What Eyebeam does

Eyebeam is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1998 by John S. Johnson to support artists making radical, independent work at the intersection of art and technology. The organization delivers a portfolio of programs organized around three thematic Areas of Focus — World Building, Humans.Tech.Ethics, and Global Journalism and Art — including the flagship NYC Artist Residency (a 12-week program for emerging artists, currently hosted at NYU Tandon @ The Yard with a $4,000 per-artist stipend), the Democracy Machine fellowship, the Rapid Response for a Better Digital Future initiative, the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism, the Digital Day Camp youth STEAM program, the Momus x Eyebeam Arts Writing Fellowship, and an ongoing collaboration with Hyundai Motorgroup's VH Award for emerging Asian media artists. The organization's core technical assets are programmatic rather than software: it provides residents access to production infrastructure for XR, virtual production, and experiential computing at NYU Tandon, pairs artists with journalists at major media outlets, and maintains an Artist Directory covering every supported artist from 2000 to 2026.

Eyebeam's revenue model is that of a private, grant-funded nonprofit with no products or services for sale. Income derives from individual donations — accepted in one-time, monthly, or custom amounts in USD, cryptocurrency, or stock (tax-deductible) — and from a tiered foundation grant base that includes The Atlantic Foundation at the $500K+ level, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts at the $100K+ level, plus a broader $20K+, $10K+, and $5K+ donor set including MacArthur, Jerome, NYSCA, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Capital One, and others. The organization has been W.A.G.E. certified since 2015 and receives pro-bono legal support from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: artists apply through open calls and are supported via residencies, fellowships, and public programs (including free artist conversations and artist talks at venues such as the Downtown Brooklyn Ace Hotel), with engagement amplified through an email newsletter, the Eyebeam Feed content publication, the searchable Artist Directory, and coalition partnerships with Collaborative Arts Network New York (CANNY) and Rethinking Residencies (RR). To date, Eyebeam has supported over 550 artists through fellowships and residencies and equitably compensates over 125 artists each year.

Name

Eyebeam

Legal name

Eyebeam

Website

https://eyebeam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eyebeam is a NYC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1998 that supports artists working at the intersection of art and technology through residencies, fellowships, and public programming, funded primarily by foundation grants and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Technology Non-profit Services

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering) (EDAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Artist residency programs
• Arts technology fellowships
• Nonprofit arts support
• Creative technology grants
• Digital arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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. Individual Donations: Eyebeam accepts one-time, monthly, and custom-amount donations in USD, cryptocurrency, and stock. Stock donations are tax-deductible. Donation page specifies amounts between $1–$100,000.
2. Foundation Grants: Major institutional foundation funding across multiple tiers: $500K+ (Atlantic Foundation), $100K+ (Mellon, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Ford, Henry Luce, NEA), $20K+ (Capital One, Jerome, MacArthur, NYSCA, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Willem de Kooning, Beatrice Snyder), $10K+ (Cy Twombly, Helen Frankenthaler, Stavros Niarchos, Surdna, Teiger, David Howe, Zicarelli), and $5K+ (Bialkin, Destina, Rodney L White).
3. Artist Stipend Disbursements (cost line, not revenue): Eyebeam provides $4,000 stipends to each resident artist participating in the NYC residency program, supporting the development of their projects. These are program costs funded by the above revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Eyebeam is a New York City-based nonprofit arts organization that delivers artist residencies, fellowships, and public programming at the intersection of art and technology. It provides selected artists with stipends (such as $4,000 per 12-week NYC resident), production facility access (including XR, virtual production, and experiential computing at NYU Tandon @ The Yard), mentorship networks, and public platforms for experimental work. Its portfolio is structured around three Areas of Focus — World Building, Humans.Tech.Ethics, and Global Journalism and Art — delivered through programs including The Democracy Machine, Rapid Response, the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism, Digital Day Camp, the VH Award, and the Momus x Eyebeam Arts Writing Fellowship.

Product overview

Eyebeam is a New York City-based nonprofit arts organization (not a unified software product) that delivers a portfolio of artist-support programs and public engagements under three thematic Areas of Focus — World Building ("How can humanity live in the future?"), Humans.Tech.Ethics ("What is human about technology?"), and Global Journalism and Art ("How can we understand complexity?"). Its core offerings are organized as a platform-plus-programs architecture: the flagship NYC Artist Residency anchors the portfolio, with the Speculating on Plurality season as the current 2025/2026 cohort framework; The Democracy Machine fellowship and Rapid Response for a Better Digital Future form the artist-led inquiry arm into technology, governance, and surveillance capitalism; the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism (ECFJ) extends the work into experimental grant-making with major media outlets; the Digital Day Camp (DDC) is the longest-running youth STEAM program; and the VH Award partnership (with Hyundai Motorgroup) and the Momus x Eyebeam Arts Writing Fellowship serve as award and writing tracks. The Artist Directory acts as a public-facing indexical resource covering every artist supported across these programs since 1998.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism: Experimental grant-making program launched in 2018 that unites artists with journalists in major media outlets to produce innovative and revelatory journalistic work.
• Digital Day Camp
• The Democracy Machine
• Rapid Response
• VH Award
• Speculating on Plurality

Products and services

• Speculating on Plurality Eyebeam's 2025/2026 season of programming featuring free artist conversations, experimental writing and storytelling, and the return of the flagship NYC residency. Designed to support artists imagining plural technological futures.
• The Democracy Machine Fellowship program for artists exploring self-governance, technology, and democracy, building on the Rapid Response initiative focused on the dark frontier of power that commodifies personal information.
• Rapid Response for a Better Digital Future Initiative supporting artists in exploring surveillance capitalism and the commodification of personal information, including the Exiting Surveillance Capitalism program area.
• Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism (ECFJ) Experimental grant-making program uniting artists and artist-journalist teams to produce innovative and revelatory journalistic work for major media outlets.
• Digital Day Camp (DDC) Intensive multi-week youth arts and technology program for NYC high school students recruited from schools underrepresented in STEAM; includes lectures and hands-on workshops with artist-educators.
• VH Award Ongoing collaboration with Hyundai Motorgroup's VH Award, Asia's leading award for emerging Asian media artists doing some of the most exciting thinking around art and technology.
• Momus x Eyebeam Arts Writing Fellowship Writing fellowship with Momus providing direct support for written understanding of Eyebeam artists and related art-and-technology practice.
• Artist Directory Searchable indexical resource of every artist who has been supported with a fellowship or residency at Eyebeam, filterable by year (2000-2026).
• NYC Artist Residency (Flagship) 12-week in-person residency for six NYC-based emerging artists at NYU Tandon @ The Yard, each receiving a $4,000 stipend and access to XR, virtual production, and experiential computing production equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 550 artists supported through fellowships and residencies to date
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• NYU Tandon @ The YardflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner facility for integrative research in XR, virtual production, and experiential computing. Hosts the 2026 NYC 12-week residency cohort of six emerging artists, providing access to top-of-the-line production equipment and hands-on support from IDM Master of Science program practitioners.
• Hyundai Motorgroup (VH Award)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn an ongoing collaboration, Eyebeam provides deep support to Hyundai Motorgroup's VH Award — Asia's leading award for emerging Asian media artists doing some of the most exciting thinking around art and technology. Program is listed on the Artists Engagements page.
• Davis Wright Tremaine LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides ongoing pro-bono legal support to Eyebeam. Founded in 1908, the American business and litigation firm is located in 8 cities across the nation.
• The Flea TheatreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a Partner organization supporting Eyebeam's work.
• FLOX StudiominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a Partner organization supporting Eyebeam's work.
• NEW INC.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a Partner organization supporting Eyebeam's work.
• Secret Riso ClubminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a Partner organization supporting Eyebeam's work.
• Collaborative Arts Network New York (CANNY)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEyebeam is a coalition member of CANNY (can-ny.org), a network of New York-based arts and culture organizations.
• Rethinking Residencies (RR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEyebeam is a coalition member of Rethinking Residencies (rethinkingresidencies.org), a coalition focused on improving artistic residency practices.
• The MarkupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublished 'Introducing Smol Links' by Eyebeam alum Dan Phiffer — a tool to shorten URLs without adding tracking. Listed under the 'Elsewhere' category on the Eyebeam Feed.
• BuzzFeed NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with an Eyebeam artist on a journalism project that won a Pulitzer Prize for the creative approach taken to telling a complex story. Mentioned in the About Us video transcript.
• MomuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Momus x Eyebeam Arts Writing Fellowship — Eyebeam instituted this to expand its commitment in support of writers engaging in the arts, providing direct support for written understanding of Eyebeam artists and related practice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rhizome: Rhizome is a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to born-digital art and culture, operating artist residencies, publications, and the ArtBase digital preservation archive. It is the most direct peer to Eyebeam — same city, same nonprofit status, same intersection of art and technology, same artist-support model, but with a stronger focus on digital preservation versus Eyebeam's emerging-tech production emphasis.
• Harvestworks: Harvestworks is a New York City-based nonprofit that supports artists creating technology-based work through residencies, commissions, and presentations. It is a direct peer in the NYC art-and-technology nonprofit residency space, though smaller in scale and with a more music/sound-art orientation than Eyebeam.
• The Kitchen: The Kitchen is a New York City-based nonprofit presenting experimental art across disciplines including video, performance, and emerging media. It is comparable to Eyebeam as a long-running NYC nonprofit supporting radical experimental artists, with overlapping institutional funder pools (Mellon, NEA, NYSCA).
• Creative Time: Creative Time is a New York City-based nonprofit that commissions and presents public art projects, with a history of supporting socially engaged work. It is directly comparable as a NYC arts nonprofit funding and producing artist-led public programs, though its emphasis is more on public-space commissioning than technology-driven residency.
• Pioneer Works: Pioneer Works is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit artist and scientist residency that combines residencies, public programs, and exhibitions across art, music, film, and science. It is highly comparable to Eyebeam as a fellow Brooklyn-rooted nonprofit supporting experimental artists with technology engagement and a strong public-programming orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Dia Art Foundation: Dia Art Foundation is a major NYC-based contemporary art nonprofit supporting large-scale artist projects, with overlapping major foundation funders including the Mellon Foundation. It is comparable to Eyebeam as a NYC arts nonprofit with major institutional backing but focuses on site-specific installation rather than technology-driven residency.
• New Museum: The New Museum is a major NYC contemporary art museum with a long-running commitment to emerging and underrepresented artists, including digital and new-media work. It is a broader incumbent in the same NYC art nonprofit ecosystem with overlapping foundation funders, but operates as an exhibition venue rather than a residency-focused organization.

Regional players

• ZKM Center for Art and Media: ZKM is a Karlsruhe, Germany-based foundation and museum for art and media technology, presenting exhibitions and research at the intersection of art, technology, and society. It is a regional peer to Eyebeam in mission and category but operates as a much larger government-supported institution outside the US.
• Ars Electronica: Ars Electronica is a Linz, Austria-based nonprofit organization and festival for art, technology, and society, operating a major annual festival and Futurelab research program. It is the international flagship of the art-and-technology nonprofit category, comparable in mission to Eyebeam but operating at much larger scale and on a different continent.

Others

• EMPAC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: EMPAC is the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, presenting experimental work across media arts and technology. It is comparable to Eyebeam's NYU Tandon @ The Yard residency partnership model — a university-affiliated facility supporting emerging technology-driven artistic production — but operates as a university venue rather than an independent nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eyebeamnyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/84534398755
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eyebeam

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Eyebeam