cARTie

What cARTie does

cARTie is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2021 by mother-daughter duo Tish and Clare Murray, operating a mobile art museum bus that delivers art and museum-based education directly to PreK-2 students across Connecticut. The organization addresses a stated access gap in which 76% of Connecticut elementary students lack art and museum-based learning. Its core asset is a converted bus functioning as a traveling gallery that exhibits annual juried shows of middle and high school student artwork, and the program curriculum is formally aligned with CT Early Learning Standards, ELA Common Core, National Core Art Standards, Social Justice Standards, and SEL frameworks. The bus is fully accessible, including wheelchair lift, audio descriptions, and ASL support, exceeding ADA baseline compliance.

The product portfolio centers on tiered school programs ranging from a single-day Starter visit through Advanced, Premium, and an 8-day Residency offering multi-year contracts, plus an After-School track. Community programming includes free pop-ups at libraries and farmers markets, ticketed fundraisers and exhibitions, a Summer Internship Program for student-artists, and a Student Advisory Board. In 2026, cARTie expanded its footprint by opening a brick-and-mortar headquarters and gallery at Lotta Studio in New Haven's Westville neighborhood, establishing a fixed venue for monthly rotating exhibitions and a recurring pARTy event series. Strategic content partnerships with the New Britain Museum of American Art and Art Bridges Foundation support co-created exhibitions such as 'Experiments in Printmaking'.

Revenue is diversified across donated and earned streams: individual donations (suggested $10 per student), foundation and corporate sponsorships (roughly two dozen named supporters including the Offutt Trust, Pincus and Bailey family foundations, Chelsea Groton Foundation, Valley Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and the Connecticut Office of the Arts), modest school program fees that are quote-based and not publicly disclosed, ticketed events at $20 per person, employer matching, and in-kind contributions of art supplies and books. The organization holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and is operated by a small team of 1-10 employees.

Name

cARTie

Legal name

cARTie Corporation

Website

https://cartie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

cARTie is a Connecticut-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a mobile art museum bus that delivers curriculum-aligned art education to PreK-2 students across the state via school visits and community pop-ups. Founded 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

Keywords

• Mobile art museum
• Art education programs
• Museum-school visits
• Community art events
• Student art exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters, with suggested amounts like $10 per student, accepted online via credit/debit cards, Venmo, PayPal, cash, check, or in-kind donations of art supplies and educational materials.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate and foundation sponsors provide monetary and in-kind support (books, art supplies, event space). Sponsors receive recognition on the bus facade, social media (1K+ followers), website (3K/year visitors), and naming opportunities at events.
3. School Program Fees: Schools pay a modicum fee for art museum bus visits. Programs range from single-day Starter visits to 8-day Residencies per school year.
4. Event Revenue: Donation-based and ticketed events including fundraiser events, exhibition openings, and the cARTie pARTy series. Some community pop-ups are free while others are donation-based.
5. Employer Matching: Donations can be matched by employers through company matching programs, providing additional revenue from corporate giving programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

cARTie operates the only mobile art museum bus in Connecticut, bringing high-quality art and museum-based learning directly to PreK-2 students at schools across the state. The bus features juried exhibitions of middle and high school student artwork and travels to schools with theatrical introductions, museum exploration, artwork discussion, read-aloud activities, and art-making. Complementary offerings include community pop-ups at libraries and farmers markets, a paid Summer Internship Program, and rotating exhibitions at its Lotta Studio gallery in New Haven.

Product overview

cARTie is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating an art museum bus that delivers high-quality art and museum education directly to young students across Connecticut. The organization offers a portfolio of school-based programs (Starter, Advanced, Premium, Residency, and After-School) where the art museum bus visits schools serving PreK-2 students, featuring theatrical introductions, museum exploration, artwork discussion, and hands-on art-making. Complementing school programs, cARTie runs Community Pop-Ups at libraries and farmers markets, hosts events and fundraisers, and maintains a brick-and-mortar presence at Lotta Studio in New Haven for exhibitions and programming. The organization showcases juried exhibitions of middle and high school student-artist work aboard the bus and at partner venues, operates a Summer Internship Program for student-artists, and maintains the cARTie at Home Blog for extending educational content beyond in-person visits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Programs (Museum-School Visits) Art museum bus visits to PreK-2 classrooms across Connecticut delivering curriculum-aligned art and museum-based education, including theatrical introductions, museum exploration, artwork discussion, read-aloud activities, and hands-on art-making. Schools pay modest program fees and can select from tiered formats including Starter, Advanced, Premium, Residency, and After-School.
• Community Pop-Ups Free and donation-based art and museum pop-up events held at libraries, farmers markets, and community venues across Connecticut, providing families and children with accessible art-making and exhibition experiences outside of school settings.
• Summer Internship Program Paid 10-week summer internship for high school and college students interested in arts nonprofit careers, providing training in nonprofit operations, arts administration, and opportunities to exhibit artwork.
• cARTie Exhibitions (Juried Student Art) Annual juried exhibitions featuring artwork by middle and high school student-artists from diverse backgrounds, displayed aboard the art museum bus and at partner venues such as Lotta Studio in New Haven and the New Britain Museum of American Art.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2021, visited 45 schools and reached 9,000+ students
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• New Britain Museum of American ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership for exhibitions and programming. The current 'Experiments in Printmaking' exhibition responds to the New Britain Museum of American Art's 'Pop! Art' exhibition exploring the relationship between pop art and printmaking. This partnership enables co-created exhibitions and enhances educational programming.
• Art Bridges FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Foundation supporting the 'Experiments in Printmaking' exhibition co-created with the New Britain Museum of American Art. Art Bridges Foundation supports access to American art and museum education.
• Lotta StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for cARTie's new HQ at 903-911 Whalley Ave, New Haven. Lotta Studio provides first-floor gallery space for monthly rotating exhibitions of student-artist work and hosts programming events including the cARTie pARTy series and open studios.
• CT Arts AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState arts advocacy organization affiliation, displaying CT Arts Alliance badge indicating membership and alignment with Connecticut's arts community.
• DecoArtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArt supplies sponsor providing in-kind donations for cARTie's programming.
• Jerry's ArtaramaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArt supplies retailer sponsor providing in-kind donations.
• Penguin Random HouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBook publisher sponsor providing in-kind donations of books for cARTie's educational programming.
• Penguin Young ReadersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChildren's publishing imprint sponsor providing in-kind book donations.
• Pro Bono PartnershipminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNonprofit providing pro bono legal and business services to support cARTie's operations.
• Gary's East Coast ServiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business sponsor supporting cARTie's operations.
• Wells Hollow FarmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal farm sponsor providing in-kind support for cARTie events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: One of the largest children's museums in the world with deep school and family programming for young learners. Comparable to cARTie's child-focused, exhibits-driven, experiential learning mission, though at far greater scale and as a fixed-site institution.
• Young Audiences: National nonprofit network providing arts-in-education programming in schools across the U.S. Operates at significantly greater scale than cARTie but pursues the same school-based arts access mission, making it a broad incumbent peer in arts education delivery.
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Major U.S. art museum with a strong education and outreach mission including mobile and community programming. Comparable to cARTie as a mission-driven art museum prioritizing access for young audiences, but at vastly greater scale and as a fixed-site institution.
• Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art: Hartford, Connecticut-based art museum — the oldest public art museum in the U.S. — and a regional incumbent in the same Connecticut arts-education ecosystem where cARTie operates and recruits school and foundation partners.
• New Britain Museum of American Art: Connecticut-based art museum and active cARTie curatorial partner (co-creating the Experiments in Printmaking exhibition). Comparable as a Connecticut-rooted art institution reaching young audiences, though it operates a fixed-site rather than mobile model.

Direct peers

• Marwen: Chicago-based nonprofit providing free arts education programs to underserved young people. Operates a brick-and-mortar studio plus school and community-based programming — closely mirroring cARTie's mission of expanding access to high-quality arts learning for students who lack traditional museum or studio access.
• Arts for Learning: Network of nonprofit affiliates that place teaching artists in schools to deliver standards-aligned arts programs. Directly comparable to cARTie's school-visit, curriculum-aligned arts education delivery model and multi-tier program offerings.

Others

• Lotta Studio: New Haven creative studio hosting cARTie's HQ and monthly student-artist exhibitions. Functions as an infrastructure / venue partner rather than a competitor — useful as a comparable for the gallery-community venue model cARTie now occupies.
• Art Bridges Foundation: National arts foundation funding access to American art and museum education, and a current cARTie programming partner (supporting the Experiments in Printmaking exhibition). Not a direct competitor — represents the funder/ecosystem peer that cARTie is plugged into.

Emerging players

• The DoSeum: San Antonio's children's museum focused on hands-on, art- and STEM-infused learning for young children. Mirrors cARTie's PreK-2 audience and emphasis on interactive, exhibit-based experiences, and is comparable as a mid-sized, mission-driven children's museum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CTcARTie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cartiecorp
• Instagraminstagram.com/ctcartie
• TikToktiktok.com/@ctcartie

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 cARTie