Groundswell Community Mural Project

What Groundswell Community Mural Project does

Groundswell Community Mural Project Inc. is a Brooklyn-headquartered nonprofit founded in 1996 that produces collaborative public murals as a vehicle for social change in New York City. The organization brings together professional teaching artists, youth participants (primarily ages 16-24), and community-based organizations through a structured mural-making process involving community research, design development, and public painting. Its program portfolio includes the Summer Leadership Institute, Studio Programs, School-Based Programs, Community Commissions, Special Initiatives, the Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship, and the Public Art / Public Housing initiative with NYCHA and NYC City Council, supported by an Artivist Toolkit for youth and an Open Studios professional development series for artists.

Groundswell's core product is a service-based arts education and community engagement methodology rather than a technology product; there is no proprietary software platform, API, or digital product layer disclosed. Its intellectual property consists in a 30-year refined collaborative mural-making process and a portfolio of 101+ completed murals documented across NYC neighborhoods. Revenue is generated through donations (via a GiveLively-linked donation page), grants, and commissioned partnerships with schools, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and corporate CSR programs such as Whole Foods, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Properties, and Vans. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on direct outreach to community partners ([email protected]), school partnerships, youth application pipelines, and open calls for teaching artists, with brand-building support from organic social media, a monthly Constant Contact newsletter, and in-person events.

The organization operates a single headquarters at 540 President Street, Suite 1A, Brooklyn, and serves the five boroughs of New York City. No parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, regulatory actions, or leadership changes are disclosed; governance is via a Board of Directors. The 30th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for 2026 indicates sustained institutional continuity across three decades.

Name

Groundswell Community Mural Project

Legal name

Groundswell Community Mural Project Inc.

Website

https://groundswell.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groundswell Community Mural Project is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit, founded in 1996, that brings together artists, youth, and community organizations in New York City to create collaborative public murals as a tool for social change.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts and Public Art Services

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

Keywords

• Community mural projects
• Arts education programs
• Youth arts development
• Public art commissions
• Community engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: As a nonprofit organization, Groundswell relies heavily on donations and charitable contributions. The website features a prominent 'Give' button linking to donation platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groundswell Community Mural Project is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that brings together artists, youth, and community organizations to create public murals as a tool for social change. It delivers a portfolio of youth development, school-based, community commission, and special initiative programs that produce installed public art across the five boroughs of New York City, supported by a roster of professional teaching artists.

Product overview

Groundswell Community Mural Project is a nonprofit organization that serves as a platform for collaborative mural-making as a tool for social change in New York City. The organization operates a unified platform of art-making programs bringing together professional teaching artists, youth participants, and community organizations to create public murals. The core portfolio includes youth development programs (Summer Leadership Institute, Studio Programs, Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship), community engagement programs (Community Commissions, School-Based Programs, Public Art/Public Housing), and special initiatives. All programs follow a collaborative mural-making process that involves community research, design development, and public painting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Leadership Institute Summer program in which youth participants conduct research on social justice topics such as community safety and gentrification and create art advocacy installations, drawing on partner-organization knowledge. Designed for teens seeking leadership development through art activism.
• Studio Programs After-school mural and multidisciplinary arts residencies and studio-based visual arts programs for teens, with direct application via the Groundswell website. Targets teenagers seeking safe creative-expression spaces.
• School-Based Programs Art programs delivered in partnership with schools in which students create murals that address school values, identity, and community issues. Delivered as direct school partnerships.
• Community Commissions Mural projects commissioned by community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, and local businesses to beautify spaces and raise awareness of social issues. Delivered as fee- or grant-funded partnerships initiated via email inquiries.
• Special Initiatives Specialized mural programs addressing specific social causes, including initiatives focused on particular neighborhoods or social justice topics.
• Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship Program in which young artists create murals for community organizations while learning mural techniques, contributing to community beautification. Targets youth seeking hands-on apprenticeship training.
• Recovery Diaspora Citywide public art installation created with master artist Swoon (Caledonia Curry) and youth from neighborhoods impacted by Superstorm Sandy, featuring four permanent murals in Coney Island, Far Rockaway, Red Hook, and Staten Island. Launched in 2013 in partnership with Goldman Properties.
• Public Art / Public Housing Collaborative initiative with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and New York City Council in which young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24 design and install murals throughout public housing developments across all five boroughs.
• Groundswell Open Studios Free monthly workshop series for artists providing professional development sessions and figure model sessions, designed to strengthen the creative and professional skills of community-based artists.

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Brooklyn Movement CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration on Black Brooklyn Campaign, where Summer Leadership Institute artists conducted research covering community safety and gentrification, creating art advocacy installations.
• VansminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Vans collaborated with Groundswell in celebrating Vans Checkerboard Day, supporting creative expression and art programs.
• Bronx BreweryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Bronx Brewery sponsored the Open Studios workshop series including the 'Writing your Artist Statement' event.
• Goldman PropertiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Goldman Properties partnered with Groundswell on the Recovery Diaspora project, featuring the capstone mural located on the famed Bowery Mural wall. This collaborative citywide public art installation was developed together with master artist Swoon and youth from neighborhoods impacted by Superstorm Sandy.
• Montefiore Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership with Montefiore Medical Center and its Office of Community Health and Wellness Healing Arts Program to create five murals celebrating the theme 'Visions of a Healthy Community' at Montefiore health centers.
• Swoon (Caledonia Curry)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster artist Swoon collaborated with Groundswell muralists on Recovery Diaspora, creating four permanent murals for Coney Island, Far Rockaway, Red Hook, and Staten Island. Youth artists drew from stories of healing and recovery to create visual narratives.
• Whole Foods MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhole Foods Market commissioned Groundswell to create a series of murals for the exterior of its inaugural Brooklyn store located at Third and 3rd in Gowanus.
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Art / Public Housing initiative: NYCHA collaborated with Groundswell and NYC City Council to transform vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs with murals designed by 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24.
• New York City CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC City Council, particularly through Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres, collaborated on the Public Art / Public Housing initiative funding murals throughout public housing developments.
• Various Neighborhood Groups and Community OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 20 years, hundreds of community partners have engaged with Groundswell including neighborhood groups hoping to beautify blocks and inspire pride, seeking community engagement and social issue awareness.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DreamYard Project: Bronx-based arts-education nonprofit running in-school residencies, after-school programs, and public art — directly comparable to Groundswell's youth arts-education + public art model.
• Project for Empty Space: NYC arts nonprofit producing socially engaged exhibitions and public programs centered on race, identity, and community — directly aligned with Groundswell's art-for-social-change mission.
• CityArts: NYC nonprofit producing youth-led public murals and community art projects, overlapping Groundswell's core model of youth-driven mural commissions on neighborhood walls.
• The Laundromat Project: NYC community-arts nonprofit creating art projects in laundromats and shared community spaces, comparable as a peer nonprofit using arts to drive neighborhood-level social impact in NYC.
• More Art: NYC-based nonprofit commissioning public art projects with a social-impact lens; comparable to Groundswell in producing community-driven visual art in NYC.
• ArtCake: NYC community-arts nonprofit hosting artist residencies, exhibitions, and youth arts programs, making it a similar small-team community-arts operator in NYC.

Broad incumbents

• Public Art Fund: Established NYC nonprofit producing site-specific public art across the city — a broader incumbent in the same public-art category, though not narrowly focused on community/mural practice.
• Creative Time: Long-standing NYC public-art nonprofit commissioning socially engaged projects citywide — a broader incumbent that overlaps with Groundswell on public-art-for-social-change programming.
• MOCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts): Brooklyn-based cultural institution presenting diaspora-focused art, public programs, and community partnerships — comparable to Groundswell on the NYC community-arts-and-education axis.
• BRIC Arts Media: Brooklyn-based nonprofit presenting visual art, performing arts, and community media programming — a broader incumbent operating a wider cultural portfolio with overlapping community-arts programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/GswellMural
• Facebookfacebook.com/GroundswellMural
• Instagraminstagram.com/Gswellmural
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groundswell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Groundswell Community Mural Project