Art from Ashes
Art from Ashes is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free poetry, spoken-word, and visual-arts empowerment workshops to marginalized youth ages 9-24. It partners with 240+ Colorado agencies and has served 20,000+ young people since 2002, funded by grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Art from Ashes does
Art from Ashes (AfA) is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, incorporated in Colorado around 2002, that delivers creative empowerment programs to marginalized youth ages 9-24. The organization's flagship offering is Phoenix Rising, an eight-week poetry and spoken-word workshop designed to help participants process trauma and build self-efficacy; this was joined in 2017 by Drawing on Air, a visual-arts-based program, and broadened further through the 2018 merger with Violet Hive's Art As Healing therapeutic art-making initiative. AfA also runs shorter adult workshops and drop-in sessions. All youth programming is delivered free of charge, with curriculum developed and refined internally by founder/ED Catherine O'Neill Thorn and the program team (including Courtney Chandler, Director of Programs) over more than two decades.
The organization's service model depends on partnerships with community agencies, schools, and treatment centers — AfA reports more than 240 such collaborators across Colorado. Workshops are typically facilitated on-site at partner locations, with a virtual delivery channel added in February 2022 to extend reach. Since inception, AfA states it has served more than 20,000 young people, with 544 youth reached in 2018 alone. Programmatic quality has been externally validated through four National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) and the 2018 Denver Mayor's Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture.
Revenue is generated entirely from the nonprofit funding stack: individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and government grants (including the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District and Colorado Creative Industries). Notable disclosed grants include a $7,500 Colorado Creative Industries award in 2015 and a $50,000 Genesis Inspiration Foundation grant in November 2024. Programs are free to youth, so there is no fee-for-service pricing model; the underlying business model is sustained fundraising against demonstrated program outcomes and award-based credibility. The organization is small (1-10 employees) with leadership including co-Directors of Operations Jessica Jarrard and Sophia Cocas, Agency Administrator Celeste Seiler, and Board President Lewis Lease.
Art from Ashes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Art from Ashes
- Legal name
- Art from Ashes
- Website
- https://artfromashes.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Art from Ashes is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free poetry, spoken-word, and visual-arts empowerment workshops to marginalized youth ages 9-24. It partners with 240+ Colorado agencies and has served 20,000+ young people since 2002, funded by grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Art from Ashes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Creative Empowerment Programs
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spoken Word & Performance Poetry Workshops (EDAMAMAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Poetry Workshops (EDAMAMAB), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA), Performing Arts (Acting, Improv, Theater) (EDAAAGAE)
Keywords
Where Art from Ashes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Art from Ashes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Donations from individual supporters through direct giving, Colorado Gives Day, and fundraising events
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships and donations from businesses supporting youth empowerment programs
- Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations including Denver Active 20-30 Children's Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, El Pomar Foundation, Noon Whistle Fund, and others
- Government Grants: Funding from government sources including SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District), Office of Children's Affairs Healthy Lifestyles for Youth, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Award, Arts in Society
- Program Fees: Contract fees from schools and youth-serving agencies for workshop programs
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Free youth workshop programs |
| Other | Monthly | Donation-based support model |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Art from Ashes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Art from Ashes is a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers creative empowerment workshops to youth ages 9-24 through its two signature curricula—Phoenix Rising (poetry and spoken word) and Drawing on Air (visual and tactile art). The programs are offered as contracted workshops at schools and youth-serving agencies, free drop-in sessions at the Denver headquarters, and adult workshops, with all programming designed to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for self-expression and personal transformation.
Product overview
Art from Ashes operates as a unified program portfolio centered on creative youth empowerment. The core offerings consist of Phoenix Rising (award-winning poetry and spoken word workshops) and Drawing on Air (visual and tactile art programming), both providing safe spaces for marginalized youth to transform their stories through creative expression. The organization also offers Adult Workshops and free Drop-in Workshops on a weekly basis, with all programs facilitating personal transformation through connection and creative empowerment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Phoenix Rising: Award-winning poetry and spoken word youth empowerment program using creative expression for transformation
- Drawing on Air
- Running of the Gays
Products and services
- Phoenix Rising Award-winning youth empowerment program using poetry and spoken word workshops, providing a safe space for youth ages 9-24 to share stories, connect with community, and transform trauma into self-empowerment.
- Drawing on Air Visual and tactile art program utilizing art prompts combined with poetry and spoken word, offering youth diverse artistic mediums including pastel, watercolor, acrylic paint, crayon, collage, sculpture, and clay to create visual metaphors.
- Adult Workshops Writing workshops for adults that use creative prompts to help participants reconnect with their core essence, practice self-love, and explore personal expression through poetry.
- Drop-in Workshops Free weekly drop-in workshops for youth ages 9 to 24 held every first Wednesday (Phoenix Rising) and Thursday (Drawing on Air Creative Time) at the Denver headquarters, providing ongoing creative empowerment opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20,000+ youth served since inception
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Art from Ashes
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Art from Ashes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Art from Ashes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- We Don't WasteminorPartnership with We Don't Waste organization focused on community support and collaboration
- MCA DenvercoreArt from Ashes is continuing partnership with MCA Denver (Museum of Contemporary Art Denver) to collaborate on multiple events throughout 2025, including events on February 20th, to amplify youth voices through art
- Institute for Poetic MedicineminorArt from Ashes hosted a writing workshop with John Fox from Institute for Poetic Medicine on December 13, 2024 for AfA staff, board members, and volunteers titled 'Nourishing Resilience'
- Boulder International Film FestivalminorArt from Ashes was selected as first Nonprofit Partner in Call 2 Action program, associated with the Jimmy Santiago Baca film 'A Place to Stand'
- Arts StreetcorePartnership with Arts Street and artist Deborah Jang for community art project Turn It Around, where youth wrote prayers as 3-minute poems and drawings on interactive prayer wheel sculptures
- Colorado Public TelevisionminorPartnership to provide Phoenix Rising workshops for youth at Emily Griffith Technical College, including video documentation
- University of Denver Daniels School of BusinessminorBusiness students collaborated on revamping corporate workshop concept Apostrophe Factor 2.0, marketing and development strategy support
- KGNU RadiominorFeatured on KGNU's 'Outsources' program focusing on LGBTQ+ news, discussing poetry and queer expression
- Violet Hive Art As HealingcoreMerged with Violet Hive's Art As Healing youth program in 2018. Founder Amy Leiter joined AfA staff; Bridget Hofstadter became volunteer coordinator. Both trained as Phoenix Rising facilitators, expanding weekly Creative Time workshops
- 240 Youth-Serving Agencies and SchoolscoreAfA has partnered with 240 youth-serving agencies and schools to provide interactive creative empowerment programs offering healthy alternatives to destructive behaviors
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Art from Ashes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Community Word Project: NYC-based arts education nonprofit that places teaching artists in schools to lead long-term creative writing and visual arts residencies for underserved youth. Directly comparable workshop-based delivery and arts integration model.
- 826 National: Network of youth writing and tutoring centers across the US. Operates the same youth creative writing empowerment model, though with broader tutoring and publishing scope; comparable on mission and beneficiary demographic.
- Youth Speaks: San Francisco-based nonprofit that runs spoken word and poetry programs for youth, including the international Brave New Voices festival. Most directly comparable to Art from Ashes in mission, methodology, and youth demographic served.
- Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University: University-based center offering community poetry outreach, including youth-focused programs and the Traveling Stanzas initiative. Comparable as a poetry-as-empowerment organization with educational programming for youth and adults.
- Writers in the Schools (WITS): Houston-based nonprofit that places professional writers in schools to teach creative writing to K-12 students. Closely mirrors Art from Ashes' classroom- and agency-based workshop delivery model with measurable youth outcomes.
- Institute for Poetic Medicine: Founded by John Fox, this organization uses poetry prompts for healing and self-expression; Art from Ashes has actually partnered with them for staff training. Directly aligned methodology (poetry prompts as therapeutic/expressive tool) for similar populations.
Broad incumbents
- Colorado Creative Industries: State agency that has awarded grants to Art from Ashes in 2015 and 2019. Not a direct peer but a primary funder and the dominant statewide arts funding body, making it the most relevant ecosystem incumbent.
- National Writing Project: Large federally funded network of university-based writing teacher development sites. Wider in scope (teacher-focused) but operates in the same youth writing improvement space and shares arts-education policy advocacy interests.
Regional players
- Denver Arts & Venues: City of Denver agency that funds and programs arts and cultural events in the same metro area where Art from Ashes operates. Comparable as a regional arts ecosystem player, though not direct competition for program delivery.
- MCA Denver (Museum of Contemporary Art Denver): Active strategic partner of Art from Ashes hosting youth voice amplification events. Regional peer in the Denver contemporary arts ecosystem, comparable for partnership and visibility but not direct program delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Art from Ashes social profiles
Digital presenceArt from Ashes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Art from Ashes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Art from Ashes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Art from Ashes 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 Art from Ashes
What does Art from Ashes do?
Art from Ashes is a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers creative empowerment workshops to youth ages 9-24 through its two signature curricula—Phoenix Rising (poetry and spoken word) and Drawing on Air (visual and tactile art). The programs are offered as contracted workshops at schools and youth-serving agencies, free drop-in sessions at the Denver headquarters, and adult workshops, with all programming designed to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for self-expression and personal transformation.
Is Art from Ashes a public or private company?
Art from Ashes is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Art from Ashes founded?
Art from Ashes was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Art from Ashes based?
Art from Ashes is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Art from Ashes make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, foundation Grants, government Grants and program Fees.
Who are Art from Ashes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Community Word Project, 826 National, Youth Speaks, Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University, Writers in the Schools (WITS) and Institute for Poetic Medicine. Broad incumbents are Colorado Creative Industries and National Writing Project. Regional players are Denver Arts & Venues and MCA Denver (Museum of Contemporary Art Denver).
Does Art from Ashes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Art from Ashes.
What industry is Art from Ashes in?
Art from Ashes's product category is Youth Creative Empowerment Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAM, Spoken Word & Performance Poetry Workshops, with a secondary code of EDAMAMAB, Poetry Workshops. Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 7990.