Embracing Our Differences

What Embracing Our Differences does

Embracing Our Differences is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, that operates an annual international juried art exhibition accompanied by a comprehensive suite of K-12 education programs. Its core product is a free outdoor exhibition of 50 billboard-sized artworks (16 feet wide by 12.5 feet high) paired with quotations, displayed at Bayfront Park in Sarasota (January-April) and Poynter Park in St. Petersburg (March-April). The exhibition receives submissions from artists and writers across 125 countries and 48 states, with blind jury selection by professional panels. Submissions are managed through the Zealous online platform.

The organization's education portfolio targets K-12 students, educators, and administrators across Sarasota, Manatee, and Pinellas counties, and includes Bucket Fillers Reading Day (reaching 11,000+ students in 612 classrooms), Embracing Our Differences Reading Day (14,013 students in 727 classrooms), Unity Days workshops, Coexistence Clubs (with four-year renewable college scholarships), a Student Docent Program (200+ high school docents trained annually using Visual Thinking Strategies), free exhibition field trips with transportation, the Make-A-Day-of-It! cultural bundle with regional partners, Art Intensives for educators, and the Education Ambassador Program. The organization employs 7 staff members and has served over 694,000 students and 5.6 million exhibition visitors cumulatively since founding.

Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible donations, multi-tiered corporate sponsorships, foundation and government grants, an annual luncheon that raised $430,000 in 2026, and merchandise sales. Major funders include Gulf Coast Community Foundation (~$2.8M cumulative since 2007), Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, The Patterson Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and Tampa Bay Rays. All programs are provided free of charge to participants, and the organization is independently governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with no parent company or private equity ownership.

Name

Embracing Our Differences

Legal name

Embracing Our Differences, Inc.

Website

https://embracingourdifferences.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Embracing Our Differences is a Sarasota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates an annual international juried art exhibition at two Florida venues, complemented by free K-12 education programs including reading days, docent tours, and coexistence clubs serving students and educators across three counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Arts Education and Inclusion Programs

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Inclusion initiatives
• Character education
• Juried art exhibitions
• School community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals and businesses supporting the organization's mission of promoting inclusion through art and education
2. Annual Sponsorships: Multi-tiered sponsorship levels (Presenting, Inspiration, Solidarity, Innovation, Unity, Civility, Inclusion, Kindness) providing brand visibility at exhibitions and programs
3. Foundation and Government Grants: Support from foundations including Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and others
4. Merchandise and Catalog Sales: Online shop selling exhibition catalogs, apparel, and merchandise featuring EOD artwork and branding
5. Annual Luncheons and Fundraising Events: Major annual fundraising luncheon raising over $300,000-$430,000 annually to support programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Embracing Our Differences operates a free annual international juried art exhibition featuring 50 billboard-sized artworks displayed at Bayfront Park in Sarasota and Poynter Park in St. Petersburg. The organization complements the exhibition with a comprehensive suite of free education programs for K-12 students, including Reading Day initiatives, Unity Days, Coexistence Clubs, a Student Docent Program, and educator professional development workshops.

Product overview

Embracing Our Differences is a nonprofit organization operating a single integrated program centered on an annual international juried art exhibition, complemented by a comprehensive suite of education initiatives. The core product is the Annual International Art Exhibition featuring 50 billboard-sized artworks displayed at Bayfront Park (Sarasota) and Poynter Park (St. Petersburg). This exhibition is supported by: education programs including Bucket Fillers Reading Day, Embracing Our Differences Reading Day, Unity Days, and Coexistence Clubs; professional development through Art Intensives and the Education Ambassador Program; student engagement via Student Docent Program and Exhibition Field Trips; and additional offerings including Virtual Field Trips, Educator Resources, and Coexistence Club Scholarships. All programs share the unified mission of inspiring kindness and respect through arts and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual International Art Exhibition Outdoor juried exhibition featuring 50 billboard-sized artworks accompanied by original quotations, displayed at Bayfront Park in Sarasota and Poynter Park in St. Petersburg, promoting inclusion, kindness, and respect. Free admission for all visitors.
• Bucket Fillers Reading Day Annual reading program for Pre-K through third grade students using the Bucket Fillers book series to teach children acts of kindness, love, and appreciation through in-person volunteer readers or pre-recorded webisodes. Free to participating schools and students.
• Embracing Our Differences Reading Day Literacy celebration partnership with Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading providing Pre-K through third grade students with books focused on themes of inclusion, kindness, and respect. Free to participating schools.
• Unity Days Multi-part workshop promoting empathy, respect, and resiliency amongst students through team-building activities that encourage cooperation and communication while embracing similarities and respecting differences.
• Coexistence Clubs
• Student Docent Program High school students serve as guides for thousands of area students visiting the exhibition, utilizing Visual Thinking Strategies for student-driven, collaborative, and inclusive experiences. Comprehensive training provided in partnership with The Ringling Museum.
• Exhibition Field Trips
• Education Ambassador Program Year-long district-supported leadership initiative equipping educators to become catalysts for inclusion, kindness, and respect in their schools through creative, standards-aligned projects.
• Art Teacher Retreat / Art Intensive Professional development workshop for visual art educators providing practical tools to spark deeper student thinking and meaningful creative work focused on inclusion and competition-ready student submissions. Free to participating educators.
• Brundibár Schooltime Performance
• Virtual Field Trips Online exhibition tours incorporating art appreciation, kindness and respect, allowing students to experience the exhibit remotely. Available in multiple modalities including in-person, virtual-live, and on-demand formats.
• Coexistence Club Scholarships Four-year renewable college scholarships for graduating Coexistence Club members, with $1,000 per year awards recognizing dedicated service and commitment to the school club.
• Guided Exhibition Tours Hour-long docent-led conversations at exhibition locations in Sarasota and St. Petersburg, with accessibility features including assistive listening devices and wheelchair accessibility. Free admission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 694,000 students participated since 2004, with 49,901 students and 2,030 educators in the 2025-2026 school year alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic, historical and minor.

• Ringling College of Art and DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier art and design college providing the first Art Teacher Retreat in partnership with EOD. Recognizes that art and design thrive through diversity. Major supporter since inception with aligned core values.
• The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-ManateecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization strengthening Jewish life and identity in the community while promoting inclusion and countering antisemitism through education, aligned with EOD's mission of embracing differences.
• Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level ReadingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with EOD Reading Day program to promote literacy and character education through books focused on inclusion, kindness, and respect for pre-K through 3rd grade students.
• Sarasota Art MuseumstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Art Intensive educator workshop and special exhibition showcasing 20 years of artwork on the museum's front lawn. Collaborative programming for professional development.
• Sarasota OperastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Sarasota Youth Opera Matinee presenting Brundibár opera performances for third grade and up classrooms. Provides tickets and performance venue.
• The Ringling MuseumstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides comprehensive docent training for high school students. In-depth training approach has greatly enhanced the docent program and prepared students to be leaders.
• Florida Holocaust MuseumhistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial founding partner in 2004, bringing a traveling Coexistence exhibition from Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem, Israel to Sarasota.
• Boxser Diversity InitiativestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives in the Sarasota area, aligned with EOD's mission.
• EdExploreSRQminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational exploration platform listing EOD field trip opportunities for schools to discover and book programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Sarasota Art Museum: Sarasota Art Museum is a regional contemporary art museum that has hosted a special Embracing Our Differences exhibition and partners on the Art Intensive educator workshop program. Both are nonprofit art institutions in the Sarasota market focused on inclusion-driven programming.
• Florida Studio Theatre: Florida Studio Theatre is a Sarasota-based nonprofit theater that partners with EOD on the Make-A-Day-of-It field trip program. Both serve as cultural-educational institutions in the same regional market with overlapping K-12 audience and inclusion-focused programming.
• The Ringling (Ringling Museum of Art): The Ringling is a major art museum in Sarasota, FL with a long-standing partnership with EOD for docent training and artist engagement. Both operate in the same regional arts ecosystem with overlapping themes of cultural heritage and inclusion.

Direct peers

• Florida Holocaust Museum: The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg was an EOD founding partner in 2004 and shares a mission of inclusion, diversity, and countering prejudice through educational programming. Both institutions operate in the Tampa Bay region with overlapping educational programming for schools.
• Museum on the Seam: Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem was the original source of the 'Coexistence' traveling exhibition that inspired EOD's founding in 2004. It is a contemporary art museum focused on socio-political themes of coexistence and diversity, directly aligned with EOD's mission and exhibition model.
• Creative Time: Creative Time is a NYC-based nonprofit commissioning large-scale public art installations and exhibitions in outdoor urban spaces. Comparable to EOD in deploying free public art as a vehicle for social impact, with similar artist-submission, juried models and emphasis on cultural inclusion messaging.
• ArtPrize: ArtPrize is a large-scale, outdoor juried art exhibition in Grand Rapids, MI that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and offers artist prizes from public voting. Like EOD, it is community-driven, free to attend, and combines visual art with public engagement, though it is a broader arts competition rather than an inclusion-focused nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Folklife Festival: The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a large-scale annual outdoor cultural exhibition on the National Mall emphasizing cultural diversity, inclusion, and community participation. Like EOD, it uses free outdoor programming to celebrate cultural difference and engages community contributors and youth programs.
• ICA Boston (Institute of Contemporary Art): ICA Boston is an established contemporary art museum with free public programs and K-12 educational outreach emphasizing inclusion and community engagement. Comparable as a broader art institution integrating accessibility, free programming, and education-driven missions similar to EOD's model.

Others

• Patterson Foundation Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading: The Patterson Foundation is a major EOD funder and partner on the Reading Day program and Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Comparable as a regional education-focused funder enabling K-12 literacy and inclusion programs through grantmaking rather than direct exhibition operation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EODSarasotaFL
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmbracingOurDifferences
• Instagraminstagram.com/embracingourdifferences
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/embracing-our-differences-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Embracing Our Differences