program (AIP)
- 4-Year Plan for Partner Schools
- Arts Access Grants
- Tony Bennett Legacy Fund
Products and services
- Arts Education Program for Partner Schools (4-Year Plan) ETA's flagship capacity-building initiative that makes a four-year commitment to its Partner Schools, providing funding and technical assistance so principals and teachers can implement strategic plans for building rigorous, school-day arts programs and curricula. Currently serves 62 public middle and high schools across New York and Los Angeles, the majority holding Title I designation.
- Arts Internship Program LA (AIP LA) A 2-year paid internship and college/career prep program for 11th- and 12th-grade students at ETA Partner Schools in Los Angeles and Pasadena, placing them at creative institutions (~12 hours/month during school year and 48 hours in summer) with mentorship, career panels, field trips, college readiness workshops, and Adobe Creative Cloud training.
- Arts Internship Program NY (AIP NY) A 2-year paid internship program for 11th-grade students enrolled at ETA Partner Schools in New York City, providing work experiences and mentorship in the arts, college prep workshops, application support, and roughly 12 hours/month during the school year plus 48 hours in summer.
- Lang Arts Scholars Program (LAS) Supported by the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, LAS provides 15 students from ETA's NYC Partner Schools with three consecutive years of fully-funded, intensive training in a single performing arts discipline (Music, Dance, or Theatre), combined with a wrap-around college and career preparatory curriculum delivered through after-school, weekend, and summer hours (including a two-week NYU Tisch intensive after 10th grade and a paid project-based internship after 11th grade). 100% college enrollment among graduates.
- Arts Access Grants (AAG) A smaller version of the 4-Year Plan, AAG provides strategic support and $2,500 in funding over one academic year to teachers (individual, pairs, or small collaborating groups) from Alumni Partner Schools to build or refine a class/program in the arts or develop an arts integration initiative. Open only to ETA Network alumni schools.
- Peer Learning Communities (PLCs) Launched in 2020, PLCs convene monthly to bring educators in the same arts discipline together to grow personal networks, build community, share pedagogical/curricular/creative ideas and resources, and deepen their understanding of how arts education supports social, emotional, and cognitive competencies.
- Professional Development (PD) PD sessions developed in collaboration with community arts partners to build teacher capacity to center students' identity, skills, culture, and community and to nurture creative and critical thinking via Anti-Racist and Transformative Social and Emotional Learning practices in their arts discipline. Includes a two-part virtual series developed by LA Director Rubi Fregoso on integrating critical pedagogies and fostering inclusive arts classrooms.
- Partner School Network ETA's ongoing relationship with schools during and after their 4-Year Plan, providing access to professional, educational, creative, and funding opportunities for arts teachers and school leaders to support ongoing capacity, learning, and development.
- Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA) ETA's flagship partner school, founded in 1999 by Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto with the NYC Department of Education. A public high school in Queens offering majors in Dance, Drama, Film, Fine Art, Vocal, or Instrumental Music, housed in an award-winning building (designed by Susan T. Rodriguez of Ennead Architects) that includes an 800-seat concert hall, two black-box theatres, a stagecraft workshop, art gallery, rooftop performance garden, and a multi-media film and technology lab; also home to the NYC DOE Summer Arts Institute.
- Tony Bennett Legacy Fund A dedicated giving fund launched to honor Tony Bennett's vision and passion for arts education, designed to ensure ETA can sustain and grow the work he and Susan Benedetto started 25 years ago through general contributions or directed gifts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 62 Partner Schools across NYC and Los Angeles
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Exploring the Arts
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Exploring the Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Exploring the Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
37 partnerships are on record, tiered core — la arts internship program site, la arts internship program site, ny arts internship program site, core — las training partner, las training partner, core — las summer intensive host, core — flagship school co-founder and infrastructure partner, capital project partner, membership — field-wide peer network, membership — regional peer network and membership — staff representation on board of directors.
- Armory Center for the Artscore — la arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- Building Beatsla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- dublabla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- East West Playersla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- Heidi Duckler Dancela arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- LA Commonsla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster; featured in AIP LA photos.
- LA Plaza de Cultura y Artesla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster; featured in AIP LA photos.
- Neighborhood Music Schoolla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- Pasadena Mediala arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- Side Street Projectsla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- Vidiotsla arts internship program siteHosts LA Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP LA internship-sites roster.
- Afro Latin Jazz Allianceny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Arts Gowanusny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Dancewaveny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Epic Theatre Ensembleny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Groundswellny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- International Center of Photographyny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Museum of the Moving Imageny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- National Jazz Museum in Harlemny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Paul Taylor Dance Companyny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- The Possibility Projectny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- People's Theatreny arts internship program siteHosts NY Arts Internship Program students for paid internships. Listed on the AIP NY internship-sites roster.
- Third Street Music Schoolcore — las training partnerProvides performing-arts training for Lang Arts Scholars. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- Greenwich House Music Schoolcore — las training partnerProvides performing-arts training for Lang Arts Scholars. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- The Barrow Group (TBG)core — las training partnerProvides theatre training for Lang Arts Scholars. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- Broadway Bound Kidslas training partnerProvides theatre training for Lang Arts Scholars. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- Classic Stage Companylas training partnerProvides theatre training for Lang Arts Scholars and hosts post-show talkbacks. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- Martha Graham Schoollas training partnerProvides dance training for Lang Arts Scholars; also hosts NY AIP students. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- School at the Mark Morris Dance Grouplas training partnerProvides dance training for Lang Arts Scholars. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- The Paul Taylor Schoollas training partnerProvides dance training for Lang Arts Scholars. Listed among LAS partner organizations.
- New York University Tisch School of the Artscore — las summer intensive hostHosts the mandatory two-week summer intensive for Lang Arts Scholars after their 10th-grade year. Listed as LAS summer programming partner.
- New York City Department of Educationcore — flagship school co-founder and infrastructure partnerCo-founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts with Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto in 1999; hosts the annual Summer Arts Institute at the FSSA building; houses the NYC DOE Summer Arts Institute of which ETA is a funding partner.
- Ennead Architects (Susan T. Rodriguez)capital project partnerDesigned the award-winning Frank Sinatra School of the Arts building, which opened in 2009.
- Americans for the Artsmembership — field-wide peer networkETA participates in this national professional arts network, sharing expertise and learning from peers. Logo displayed on Impact page.
- Arts Education Partnership (AEP)membership — field-wide peer networkETA participates in the Arts Education Partnership network. Logo displayed on Impact page.
- Southern California (arts-education network)membership — regional peer networkRegional arts-education network in which ETA participates. Logo displayed on Impact page.
- NYC Arts in Education Roundtablemembership — staff representation on board of directorsProgram Director Tiffany Lin sits on the Board of Directors for the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable. Listed on the Staff page.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Exploring the Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network that provides arts education programming (music, dance, theatre, visual arts) directly to public schools, with a similar mission of expanding arts access for underserved youth. Highly comparable to ETA's Partner School capacity-building model.
- Carnegie Hall - Weill Music Institute: Carnegie Hall's education arm runs school-based and student programs including paid fellowships and intensive music training in NYC. Comparable to ETA's LAS performing-arts scholarship model and AIP internship pipeline.
- VH1 Save The Music Foundation: Foundation that partners with public schools to provide music education resources and grants. Comparable in mission and school-based delivery model, though narrower in discipline (music-focused) and scale.
- Lincoln Center Education: Lincoln Center's education division delivers arts-education programming to NYC public schools and runs student/fellowship pipelines. Closely comparable in target geography, partner-school model, and student-program intensity.
- Center for Arts Education (CAE): NYC-based arts education nonprofit focused on restoring sequential arts curricula in public schools, and former employer of ETA's Development Consultant Lori Sherman. Direct functional peer to ETA's 4-Year Plan / Partner School Network.
Broad incumbents
- Music in Schools Initiative (NYSCA-affiliated): New York State Council on the Arts' school-based music/arts funding initiative that supports school-day arts programming statewide. A funding-side peer that overlaps with ETA's NYC programs and government funding model.
- Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit advocacy and service organization for the arts, of which ETA is a member. Operates at field level rather than direct service, but comparable in mission to advance arts education and access.
Regional players
- LA Philharmonic - Education & Community Programs (YOLA): LA Phil's Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) provides free intensive music instruction and mentorship to LA-area students, including at Title I schools. Regional LA-based peer to ETA's LA Arts Internship Program and LAS scholarship model.
- Inner-City Arts: LA-based nonprofit providing arts education to underserved youth, including in-school and out-of-school programs in the same Title I school communities ETA serves in LA/Pasadena. Strong regional LA peer.
Emerging players
- Third Street Music School Settlement: NYC's oldest community music school providing affordable performing-arts instruction; also a current LAS training partner. A program-side partner and partial peer in discipline and target student.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Exploring the Arts social profiles
Digital presenceExploring the Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Exploring the Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Exploring the Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Exploring the Arts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Exploring the Arts
What does Exploring the Arts do?
Exploring the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with 62 public middle and high schools in historically underserved New York City and Los Angeles communities to deliver multi-year arts education programs. Core offerings combine funding, coaching, and technical assistance to schools (the 4-Year Plan), paid arts internships for high school students (AIP NY and AIP LA), and a fully-funded three-year performing-arts scholarship (Lang Arts Scholars). All programs are provided free to schools and students and are sustained by government grants, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations.
Is Exploring the Arts a public or private company?
Exploring the Arts is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Exploring the Arts founded?
Exploring the Arts was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Exploring the Arts based?
Exploring the Arts is headquartered in Astoria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Exploring the Arts make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants, corporate Sponsorship and individual Donations.
Who are Exploring the Arts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Young Audiences Arts for Learning, Carnegie Hall - Weill Music Institute, VH1 Save The Music Foundation, Lincoln Center Education and Center for Arts Education (CAE). Broad incumbents are Music in Schools Initiative (NYSCA-affiliated) and Americans for the Arts. Regional players are LA Philharmonic - Education & Community Programs (YOLA) and Inner-City Arts. Third Street Music School Settlement is listed as an emerging player.
Does Exploring the Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Exploring the Arts.
What industry is Exploring the Arts in?
Exploring the Arts's product category is Arts Education Programs (Nonprofit). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAK, Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing). Its NAICS code is 61161.