Laughing Horse Arts Foundation

What Laughing Horse Arts Foundation does

Laughing Horse Arts Foundation (LHAF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit umbrella organization established in 1996 in Ellensburg, Washington, that supports and promotes fine and performing arts in Kittitas County, Central Washington. It operates as a volunteer-driven parent entity overseeing six sub-organizations: Valley Theatre Company (four annual theatrical productions including a youth Rising Stars show and a mainstage musical), Ellensburg Community Radio (a 24/7 streaming radio station launched October 2014, expanded to low-power FM broadcast at KELL 98.3 in April 2026, carrying over 20 locally produced programs from a studio inside the arts incubator space The INK), Ellensburg Music Festival (a 100% volunteer-run summer festival held the last weekend of July for over 25 years), Boulet Productions (community theatre in upper Kittitas County producing 3-4 dramatic productions annually, including radio drama and melodrama), Classics in Ellensburg (classical music performances including a free Brown Bag lunch-time concert series and elementary school programs), and Ellensburg Film Festival. LHAF previously served as an incubation launchpad for now-independent non-profits Spirit of the West and Ellensburg Dance Ensemble, demonstrating a repeatable spin-off model.

LHAF generates no revenue from products or services; its financial inflows come exclusively from individual donations (collected online via the Zeffy platform or by mailed check to PO Box 214, Ellensburg, WA 98926) and grants from a small set of institutional funders: ArtsWA (2026-2027 General Operating Support for Midsized Organizations), Arts Fund (Community Accelerator Grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025), the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Kittitas Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, and the Ellensburg Arts Commission. The foundation has no proprietary technology stack, no APIs, no patents, and no disclosed digital products beyond its informational website and standard donation tools; operations are managed by a volunteer Board of Directors meeting monthly and through email outreach. Its constituents are community members in Ellensburg and Kittitas County seeking arts access and volunteer opportunities, and local arts organizations that benefit from the consolidated 501(c)(3) status, shared governance, grant eligibility, and cross-promotion the umbrella structure provides.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: LHAF and its member organizations are active stakeholders in the Ellensburg Arts and Cultural Alliance, where they advocate for improved performing arts facilities and coordinate programming. Marketing and distribution rely on official websites (laughinghorsearts.org and individual sub-organization domains), email outreach, social media, and physical attendance at sub-organization events. Quasi-customer testimonials from civic officials and the originating founder of Jazz in the Valley indicate established social capital within the county, and Ellensburg Music Festival's cumulative $50,000 in CWU music scholarships over 25 years represents a measurable educational impact. Overall, LHAF is best characterized as a community-anchored, grant-dependent, volunteer-operated arts umbrella with high reputational equity but small absolute scale.

Name

Laughing Horse Arts Foundation

Legal name

Laughing Horse Arts Foundation

Website

https://laughinghorsearts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Laughing Horse Arts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit umbrella organization in Ellensburg, Washington that supports and promotes fine and performing arts across six sub-organizations including theatre companies, a community radio station, and a music festival serving Kittitas County residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Performing Arts Nonprofit

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Community arts foundation
• Performing arts nonprofit
• Community theatre programs
• Community radio broadcasting
• Arts grant administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Kittitas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN# 91-1211173), Laughing Horse Arts Foundation receives donations from individuals and organizations. Donations can be made through the Zeffy platform online or by check mailed to their PO Box. Donors can also give directly to sub-organizations for specific projects.
2. Grant Funding: The foundation receives grant support from ArtsWA for General Operating Support, Arts Fund Community Accelerator Grants, and funding from Kittitas Lodging Tax Advisory Committee and Ellensburg Arts Commission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Laughing Horse Arts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit umbrella corporation that supports and promotes fine and performing arts in Ellensburg and Kittitas County, Washington. The foundation provides organizational support, public awareness assistance, and consolidated grant access to six sub-organizations operating theatre, community radio, music festivals, classical music, and film festival programs. It also serves as a launchpad organization for emerging arts non-profits in the region.

Product overview

Laughing Horse Arts Foundation is a non-profit umbrella corporation that supports and promotes fine and performing arts in Central Washington. Rather than a unified technology product, LHAF operates as a parent organization overseeing multiple distinct arts sub-organizations and annual events: Valley Theatre Company (theatrical productions), Ellensburg Community Radio (streaming radio with FM broadcast), Ellensburg Music Festival (summer music festival), Boulet Productions (community theatre in Cle Elum), Classics in Ellensburg (classical music performances), and Ellensburg Film Festival. The foundation also served as a launchpad for now-separate nonprofits Spirit of the West and Ellensburg Dance Ensemble.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Valley Theatre Company Community theatre program producing 4 productions per year: a Rising Stars youth production, a mainstage musical, a cabaret and dinner theatre event, and a small cast play. Provides inclusive theatrical experiences where families and community members can volunteer together as creators, collaborators, and audience members in Ellensburg, Washington.
• Ellensburg Community Radio 24/7 streaming community radio station with low-power FM broadcast at KELL 98.3 Ellensburg. Features an eclectic mix of diverse music with over 20 locally produced programs weekly. Studio located in The INK collaborative arts incubator space in downtown Ellensburg, hosting a Tiny Stage for local musicians, poetry, and artistic events.
• Ellensburg Music Festival 100% volunteer-run summer music festival held the last weekend of July (formerly Jazz in the Valley), operating for over 25 years. Has served as a catalyst for the Ellensburg downtown area and its support of local music groups, and has awarded over $50,000 in scholarships to Central Washington University's Jazz and Music program over 25 years.
• Boulet Productions The only community theatre in upper Kittitas County, producing 3-4 dramatic productions per year including radio drama and melodrama, drawing from rural communities including Cle Elum, S. Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Ronald. Also sponsors youth theatre programs in Cle Elum and Roslyn including summer theatre workshops, and provides supplemental education and expertise to the local high school drama program.
• Classics in Ellensburg Classical music program that creates inspiring performances, strengthens schools, and unites the community. Sponsors a free Brown Bag lunch-time concert series featuring local chamber musicians, and coordinates chamber music performances at local elementary schools in Ellensburg, Washington.
• Ellensburg Film Festival Annual film festival in Ellensburg supported by LHAF as part of its broader arts event portfolio, contributing to the local fine and performing arts ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $50,000 in scholarships awarded to Central Washington University's Jazz and Music program over 25 years

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ellensburg Arts and Cultural AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLHAF and its member organizations are key stakeholder members of the Ellensburg Arts and Cultural Alliance, actively advocating together for improved performing arts facilities in the community.
• Central Washington UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEllensburg Music Festival has given over $50,000 in scholarships to CWU's Jazz and Music program over 25 years.
• The INK (Arts Incubator Space)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEllensburg Community Radio has its studio in downtown Ellensburg in this collaborative arts incubator space, which includes a Tiny Stage for local artistic events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Americans for the Arts: National non-profit advocacy organization supporting local arts agencies and community arts programs across the U.S. Comparable to LHAF as a higher-tier umbrella advancing community-level arts access and advocacy.
• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA): Membership organization of U.S. state and jurisdictional arts agencies that advocates for public funding of the arts. Comparable to LHAF as a non-profit umbrella/membership organization promoting arts support, though at a national advocacy scale.
• ArtsWA (Washington State Arts Commission): State arts commission that funds LHAF via General Operating Support and is the primary state-level arts grantmaker in Washington. Comparable as a publicly funded arts support organization serving Washington communities, though at a larger, state-wide scale.

Regional players

• Vermont Arts Council: Statewide non-profit supporting Vermont artists and arts organizations through grants and programming. Comparable community-arts support and grantmaking model to LHAF but at state level in a rural state.
• Arts Midwest: Regional arts organization serving the Midwest with grants, touring programs, and community arts initiatives. Comparable community-arts support model to LHAF but at a much larger geographic scale.
• New England Foundation for the Arts: Regional non-profit that supports artists and arts organizations across New England through grantmaking and programming. Comparable as a community-arts grantmaker/umbrella comparable to LHAF's role in Kittitas County.
• Mid-America Arts Alliance: Regional non-profit arts organization serving six states across the central U.S. with grants, programming, and community arts support. Comparable mission to LHAF but at a multi-state regional scale.
• Arizona Commission on the Arts: State arts agency funding community arts, education, and individual artists in Arizona. Operates a similar grant-funded, community-arts-support mission to LHAF but at a state-wide scale.

Direct peers

• Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Small non-profit that provides grants and emergency support to individual artists and performing arts organizations. Comparable as a small, arts-focused grantmaker and umbrella support organization in the performing arts space.
• Regional Arts & Culture Council: Portland-area non-profit that serves as an umbrella for community arts organizations, distributing grants and supporting local arts programming. Directly comparable to LHAF's umbrella/grantmaking/community arts model, though operating in a larger urban market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Laughing Horse Arts Foundation