United Performing Arts Fund

What United Performing Arts Fund does

United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1967 and headquartered at 301 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 600, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It operates as a united fundraising body for the Southeastern Wisconsin performing arts community, channeling contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations to 14 Member performing arts organizations (including 6 Cornerstone Members such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater) plus a broader pool of Affiliate organizations. UPAF reports no government funding and has raised more than $400 million in cumulative support for the regional arts ecosystem since inception, with 2025 campaign revenue of approximately $9.1 million.

UPAF's product portfolio centers on its annual Community Campaign, executed through workplace giving programs with over 100 corporate partners, individual donations (online, mail, phone, stock), and affinity groups such as Next Generation UPAF, Notable Women, and Encore Society (planned giving). Donor benefits include the SM*ART* CARD (BOGO tickets at all 14 Member venues for $150+ gifts) and a Universal Voucher program redeemable at Cornerstone Members. Community-impact sub-programs include UPAF Bright Minds (arts education presented by We Energies Foundation) and the UPAF Arts Accessibility Fund (presented by MGIC), alongside the annual Ride for the Arts cycling fundraiser presented by Miller Lite.

The business model is that of a traditional community federation of funds: gross campaign dollars are raised from a diversified base of individual and corporate donors, allocations are distributed to Member and Affiliate arts organizations, and a residual portion supports UPAF's own operating costs. Pricing tiers, sponsorship arrangements, and designated giving levels (e.g., $1,200+ for Community Impact designation, $350 for Next Gen, $1,200 for Notable Women) are donor-incentive structures rather than commercial pricing. Customer concentration is moderate, leaning on a small set of large corporate sponsors (Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls Foundation, We Energies Foundation, MGIC, BMO Harris Bank, Manpower, Miller Lite) for headline gifts, while individual donors and workplace campaigns provide breadth.

Name

United Performing Arts Fund

Legal name

United Performing Arts Fund, Inc.

Website

https://upaf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Performing Arts Fund is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has raised more than $400 million since 1967 to support 14 Member performing arts organizations and affiliates across Southeastern Wisconsin through annual campaigns, corporate partnerships, and donor benefit programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Performing Arts Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Performing arts fundraising
• Workplace giving campaigns
• Nonprofit arts funding
• Corporate giving partnerships
• Community arts support

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Community Campaign Fundraising: Primary revenue source through workplace giving campaigns, corporate partnerships, and individual donations; campaign runs annually from March through August
2. Corporate Grants and Sponsorships: Major corporate donors including Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls Foundation, and others provide significant grant funding for operations and community programs
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Encore Society recognizes donors who have included UPAF in their estate plans
4. Special Events Revenue: Ride for the Arts cycling event presented by Miller Lite is the largest single fundraiser; also includes UNITE with UPAF events
5. Grant Programs: Provides grants to Member and Affiliate performing arts organizations through annual fundraising allocations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) is a nonprofit united fund that raises money through an annual Community Campaign, workplace giving drives, corporate grants, and special events (including the Ride for the Arts cycling fundraiser), then grants those funds to 14 performing arts Member organizations and Affiliate groups across Southeastern Wisconsin. Donor benefits such as the SM*ART* CARD, Universal Voucher redemption, affinity group memberships (Next Generation UPAF, Notable Women), and the Encore Society planned giving program accompany the donation offerings.

Product overview

United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) operates as a nonprofit united fund that raises essential funds for 14 performing arts member organizations and numerous affiliates in Southeastern Wisconsin. The organization functions as both a fundraising aggregator and community impact driver. Its core offerings include an annual Community Campaign with workplace giving programs, the SMART CARD donor benefit program providing BOGO tickets to all member venues, and a Universal Voucher redemption system. Community impact is delivered through two dedicated programs: UPAF Bright Minds (arts education) and the Arts Accessibility Fund. Additional engagement vehicles include Next Generation UPAF and Notable Women affinity groups, the annual Ride for the Arts cycling fundraiser, the Encore Society planned giving program, and a comprehensive Performance Calendar showcasing member performances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UPAF Bright Minds: Arts education program presented by We Energies Foundation that delivers high-quality arts education programming to students in Southeastern Wisconsin.
• UPAF Arts Accessibility
• UPAF SM*ART* CARD
• Next Generation UPAF
• UPAF Notable Women
• UPAF Ride for the Arts
• Encore Society

Products and services

• UPAF Annual Community Campaign Primary annual fundraising campaign supporting 14 performing arts Member organizations and Affiliate groups in Southeastern Wisconsin through workplace giving campaigns, corporate grants, and individual donations; 2025 campaign raised $9,101,255.
• SM*ART* CARD Donor Benefit Program Donor benefit program providing buy-one-get-one-free ticket offers at all 14 UPAF Performing Arts Members plus discounts at area restaurants; available to donors with an annual gift of $150 or more.
• UPAF Universal Voucher Program Voucher program allowing donors to redeem performance tickets directly with UPAF Cornerstone Members up to $75 value per voucher.
• Workplace Giving Campaigns Company-sponsored fundraising drives through payroll deduction, with UPAF providing campaign coordination, Ambassador Prop Shop materials, speakers, performers, and ticket incentives for participating employers.
• Next Generation UPAF Affinity Group Young leaders affinity group for donors in their 20s, 30s, and 40s with an annual gift of $350 or more, presented by Johnson Controls; offers exclusive events, volunteer leadership opportunities, and networking.
• UPAF Notable Women Affinity Group Women's philanthropy group presented by BMO for donors giving $1,200 or more annually, focused on arts education, performing arts service, and women's leadership; $200 of each gift is designated to UPAF Bright Minds.
• UPAF Encore Society (Planned Giving) Planned giving society that recognizes donors who have included UPAF in their estate plans, with public acknowledgment and invitations to UPAF Nights events.
• UPAF Ride for the Arts Annual cycling fundraiser event presented by Miller Lite, the largest single fundraiser for UPAF; features routes including the Hoan Loop Course closed to vehicle traffic and finish-line UPAF Fest celebrations.
• UPAF Bright Minds Arts Education Program Arts education grant program presented by We Energies Foundation, delivering high-quality arts education programming through Member Groups and impacting more than 30,000 children annually with more than 10,000 hours of instruction.
• UPAF Arts Accessibility Fund Grant program presented by MGIC ensuring accessibility of the arts by eliminating barriers imposed by disability or special needs, including physical accessibility, ASL interpretation, and autism-friendly accommodations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100,000 youth trained and educated by UPAF Member Groups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Miller LitecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of UPAF Ride for the Arts; annual cycling event that is the largest single fundraiser for the organization

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ArtsWave: Cincinnati-based united arts fund that runs an annual community campaign and grants to dozens of member arts organizations. Operates the same united-fund-for-the-arts model as UPAF in a comparable mid-size U.S. metro.
• ArtsFund: Seattle-based united arts fund raising workplace giving and corporate contributions for a portfolio of arts organizations. Closely comparable to UPAF in mission, structure, and donor development approach.
• United Arts of Greater Charlotte: Charlotte-area united arts fund that pools workplace giving and distributes to a portfolio of member arts organizations. Direct functional analog to UPAF's model in another Southeastern U.S. metro.
• Greater Columbus Arts Council: Columbus, Ohio's combined arts council and grantmaker, distributing funds to a portfolio of member arts and cultural organizations. Mirrors UPAF's mix of grantmaking, donor development, and community impact programming.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: The prototype federated-giving united fund. UPAF explicitly models itself on the United Way structure but is arts-specific; United Way is the closest broad incumbent in the same donor-development and workplace-giving infrastructure.
• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit that advocates for and supports local arts agencies and united arts funds. Operates at a national advocacy and standards level, providing infrastructure comparable to what UPAF delivers at a regional level.

Others

• Theatre Communications Group: National service organization for the nonprofit professional theater field. Adjacent peer — supports many of the same Member organizations UPAF funds, including First Stage and Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
• Cultural Data Project (now SMU DataArts): Data and reporting platform used by arts and cultural grantmakers and grantees. Adjacent to UPAF in serving the same set of nonprofit performing arts organizations with shared accountability and benchmarking needs.

Emerging players

• Foundation for the Arts: Toronto-based platform enabling individual donors to direct small-dollar contributions to a portfolio of local arts organizations. Conceptually comparable to UPAF's 'one gift, multiple organizations' aggregation model in a different geography.

Regional players

• Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs (and state/local arts council peers): State and regional arts councils perform a similar grant-distribution and capacity-building function for arts nonprofits in defined geographies. Representative of a class of regional players that compete with UPAF for corporate arts dollars within their own geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=EY50H5YThHQ
• Xx.com/upaf
• Facebookfacebook.com/upaf1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-performing-arts-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 United Performing Arts Fund