What The Vera Project does

The Vera Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit all-ages music venue and arts education center founded in 2001 and headquartered at 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, within the Seattle Center campus. The organization operates a 362-capacity showroom at Seattle Center, the revived Black Lodge underground venue (Winter 2022), and is building a third Georgetown venue (early 2027) secured via a 20-year affordable lease. Core service lines include concert programming (300+ shows annually), creative education (160+ classes/workshops in sound engineering, screen printing, DJing, recording, and concert lighting), commercial services (screen printing short-run apparel, recording studio sessions, PA rentals, private venue rentals), and a youth workforce development suite branded "Equip The Kids" comprising the Live Production Lab (ages 18-24), Video Production Lab (ages 15-24, prioritizing BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth), Ground Zero Radio multimedia platform, and an equipment lending library. Technology is conventional industry-standard audio/video production gear (Toft ATB32 console, ProTools, Reaper, Ableton) supporting hands-on training rather than a proprietary technology platform. The operating model is volunteer-driven and democratically governed: members pledge 24 hours/year of volunteer service to gain voting rights and participate in committees that co-run programming alongside paid staff (~10 employees). Revenue is diversified across earned income (rents, classes, merchandise), foundation grants, individual/corporate donations, and a small (~7%) allocation from City of Seattle and King County; approximately 93% of funding comes from non-governmental sources. The Vera Project is led by Executive Director Ricky Graboski, supported by an Artistic Director, Education Director, Development Director, and a Board of Directors that includes representatives from KEXP, City of Seattle, Sound Transit, and Bank of America.

Name

The Vera Project

Legal name

The Vera Project

Website

https://theveraproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Vera Project is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an all-ages music venue, screen printing studio, recording studio, and youth workforce development programs, serving primarily youth ages 14-24 and Seattle's creative community through volunteer-driven, democratically governed programming since 2001.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music venue and arts education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs (EDAAAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts & Music Lessons (Dance, Drumming, Instrument Lessons, Theater) (THAJAKAC), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC), Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB)

Keywords

• All-ages music venue
• Arts education nonprofit
• Screen printing studio
• Recording studio services
• Creative workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Earned Income: Venue rentals, class fees, screen printing services, recording studio sessions, and merchandise sales generate earned revenue for the organization.
2. Individual & Corporate Contributions: Donations from individuals, corporate sponsorships, matching gift programs, and in-kind donations support organizational funding.
3. Grant Funding: Funding from foundations and philanthropies including Allen Family Philanthropies ($7 million announced in 2025) and government arts/culture agencies.
4. Membership & Backliner Club: Monthly recurring donations from Backliner Club members ($10+ per month) provide sustained individual giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Vera Project is an all-ages nonprofit music venue and arts education center that operates a 362-capacity showroom at Seattle Center, a screen printing studio, a recording studio, an art gallery, and a workforce development suite (Equip The Kids) offering classes, concerts, and paid youth apprenticeships. Its central products are all-ages concerts, hands-on screen printing and audio engineering classes, recording studio sessions, screen printing services, and creative industry workforce training for youth ages 15-24.

Product overview

The Vera Project is an all-ages nonprofit music venue and arts education center that operates as a multi-service platform offering concert programming, creative education, and workforce development. The core offering combines a 362-capacity music venue at Seattle Center with specialized studios for screen printing and audio recording, supported by the Equip The Kids workforce development suite including Live Production Lab, Video Production Lab, Ground Zero Radio, and an equipment lending library. The organization also manages the Black Lodge underground venue and is expanding with a new Georgetown location in 2027. Educational programming includes hands-on classes in sound engineering, screen printing, DJing, concert lighting, and recording, while volunteer and membership programs enable democratic governance and community participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Equip The Kids: Suite of workforce development lab cohorts addressing systemic inequities in the local music and arts industries
• Ground Zero Radio
• Live Production Lab
• Video Production Lab
• The Kickback
• Black Lodge
• R.S.V.P.

Products and services

• Music Venue & Concert Programming All-ages music venue hosting over 250 volunteer-driven concerts and art gallery showings annually at Seattle Center and Black Lodge, featuring ticketed and free community-curated events for local and touring artists.
• Screen Printing Studio & Services Teaching studio and commercial printing service offering classes, open sessions, private rentals, Vera Ltd. Run short-run T-shirt printing, garment printing, and poster printing with water-based inks.
• R.S.V.P. Recording Studio Professionally built recording environment with ideal acoustics featuring a Toft ATB32 console, Pro Tools/Reaper DAWs, extensive microphone collection, and staff engineers for community and educational recording sessions.
• Classes & Workshops Hands-on workshops for all ages including screen printing, live sound, recording, concert lighting, zine-making, and DJing, taught by expert community members on a quarterly basis (160+ classes annually).
• Equip The Kids Suite of workforce development programs including Live Production Lab, Video Production Lab, equipment lending library, and GZ Radio multimedia platform for youth ages 15-24.
• Venue Rentals Low-cost private rentals of flexible event spaces including the 2,000+ sq ft showroom (up to 350 people), 1,000 sq ft gallery (up to 75 people), and conference room/greenroom (up to 20 people).
• Live Production Lab Cost-free creative workforce development program for King County youth ages 18-24 offering training, paid work positions, festival shadowing opportunities, and connections to careers in live event production.
• Video Production Lab Free multi-month career training program for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented youth ages 15-24 offering workshops, hands-on production experience, stipends, and equipment grants in video production.
• Ground Zero Radio 100% youth-run multimedia newsroom and event production program providing young diverse voices a platform for cultural critique, editorial coverage, and community engagement.
• Equipment Lending Library Creative equipment rental program granting Vera Members and Production Lab alumni free access to pro audio and video gear including microphones, laptops, lighting, GoPros, and digital cameras.
• Volunteer & Membership Program Volunteer-driven program with democratic governance where members pledge 24 hours of volunteer service per year, participate in committees, and govern the space collaboratively with the Board of Directors.
• Vera Ltd. Run Short-Run T-Shirt Printing Commercial short-run T-shirt and garment printing service for bands and brands with bundled package pricing (25 shirts at $190, 50 shirts at $290; member discounts available).
• Black Lodge Venue All-ages underground music venue and community space revived by The Vera Project as an always all-ages venue with affordable community practice spaces and housing for mutual aid organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60,000 people reached annually through programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 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, major and minor.

• Georgetown CallingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew artist-forward complex of practice and studio spaces that enabled VERA to obtain an affordable 20-year lease for the new Georgetown venue. Collaborative build-out process secures the future of all-ages music in Seattle.
• foundry10majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation-focused organization collaborating with VERA on gallery exhibitions and joint programming initiatives at Seattle Center.
• Local Festivals (Georgetown Carnival, Pride Fest, Bumbershoot)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with dozens of local festivals providing shadowing opportunities and paid apprenticeships for Live Production Lab participants.
• Northwest Arts Streaming Hub (NASH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts streaming platform partnering with VERA for Digital Production Lab Northwest, providing live streaming production opportunities and NASH at Nite variety show platform.
• Skate Like a GirlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization collaborating on DECKED OUT skate and swap community events, combining skate culture with VERA's screen printing and music programming.
• River City Skate ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Park neighborhood skatepark partnering with VERA for community skate events.
• CHILL FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkateboarding nonprofit collaborating on community events and programming for underserved youth.
• KEXPmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSeattle's legendary music station featuring VERA events and artists; collaboration on Gits Seattle Record Release exhibition and ongoing community promotion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VERA Groningen: The original Dutch all-ages music venue and youth arts space that directly inspired The Vera Project's founding model. Operates a similar venue-plus-education-plus-volunteer-governance structure in the Netherlands.
• Northwest Film Forum: Seattle-based nonprofit cinema, venue, and education organization offering screenings, workshops, and youth-focused programs. Comparable as a Seattle-rooted nonprofit combining a creative venue with hands-on arts education programming.
• Arts Corps: Seattle nonprofit delivering arts education to youth, with a parallel focus on creative workforce development, equity, and sliding-scale access. Directly comparable mission to Vera's Equip The Kids suite and youth programming.
• LANGSTON: Seattle African American arts nonprofit operating cultural programming and venue space in the Central District. Comparable as a community-governed Seattle arts nonprofit serving youth and underrepresented creators, and a Vera DIY Community Relief Fund recipient.
• Youth in Focus: Seattle nonprofit providing photography and digital media arts education for underserved youth. Comparable as a youth-focused creative arts education nonprofit with paid instructor model and career-pathway orientation.
• PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art): Portland-based nonprofit combining a performance venue with arts education and residencies. Comparable regional peer offering venue programming alongside professional development for artists.
• The Crucible: Oakland-based nonprofit industrial arts education center offering classes, studio access, and youth workforce pathways. Comparable as a multi-discipline arts education nonprofit with paid instructor staff and studio-based programming.

Broad incumbents

• MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture): Seattle-based larger arts institution focused on music and pop culture with educational programming. Comparable as a Seattle music/arts venue and education player, but operates at significantly larger scale as a museum-format institution.
• SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival): Seattle-based nonprofit arts organization combining venue operations (cinemas) with education programs and festival programming. Comparable as a long-running Seattle arts nonprofit with venue-plus-education model serving diverse community programming.

Others

• KEXP: Seattle music nonprofit radio station and longtime Vera partner. Comparable ecosystem player supporting Seattle music community, though operates in broadcasting rather than venue/education; relevant given Vera board member Betsy Troutman serves as KEXP's Chief Advancement Officer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/veratv
• Facebookfacebook.com/theveraproject
• Instagraminstagram.com/veraproject
• Xx.com/veraproject

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The Vera Project