ArtistYear

What ArtistYear does

ArtistYear is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 in Philadelphia by Margo Drakos and Elizabeth Warshawer, designated in 2017 as the first AmeriCorps State and National program dedicated to service through the arts. The organization recruits, trains, and places exceptional recent arts-college graduates as full-time AmeriCorps Resident Teaching Artists (RTAs) in K-12 schools receiving Title I funding, delivering arts education across disciplines including visual arts, music, theater, dance, digital media, creative writing, photography, and design. Each RTA serves 50-250 unduplicated students with approximately two hours of weekly arts instruction. Since inception, ArtistYear has placed 424 RTAs serving more than 87,745 K-12 students and delivering 533,100 hours of arts education across 110 schools in 8 regions spanning 7+ states.

ArtistYear does not develop proprietary technology products; its "platform" is the operational and regulatory infrastructure of the AmeriCorps program itself, including state service commission relationships, school district MOUs, and RTA training systems. The organization maintains a lean digital presence (WordPress website, PayPal donations, social media) with no mobile app, API, or disclosed technology stack beyond standard nonprofit tools. Program operations are staffed by 51-100 employees organized around regional Program Coordinators in each operating geography.

The revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: AmeriCorps federal grants (government grants), foundation grants from NEA, William Penn Foundation, Bezos Family Foundation, CNCS, NY Community Trust, Hearst, Lenfest, and others (grant funding), individual donations via PayPal (contributions), and a nascent corporate sponsorship program (sponsorship). ArtistYear provides RTAs to schools at no cost — the program's "pricing model" is essentially free placement for Title I schools, with the cost being absorbed by federal and philanthropic funding rather than billed to school districts. Distribution occurs through AmeriCorps program enrollment (recruitment of artist graduates) and direct school district partnerships, with a multi-channel marketing approach leveraging content marketing, organic social, email newsletters, webinars, and earned media coverage.

Name

ArtistYear

Legal name

ArtistYear

Website

https://artistyear.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ArtistYear is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the first national AmeriCorps program dedicated to arts service, placing recent arts graduates as full-time Resident Teaching Artists in Title I K-12 schools across 11 U.S. locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing) (EDAJAFAK), Visual Arts & Media Arts Programs (Art Club, Photography, Film) (EDAJAJAF), Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Arts education program
• Teaching artist placement
• National service corps
• AmeriCorps fellowship
• School arts partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support ArtistYear's mission of expanding arts education. The organization accepts donations through PayPal and other giving platforms.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: ArtistYear receives funding from foundations including the National Endowment for the Arts, William Penn Foundation, Bezos Family Foundation, and numerous other private foundations. Grants support program operations, expansion, and specific initiatives.
3. AmeriCorps Federal Funding: As an AmeriCorps program, ArtistYear receives federal funding through AmeriCorps State and National program grants to support the national service model.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors can sponsor a Resident Teaching Artist to serve a location personal to them, providing another revenue stream for program support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ArtistYear runs the first National AmeriCorps program dedicated to arts service, recruiting and placing recent arts graduates as full-time Resident Teaching Artists in K-12 Title I schools at no cost to the school. Each RTA serves 50-250 unduplicated students providing approximately 2 hours of arts education per week per student across disciplines including visual arts, music, theater, dance, digital media, creative writing, photography, and design. RTAs receive a living stipend, Segal Education Award, federal student loan forbearance, and health insurance in exchange for their service year.

Product overview

ArtistYear operates as a single unified service program — the AmeriCorps Resident Teaching Artist Program — which is the first National AmeriCorps program dedicated to arts service. The organization recruits, trains, and places exceptional recent arts graduates as full-time Resident Teaching Artists (RTAs) who serve in Title I K-12 schools to expand and deepen arts offerings. Each RTA collaborates with their service site through classroom enhancement, arts clubs, pull-out instruction, arts integration in core subjects, and school-wide arts initiatives. The program does not have modular products or add-ons; it is a single service-year program with associated benefits (living stipend, education award, professional development) for participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AmeriCorps Resident Teaching Artist Program ArtistYear's core service program that recruits, trains, and places exceptional recent arts graduates as full-time AmeriCorps Resident Teaching Artists (RTAs) in K-12 schools receiving Title I funding. RTAs serve 50-250 unduplicated students each, providing approximately 2 hours of arts education per week per student across disciplines including visual arts, music, theater, dance, digital media, creative writing, photography, and design. RTAs receive a monthly living stipend, Segal Education Award, federal student loan forbearance, and health insurance stipend; schools receive the service at no cost.

Quantifiable outcome

• 424 Resident Teaching Artists placed since 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmeriCorps is the federal agency that provides the framework for ArtistYear's national service program. ArtistYear is the first AmeriCorps State and National program dedicated to service through the arts. AmeriCorps provides federal funding and the national service framework that enables placement of Resident Teaching Artists in schools across the country.
• PennSERVEkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPennsylvania's state AmeriCorps commission that partners with ArtistYear for the Philadelphia program. PennSERVE supports program implementation and compliance within Pennsylvania.
• School District of PhiladelphiakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtistYear's founding partner school district. Launched as a pilot program in 2016 and continues to be a major program location. The partnership provides placement opportunities for Resident Teaching Artists in Philadelphia schools.
• NYC Department of EducationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor program location in New York City, operating in partnership with the NYC Department of Education's Office of Arts and Special Projects. Provides placement opportunities for Resident Teaching Artists in NYC public schools.
• Roaring Fork School DistrictkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado school district partner serving the Roaring Fork Valley region including Aspen. Works in partnership with Aspen Music Festival & School to place musician Resident Teaching Artists.
• Aspen Music Festival and SchoolkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor community partner providing support for the Roaring Fork Valley program. Helps place musicians, especially those with backgrounds in strings and guitar, in the region.
• Moore College of Art & DesignsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner collaborating to create opportunities for art educators and expand capacity for arts programming in public schools. Partners on student placements and alumni development.
• Serve AlaskakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlaska's state AmeriCorps commission that partners with ArtistYear for the Sitka program. Supports implementation and compliance for Alaska placements.
• Sitka School DistrictkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner in Alaska for the Sitka program. Provides placement opportunities for Resident Teaching Artists in rural Alaska schools.
• Volunteer TennesseekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennessee's state AmeriCorps commission supporting the Nashville program. Partners with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools for placement of Resident Teaching Artists.
• Volunteer NCkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Carolina's state AmeriCorps commission supporting the Central North Carolina program in Alamance, Chatham, Lee, and Moore County.
• Serve OhiokeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio's state AmeriCorps commission supporting the Columbus program. Partners with Columbus City Schools for placement of Resident Teaching Artists.
• Gateway Regional Arts CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity arts organization partner in Kentucky supporting the Mt. Sterling program. Helps facilitate arts programming in the region.
• Mirror Image ArtssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity arts organization partner in the Denver, CO region supporting arts programming and placement of Resident Teaching Artists.
• Big ThoughtsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDallas-based arts education organization that may collaborate on program development and best practices sharing.
• Arts Council of Moore CountysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts organization supporting the Central North Carolina program with community arts partnerships and resources.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: Young Audiences affiliates deliver arts education programs in K-12 schools across the U.S., focusing on underserved communities. They overlap directly with ArtistYear in mission (expanding arts access), target audience (Title I / under-resourced schools), and artist-in-school delivery model.
• Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock): Music Will provides free music education to students in under-resourced schools, training teachers and supporting school music programs. They share ArtistYear's nonprofit model, K-12 Title I focus, and partnership-driven delivery into underserved schools.
• Turnaround Arts (John F. Kennedy Center): Turnaround Arts is a Kennedy Center program that brings arts education resources to high-need K-12 schools, targeting districts with reduced arts programming — closely comparable to ArtistYear's Title I school model and artist-in-residence delivery approach.
• Education Through Music: Education Through Music partners with under-resourced K-12 schools to provide music and arts instruction as part of the school day. They share ArtistYear's nonprofit model, target schools, and goal of embedding arts into underserved schools' core programming.
• Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation donates musical instruments and supports music programs in Title I K-12 schools. They overlap with ArtistYear's arts-equity mission and Title I school focus, though their delivery model (instrument grants) differs from the in-school placement approach.
• VH1 Save The Music Foundation: VH1 Save The Music Foundation supports music education in K-12 schools by donating instruments and supporting music teachers. They share ArtistYear's K-12 arts-education equity mission and school-district partnership model, though they emphasize music rather than multi-discipline arts.

Broad incumbents

• City Year: City Year is a flagship AmeriCorps national service program that places corps members in K-12 schools as near-peer tutors and mentors. While focused on academic outcomes rather than arts, its AmeriCorps service-year staffing infrastructure, school-district partnerships, and federal grant funding model are structurally analogous to ArtistYear.

Others

• Americans for the Arts: Americans for the Arts is a national service organization advancing arts education and advocacy across the U.S. They are an ecosystem partner — providing research, advocacy, and network infrastructure for arts education programs rather than a direct K-12 delivery peer to ArtistYear.
• National Guild for Community Arts Education: The National Guild for Community Arts Education is a membership body supporting nonprofit community arts-education organizations. They are ecosystem-adjacent — providing sector advocacy and capacity-building resources for arts-education nonprofits like ArtistYear rather than direct K-12 delivery.
• Teach For America: Teach For America places recent graduates into high-need K-12 schools as full-time educators through a service-year model. While it does not focus on arts, it shares the AmeriCorps-adjacent service-year architecture, school-district matching, and pipeline-development logic that define ArtistYear's RTA program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artistyear
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtistYear-573298939457655
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artistyear

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 ArtistYear