Mari’s Place for the Arts

What Mari’s Place for the Arts does

Mari's Place for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by Mary Toews and headquartered in Everett, Washington. It delivers fine arts and performing arts instruction—including drawing and painting, dance, and singing and music classes—to children and teens ages 3–17 throughout Snohomish County. Programming is delivered through three channels: (1) weekly 6-week studio sessions at the North Everett location priced at $135 per session, (2) mobile art classes brought directly to schools and community facilities, and (3) seasonal summer camps held at partner elementary schools. The organization explicitly serves under-resourced and special-needs youth, with scholarships that make classes available at no cost to qualifying families.

The business model is a hybrid of earned revenue (modest class fees) and philanthropic revenue (individual donations, annual galas and auctions, corporate sponsorships, and grants from entities such as the National Endowment for the Arts, United Way, Everett Foundation, ArtsFund, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, BECU, and the Tulalip Tribes). Delivery is heavily reliant on volunteer instructors—professional artists, musicians, dancers, and community college students—which keeps the cost structure lean but caps scalability. There is no proprietary technology, software product, or AI component; the offering is fundamentally human-delivered creative instruction.

Strategic positioning centers on cultural inclusivity (Thai, Spanish, ballet, and folk dance programming), accessibility for children with disabilities (hearing, vision, motor impairments), and a deliberately 'un-disciplined' pedagogical philosophy emphasizing creativity over rigid technique. The organization has accumulated credibility through a 2022 NEA Award, 2019 Mayor's Arts Award and BECU recognition, a 2018 Governor's Volunteer Service Award, and a King5 television feature, while maintaining a Board of Directors chaired by the Mayor of Mukilteo. Geographic operations remain confined to Snohomish County, and there is no evidence of multi-county or multi-state expansion.

Name

Mari’s Place for the Arts

Legal name

Mari's Place for the Arts

Website

https://marisplaceforthearts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mari's Place for the Arts is a Snohomish County, Washington nonprofit founded in 2011 that delivers fine arts and performing arts classes—drawing, painting, dance, and music—to children and teens ages 3–17 through studio sessions, mobile school-based delivery, and scholarships for under-resourced youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive) (EDAMALAJ)

Keywords

• Youth arts education
• Fine arts classes
• Performing arts instruction
• Mobile art programs
• Community arts nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Everett

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Fees: Paid art, dance, and singing classes at $135 per 6-week session. Need-based scholarships available for qualifying youth. Free membership required for registration.
2. Donations: Individual donations through PayPal and other channels. Many classes provided at no cost to students through donor generosity.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual gala and auction events including 'Color Your World: Dinner & Auction', 'A Night of Color: Gala and Auction', and 'Denim & Diamonds Event' to raise funds for scholarships.
4. Grants and Corporate Support: Support from corporate sponsors, community foundations, and government grants including National Endowment for the Arts, BECU, Tulalip Tribes, United Way, and various local organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mari's Place for the Arts provides fine arts and performing arts instruction—drawing and painting, dance (Thai, Spanish, ballet, and folk styles), and singing/music—to children and teens ages 3–17 throughout Snohomish County, Washington. Classes are delivered at its North Everett studio, on-site at partner schools and community facilities through a mobile classroom model, and during seasonal summer camps. The instructional portfolio is paired with a scholarship program that provides the same classes at no cost to under-resourced youth, funded by donations, grants, and annual fundraising events.

Product overview

Mari's Place for the Arts is a nonprofit organization providing a unified portfolio of arts education programs for children and teens ages 3-17 throughout Snohomish County, Washington. The core offering consists of fine arts and performing arts classes—including Drawing & Painting Classes, Dance Classes, and Singing & Music Classes—delivered through three primary formats: Weekly Art Classes (6-Week Sessions) at their North Everett studio, Mobile Art Classes brought to schools and facilities, and Summer Camps at local elementary schools. The organization pairs its instructional programs with a scholarship program offering free classes to under-resourced youth, and supplements its programming with public performances and community activities. Annual fundraising events including the Color Your World Dinner & Auction and A Night of Color Gala support the scholarship program and general operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drawing & Painting Classes Fine arts instruction in foundational drawing and painting techniques for children and teens ages 3–17, delivered through individual and group projects at the North Everett studio.
• Dance Classes Energy-packed dance instruction exploring self-expression through rhythm and movement, covering Thai, Spanish, ballet, and other folk dance styles for children and teens ages 3–17.
• Singing & Music Classes Music instruction exploring melodies, rhythms, and harmonies from a variety of cultures and genres around the world for children and teens ages 3–17.
• Mobile Art Classes Art classes delivered on-site at elementary schools and community facilities throughout Snohomish County, with Mari's Place providing all materials, instruction, and creativity-building methods.
• Summer Camps Seasonal day camps held during summer months combining art activities and performances, hosted at local schools including Emerson Elementary, Stevens Creek Elementary, Fairmount Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, and Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary.
• Public Performances & Community Activities Seasonal outings, public performances, and community activities that allow young artists to share their work with the wider Snohomish County community.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SeaMar HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare provider serving Latino community that may refer patients to arts programs.
• Emerson ElementaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElementary school hosting mobile art classes from Mari's Place for the Arts.
• Stevens Creek ElementaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElementary school hosting mobile art classes from Mari's Place for the Arts.
• Fairmount ElementaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElementary school hosting mobile art classes from Mari's Place for the Arts.
• Glenwood ElementaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElementary school hosting mobile art classes from Mari's Place for the Arts.
• Quil Ceda Tulalip ElementaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElementary school hosting mobile art classes from Mari's Place for the Arts.
• Lake Stevens Senior CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity center hosting art classes from Mari's Place for the Arts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bellevue Arts Museum: Eastside art museum with K-12 visual arts education programming and community outreach. Comparable in delivering youth visual-arts education in the Puget Sound region, though through a museum rather than studio-based model.
• Seattle Children's Theatre: Established regional children's theatre company offering drama classes, camps, and productions for youth. Comparable in delivering youth performing-arts programming in the Puget Sound region, though broader and longer-established.
• Seattle Art Museum (SAM): Major art museum offering K-12 school and family programs, including outreach to under-resourced communities. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest institution providing youth arts education, though at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Pratt Fine Arts Center: Seattle nonprofit arts school offering studio-based classes in visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture) across age groups. Comparable as a community-driven fine-arts school with youth programming and scholarship support.
• Youth in Focus: Seattle nonprofit that teaches photography, filmmaking, and digital media to youth from under-resourced communities. Comparable as a youth-focused arts nonprofit with a social-impact mission in the Pacific Northwest.
• Youth Theatre Northwest: Mercer Island-based nonprofit offering theatre and performing-arts classes and camps for youth — directly comparable in providing community-based performing arts education for children and teens in the Puget Sound region.
• Pacific Northwest Ballet School: PNB's youth dance education division offers ballet and dance instruction for children. Directly comparable in offering structured dance classes for ages 3-17 in the same Pacific Northwest market.
• Arts Corps: Seattle-based nonprofit that provides arts education programs (visual arts, dance, music, theater) to under-resourced youth. Highly comparable mission, target population, and nonprofit/community-based delivery model.
• Seattle Music Partners: Nonprofit providing free small-group music lessons to students from low-income families in Seattle Public Schools — directly comparable in mission (arts access for under-resourced youth), small-group instruction, and community-school partnership model.
• Music Works Northwest: Bellevue-based nonprofit music school offering private and group lessons with scholarship support. Directly comparable in providing accessible music education to youth in the Puget Sound region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkn-885WqqLC2Xt_uoZBvOQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/marisplacearts
• Instagraminstagram.com/marisplacearts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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 Mari’s Place for the Arts