Advisory Board for the Arts

What Advisory Board for the Arts does

Advisory Board for the Arts (ABA) is a private, Washington, D.C.-based research, data, and consulting firm serving the global arts and culture industry. Founded in 2019, the company operates two product lines: ABA Insights, a membership-based research and insights resource delivering surveys, benchmarking data, commissioned research, and peer-networking programming; and ABA Consulting, which provides strategic planning, facilitation, management training, and change-management services delivered by consultants with prior experience at leading firms (including McKinsey) and former arts-sector executive directors. ABA's offerings are supplemented by add-on modules such as the Arts360 analytics platform, Executive Benchmarks surveys, Major Annual Research Initiatives (including topics like AI usage and audience growth), Implementation Workshops, and Leadership & Career Development sessions.

The organization generates revenue through two channels: recurring membership subscriptions tied to ABA Insights access, and project-based professional services engagements under ABA Consulting. Its distribution model is sales-led, relying on direct enterprise sales to arts and culture institutions, supplemented by content marketing (Spotlight Newsletter, LinkedIn, Instagram) and live Virtual Research Forums. ABA claims a membership base of more than 100 organizations across 15 countries, spanning opera companies, ballet companies, orchestras, theaters, performing arts centers, festivals, schools, and museums. Named members include Sydney Opera House, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, MASS MoCA, SF JAZZ, and Fondation Beyeler, indicating a customer base skewed toward established, brand-name cultural institutions. No pricing, revenue figures, funding rounds, ownership structure, or proprietary technology stack are publicly disclosed.

Name

Advisory Board for the Arts

Legal name

Advisory Board for the Arts

Website

https://advisoryboardarts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Advisory Board for the Arts is a private, membership-based research, data, and consulting firm serving over 100 arts and culture organizations across 15 countries through ABA Insights (research/benchmarking) and ABA Consulting (strategic planning and change management).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Culture Advisory

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Arts advisory services
• Cultural consulting
• Arts research insights
• Strategic planning arts
• Audience benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions (ABA Insights): Membership-based research and insights resource supporting critical decision-making of arts and culture organizations. Provides access to research, benchmarks, surveys, and peer networking groups.
2. ABA Consulting Services: Strategic planning, facilitation, management training, and change management support for arts organizations. Works on strategic, financial, and operational issues with consulting engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Advisory Board for the Arts is a global research, data, and consulting firm serving the arts and culture industry. It sells two primary product lines: ABA Insights, a membership-based research and insights resource that provides surveys, benchmarking data, and research reports, and ABA Consulting, which delivers strategic planning, facilitation, management training, and change management services to arts organizations.

Product overview

Advisory Board for the Arts operates as a global research, data & consulting firm serving the arts & culture industry. The company offers two primary product lines: ABA Insights (a membership-based research and insights resource providing surveys, benchmarking data, and research reports) and ABA Consulting (strategic planning and change management services). The core offerings are supplemented by add-on modules including the Arts360 analytics platform, Executive Benchmarks surveys, Major Annual Research Initiatives, Commissioned Research Projects, Peer Networking Groups, Executive Roundtables, Virtual Research Forums, Implementation Workshops, and Leadership & Career Development training sessions. This portfolio is designed to help arts organizations navigate both immediate decisions and long-term strategies through data-driven insights and peer learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABA Insights A membership-based research and insights resource that supports the critical decision-making of arts and culture organizations through surveys, benchmarking data, and research reports.
• ABA Consulting Strategic planning, facilitation, management training, and change management services for arts organizations, delivered by a team of consulting veterans from leading firms and the arts sector.
• Arts360 An analytics platform that extends internal capacity and enables more informed executive decision-making through actionable data tools for arts and culture organizations.
• Leadership & Career Development Interactive training sessions designed to help arts and culture leaders develop managerial and professional skills, including sessions on communication styles, personal operating models, coaching, and change management.

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WolfBrown: Long-standing arts research and consulting firm serving performing arts organizations with audience research, strategic planning, and evaluation services. Highly comparable to ABA in serving cultural institutions with research-driven advisory offerings.
• TRG Arts: Research and consulting firm specializing in arts management, fundraising, data analytics, and benchmarking for performing arts organizations. Operates a comparable subscription/membership data product model closely paralleling ABA Insights.
• AMS Planning & Research: Planning and research consultancy dedicated to the cultural sector, offering strategic planning, audience research, fundraising, and analytics to museums, performing arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Directly comparable in service mix and client base.
• Arts Consulting Group: Management consulting firm exclusively serving the arts and culture industry, providing executive search, fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational development. Overlaps directly with ABA Consulting's strategic planning and change management scope.
• The Cultural Counsel: Advisory firm serving arts and culture leaders with strategy, executive transition, and organizational consulting. Comparable niche specialization and client roster of cultural institutions.
• La Piana Consulting: Strategy and management consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations, including arts, culture, and social sector clients. Comparable strategic planning, organizational design, and change management offerings to ABA Consulting.
• TCC Group: Consulting firm serving foundations, nonprofits, and arts/culture organizations with strategy, evaluation, and capacity-building services. Comparable advisory orientation toward the nonprofit cultural sector.
• Capacity Interactive: Digital marketing agency exclusively serving arts and culture organizations with audience development, data analytics, and digital strategy. Comparable vertical specialization and data-driven approach to serving cultural institutions.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company (Social Sector / Arts & Culture Practice): Global management consulting firm with a dedicated social sector practice serving arts and cultural institutions on strategy, operations, and transformation. Broader portfolio but overlapping arts advisory offering and explicitly cited as the prior employer of ABA team members.
• McKinsey & Company (Cultural Institutions practice within Social Sector): Global professional services firm with arts, culture, and nonprofit advisory capabilities spanning strategy, technology, and operations. Larger and broader but competes for the same arts leadership transformation mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advisory-board-for-the-arts
• Instagraminstagram.com/advisoryarts
• Xx.com/AdvisoryArts
• Facebookfacebook.com/advisoryarts

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 Advisory Board for the Arts