Visual AIDS
Visual AIDS is a New York-based 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit, founded in 1988, that supports HIV+ artists through free services, maintains the largest online registry of works by artists with HIV/AIDS, and runs awareness programs including Day With(out) Art and the Red Ribbon Project.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Visual AIDS does
Visual AIDS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1988 and headquartered at 526 W 26th St #309 in New York. It is the only contemporary arts organization fully committed to raising AIDS awareness and creating dialogue around HIV issues today. The organization produces visual art projects, exhibitions, public forums, and publications while assisting artists living with HIV/AIDS. Its core offerings are the Artist+ Registry and Archive Project — the largest database and registry of works by visual artists with HIV/AIDS, launched online in 2012 and built on a 1994-founded slide and research library. Visual AIDS provides free services to HIV+ artists including artist web pages, artwork documentation, advocacy, exhibition opportunities, and Artists Materials Grants. It also operates signature programs including the annual Day With(out) Art (since 1989), Night Without Light (1990), the Red Ribbon Project (created 1991 and now a global symbol for AIDS awareness), and LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN, a Valentine's Day initiative mailing handmade valentines to women living with HIV.
The organization runs a 6-8 person staff under Executive Director Kyle Croft, governed by an 8-member Board of Directors. Its revenue model is diversified across individual donations (a Givebutter campaign raised $94,754 from 124 supporters), institutional grants (notably a $100,000 Getty grant in August 2025 and a multi-year ViiV Healthcare grant), and merchandise sales through store.visualaids.org. Distribution and go-to-market rely on the public website, social media, the online Artist+ Registry, exhibitions at partner institutions (Aspen Art Museum, Windsor Art Center, Collective Z, Anton Art Center), and direct community engagement programs.
The technology footprint is limited to a digital archive and online registry platform with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, integrations, or APIs. Visual AIDS serves multiple stakeholder segments: artists living with HIV (primary), women and femmes living with HIV, arts institutions and educators, and the general public. As a 37-year-old category-of-one organization, Visual AIDS competes through brand authority, the irreplaceable Archive Project, and a deeply embedded ecosystem of artists, curators, and institutional partners rather than through technology differentiation.
Visual AIDS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Visual AIDS
- Legal name
- Visual AIDS
- Website
- https://visualaids.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Visual AIDS is a New York-based 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit, founded in 1988, that supports HIV+ artists through free services, maintains the largest online registry of works by artists with HIV/AIDS, and runs awareness programs including Day With(out) Art and the Red Ribbon Project.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Visual AIDS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts Advocacy Nonprofit
- NAICS
- Museums (71211), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
Keywords
Where Visual AIDS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Visual AIDS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 13-3621169) and relies on donations from individuals and supporters. Annual fundraising campaign through Givebutter platform raised $94,754 with 124 supporters.
- Merchandise Sales: Online store selling artist-designed products including posters, safer sex kits, tote bags, and other AIDS awareness materials.
- Grant Funding: Funded in part by grants from healthcare companies such as ViiV Healthcare for specific programs like LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Free services for HIV+ artists |
| Other | Free | Free program materials |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Visual AIDS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Visual AIDS is a nonprofit arts organization that produces and presents visual art projects, exhibitions, public forums, and publications to raise AIDS awareness and support HIV+ artists. It operates the Artist+ Registry (the largest online database of works by visual artists with HIV/AIDS), the Archive Project slide library, and signature programs including Day With(out) Art, LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN, Research Fellowship, and free artist services (web pages, documentation, advocacy, exhibition opportunities, Artists Materials Grants).
Product overview
Visual AIDS is an arts organization (not a technology company) that operates multiple interconnected programs focused on AIDS awareness and supporting HIV+ artists. The core offerings include the Artist+ Registry and Archive Project (the largest database of works by visual artists with HIV/AIDS), Day With(out) Art (annual awareness program), LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN (Valentine's Day initiative), Research Fellowship, Exhibitions, Publications, and Artist Projects (posters, safer sex kits). The organization provides free artist web pages and services to HIV+ artists. These programs work together to preserve the legacy of artists affected by AIDS, raise awareness, and support living artists through grants and exhibition opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Artist+ Registry The largest online database and registry of works by visual artists with HIV/AIDS, providing a free public resource for researchers, curators, art historians, activists, and students to discover HIV-positive artists.
- Archive Project Slide and research library that documents and preserves works of artists with HIV/AIDS, ensuring a cultural legacy for artists lost to AIDS-related causes.
- Artist Services (Web Pages, Documentation, Advocacy, Materials Grants)
Quantifiable outcome
- 600+ women living with HIV received valentines through LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN in 2026
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Visual AIDS
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Visual AIDS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Visual AIDS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Visual AIDS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- The Kitchen: Chelsea-based NYC nonprofit presenting experimental contemporary art across disciplines. Comparable to Visual AIDS as a similarly sized Chelsea-adjacent contemporary arts nonprofit with comparable operating scale and curatorial ambitions.
Direct peers
- Housing Works: NYC-based nonprofit fighting AIDS and homelessness through advocacy, direct services, and a network of thrift stores with strong arts/cultural programming. Directly comparable to Visual AIDS in mission, NYC base, and arts-community engagement.
- Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS: National HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making nonprofit mobilized through the theatrical arts community. Highly comparable to Visual AIDS as an arts-driven AIDS awareness organization serving a creative constituency in New York.
- amfAR (Foundation for AIDS Research): Leading global nonprofit dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic through research, advocacy, and high-profile cultural fundraising events. Comparable as a mission-aligned AIDS organization with significant arts/cultural programming.
- GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis): One of the oldest HIV/AIDS service organizations in the world, providing prevention, care, and advocacy. Comparable as a long-standing NYC-based AIDS nonprofit with cultural programming serving affected communities.
Others
- Printed Matter: NYC-based nonprofit dedicated to artists' books and publications. Comparable to Visual AIDS as a similarly scaled NYC arts nonprofit that preserves and distributes artist-produced cultural artifacts through a catalog/archive model.
- The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation: Global nonprofit focused on preventing pediatric HIV and supporting women, children, and families living with HIV. Mission-adjacent to Visual AIDS' LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN programming but operates in healthcare rather than arts.
Regional players
- San Francisco AIDS Foundation: Major West Coast HIV/AIDS services and advocacy nonprofit offering similar programs to GMHC. Comparable mission and programmatic scope to Visual AIDS but operates in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Visual AIDS social profiles
Digital presenceVisual AIDS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Visual AIDS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Visual AIDS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Visual AIDS 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 Visual AIDS
What does Visual AIDS do?
Visual AIDS is a nonprofit arts organization that produces and presents visual art projects, exhibitions, public forums, and publications to raise AIDS awareness and support HIV+ artists. It operates the Artist+ Registry (the largest online database of works by visual artists with HIV/AIDS), the Archive Project slide library, and signature programs including Day With(out) Art, LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN, Research Fellowship, and free artist services (web pages, documentation, advocacy, exhibition opportunities, Artists Materials Grants).
Is Visual AIDS a public or private company?
Visual AIDS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Visual AIDS founded?
Visual AIDS was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Visual AIDS based?
Visual AIDS is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Visual AIDS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and grant Funding.
Who are Visual AIDS's main competitors?
The Kitchen is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Housing Works, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, amfAR (Foundation for AIDS Research) and GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis). Others are Printed Matter and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. San Francisco AIDS Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Visual AIDS have an API?
No public API is recorded for Visual AIDS.
What industry is Visual AIDS in?
Visual AIDS's product category is Arts Advocacy Nonprofit. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAJ, Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 71211 and its SIC code is 7330.