Make.Shift Art Space

What Make.Shift Art Space does

Make.Shift Art Space is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 26-2871326) founded in 2008 and headquartered at 306 Flora Street in Bellingham, Washington. The organization operates as an integrated, all-ages community arts space combining an award-winning art gallery, a live music venue, 12 affordable private art studios and 11 band practice spaces, Saturday workshops, and a low-power community radio station, KZAX 94.9 FM, which broadcasts locally and via TuneIn. It also runs The Mural Project — a curated public art initiative launched in Winter 2021 — and Make.Shift TV, a YouTube channel launched in 2022 that extends programming reach beyond the physical venue. Its mission prioritizes local, emerging, marginalized, and underrepresented creatives in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

The organization's revenue model is diversified across nonprofit funding streams: individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants from sources including ArtsWA, ArtsFund, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Whatcom Community Foundation (David Edward Fund), McKay's, Shakedown, and The RE Store; recurring membership-style revenue from $90-$150/year annual passes (Workshop, Studio, and Deluxe tiers with sliding scale pricing); month-to-month studio and practice space rentals; hourly music practice space at $20/hour; private venue rentals at $75-$100/hour (with nonprofit discounts); $15 individual workshop fees; concert ticket sales; and radio/YouTube programming that functions primarily as awareness rather than advertising revenue. There is no proprietary technology platform — the technology stack is limited to a website, KZAX broadcasting infrastructure, TuneIn streaming, YouTube, and an online gallery viewing tool.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: weekly all-ages concerts (most Fridays and Saturdays), free monthly open mics, First Friday Art Walk gallery openings, the annual Make.Sale holiday market, and the Radio Forever Festival drive foot traffic and acquisition of studio renters, workshop participants, and pass holders. Educational outreach extends to mobile workshops partnered with schools (Cedar Tree Montessori, Samish Woods Montessori) and nonprofit organizations, while referral pathways to Northwest Youth Services, Northwest Workforce Council, and Career Path Services convert interns into paid work experience. The organization is led by Executive Director Jessyca Murphy, Gallery Director Emily Campbell, and KZAX Station Manager Marie Songer, with Hollie Huthman (Bellingham City Council) serving on the board.

Name

Make.Shift Art Space

Legal name

Make.Shift Art Space

Website

https://makeshiftartspace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Make.Shift Art Space is a Bellingham-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an integrated all-ages arts venue — gallery, music venue, 12 art studios, 11 practice spaces, KZAX 94.9 FM community radio, and weekly workshops — serving local, emerging, and underrepresented artists and musicians in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Make.Shift relies on individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and government/private foundation grants. The organization acknowledges a broad base of supporters including ArtsWA, CHF, LPF, McKay's, Shakedown, The RE Store, and others. EIN: 26-2871326.
2. Annual Workshop and Studio Passes: Annual passes (Workshop Pass, Studio Pass, Deluxe Pass) are sold for $90-$150/year with sliding scale pricing. These provide recurring membership-style revenue while making workshops and studio time affordable.
3. Studio and Practice Space Rentals: Month-to-month private art studio and band practice space rentals generate recurring rental income. Hourly music practice space is available at $20/hour. Private venue rentals range from $75-$100/hour or $500 for a full night, with 50% discounts for nonprofits.
4. Event Ticket Sales and Venue Rentals: Pre-sale tickets are sold for all-ages concerts. The venue is also available for private event rentals.
5. Workshop Fees: Individual workshops are priced at $15 each with sliding scale options and additional materials fees. Workshop revenue is supplemented by the annual Workshop Pass which covers free admission to most workshops.
6. KZAX Radio and Make.Shift TV Programming: The KZAX 94.9 LP FM community radio station serves Bellingham and beyond, broadcasting local bands, independent music, and community content. Make.Shift TV (YouTube) provides accessible programming featuring local artists and musicians.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Make.Shift Art Space is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates an integrated all-ages arts facility providing an art gallery, live music venue, affordable private art studios, band practice spaces, weekly workshops, and community radio (KZAX 94.9 FM). It sells access to programming through annual passes, individual workshop fees, studio and venue rentals, event tickets, and mural commissions, while supplementing program revenue with donations and grants.

Product overview

Make.Shift Art Space is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a multi-program arts space. The organization provides an all-ages art gallery and music venue, affordable art studios and band practice spaces, weekly workshops, and a low-power community radio station (KZAX 94.9 FM). These programs are designed to engage the community by providing all-ages spaces for art and music in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, with an emphasis on supporting local, emerging, marginalized, and underrepresented creatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KZAX 94.9 FM: Low-power community radio station (LP FM) serving Bellingham and beyond.

Products and services

• Art Gallery

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosts 12 monthly rotating art gallery exhibitions plus an annual Kid's Art Walk and annual Make.Sale holiday market
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Whatcom County Crisis Stabilization CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Make.Shift entered into a collaboration in Winter 2021 with the Whatcom County Crisis Stabilization Center to curate murals for their new facility. Make.Shift's Gallery Director and Executive Director facilitated the project, curating 5 regional artists (Jes Bonin, Stevie Shao, Glynn Rosenberg) to paint murals across the Center's mental health and detox wings. The project featured murals ranging from 36 sq ft to 236 sq ft in areas including lobbies, activity rooms, and gally corridors. The project was facilitated by Emily Campbell and Jessyca Murphy of Make.Shift.
• Whatcom County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Provided funding for the Mural Project at the Whatcom County Crisis Stabilization Center in collaboration with Make.Shift, enabling the commissioning of murals by regional artists to create a welcoming and healing environment for guests of the Center.
• Compass HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Mural Project collaboration, operating the Whatcom County Crisis Stabilization Center facility where Make.Shift curated and installed murals by regional artists.
• Cedar Tree Montessori and Samish Woods MontessoriminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaborative partners for the Kid's Art Walk exhibition program, where elementary school students create artwork interpreted by local adult artists, with both student and adult works displayed together at Make.Shift.
• Northwest Youth ServicesminorOthersPartner organization that helps qualifying individuals secure paid positions at Make.Shift. Make.Shift directs candidates who cannot afford unpaid internships to Northwest Youth Services to check eligibility for paid work experience opportunities.
• Northwest Workforce CouncilminorOthersWorkforce development organization that helps qualifying individuals access paid work experience. Make.Shift refers candidates who cannot afford unpaid internships to determine eligibility for paid opportunities at Make.Shift.
• Career Path ServicesminorOthersWorkforce services organization that helps job seekers access training and paid work experience. Make.Shift refers candidates who cannot afford unpaid internships to check eligibility for paid positions.
• Local Schools and Nonprofits (Mobile Workshop Partners)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMake.Shift partners with local schools and nonprofit organizations to deliver mobile arts education workshops throughout the community, increasing access to arts education beyond its physical facility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Public Glass: Oakland-based nonprofit glass art education center with affordable studio access, workshops, and youth programming. Comparable as a nonprofit arts education and studio-access organization, though focused on a single craft discipline rather than Make.Shift's multi-disciplinary model.

Direct peers

• Lump: Raleigh, NC-based nonprofit artist-run project space hosting exhibitions, performances, and community programming. Directly comparable as a small-scale nonprofit gallery and project space prioritizing emerging and experimental artists.
• 924 Gilman Street: Long-running all-ages DIY music venue and community art space in Berkeley, CA operated as a nonprofit collective. Closely mirrors Make.Shift's all-ages, volunteer-driven, community-funded model of supporting independent and underground music.
• WFMU: Independent freeform community radio station broadcasting from New Jersey — a direct analog to KZAX 94.9 FM in format, freeform programming philosophy, and nonprofit listener-supported operating model focused on independent and local music.
• The Vera Project: Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an all-ages music venue and art gallery with youth-focused programming. Directly comparable to Make.Shift in mission, age-inclusive venue model, and nonprofit structure serving the Pacific Northwest creative community.
• Silent Barn: Brooklyn-based nonprofit DIY arts and music collective that combined gallery, venue, and studio space under one roof. Highly comparable integrated ecosystem model, though its history of closure illustrates the operating fragility shared by venues of this type.

Others

• Allied Media Projects: Detroit-based nonprofit network supporting independent media, arts, and community radio projects. Comparable as an ecosystem-builder for community-controlled media and arts, sharing Make.Shift's emphasis on marginalized voices and community-led programming.

Broad incumbents

• Henry Art Gallery: Seattle-based contemporary art museum and nonprofit gallery. Comparable as a nonprofit arts institution in the same Pacific Northwest market, though at significantly larger scale and with a more established curatorial program than Make.Shift's gallery.
• KEXP: Seattle-based nonprofit community radio station with a strong focus on independent and local music. Larger and more established than KZAX, but operates the same listener-supported, music-discovery mission and serves an overlapping Pacific Northwest audience.

Regional players

• Allied Arts of Whatcom County: Bellingham-based nonprofit arts organization serving the same Whatcom County geography as Make.Shift. Operates complementary programs including the Art Walk (which Make.Shift participates in via First Friday openings) and shares overlapping audiences and funders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@make.shiftartspace
• Facebookfacebook.com/makeshiftproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/make-shift-art-space

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Make.Shift Art Space