Art as Mentorship

What Art as Mentorship does

Art as Mentorship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 300 Gladstone Blvd. in Kansas City's Historic Northeast, founded in 2017 by Enrique Chi, lead guitarist and vocalist of the Latin GRAMMY-nominated band Making Movies. The organization delivers a youth music education ecosystem targeting ages 11-20, with a particular focus on underrepresented young artists including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and youth facing mental health challenges. Core programming is built around the Rebel Song Academy (RSA), a 12-week curriculum developed with 30+ industry and mental health leaders (including art therapist Sherri Jacobs) in which students work one-on-one with Grammy Award-winning mentors to write, record, publish, and perform an original song. Supporting products include the week-long Ignition Camp, RSA Spring weekly sessions, RSA Drop-In consultations, RSA Live! performance opportunities, the paid Stars Out ensemble for ages 16-20, and the annual Celebrate AMERI'KANA Music & Arts Festival co-produced with Making Movies.

The organization's technical assets are primarily pedagogical and physical rather than software-based. Proprietary intellectual property includes the C.A.R.E. Method (Creation, Alchemy, Release, Experiment), the W.A.V.E.S. philosophy framework, and the 12-module RSA curriculum that explicitly integrates mental health principles with songwriting and music production skills. The physical infrastructure centers on The LAB, a state-of-the-art recording studio at the AMHQ where students receive free studio time to produce professionally mixed and mastered original songs (456 hours provided in 2022 alone, yielding 30 recorded songs). A separate Making Waves event at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art extends the work into arts-health programming with workshops, neuroscience collaborations, and ArtsRx LIVE! sessions. The technology stack is conventional nonprofit infrastructure: WordPress-style website, Squarespace for event pages, Square for merchandise, and Venmo for donations, with no disclosed software platform, API, or AI tooling.

The revenue model is grant and donation-dependent rather than market-based. Programming is offered free or low-cost (e.g., a $50 suggested donation for Ignition Camp) to remove financial barriers. Revenue streams include individual donations, the tiered SoundBoard sustaining membership ($10-$150/month) and Band-Aid monthly subscription, foundation and corporate grants (H&R Block, Kauffman, Muriel McBrien Kauffman, Levitt, Richard J. Stern, Francis Family, Hallmark, NEA, Chicken N' Pickle, Alt Cap, and others), and modest earned revenue from the Stars Out ensemble. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: programs are delivered at AMHQ, via satellite partnerships with schools and community organizations across the Kansas City Metro and Topeka, and through a virtual mentorship layer that extends reach nationally. The organization reports serving 800+ students cumulatively (4,000+ referenced in one source) across 12+ active KC Metro programs.

Name

Art as Mentorship

Legal name

Art as Mentorship, Inc.

Website

https://artasmentorship.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Art as Mentorship is a Kansas City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free music education and mentorship to underrepresented youth ages 11-20. Through its Rebel Song Academy, Grammy-winning mentors guide students to write, record, and perform original songs, supported by a state-of-the-art recording studio and an annual arts festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Music Education and Mentorship

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE), Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)

Keywords

• Youth music education
• Music mentorship programs
• Youth arts nonprofit
• Songwriting instruction
• Music workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting youth music education and mentorship programs. One-time and recurring donation options available.
2. SoundBoard Sustaining Membership: Monthly recurring donation program with tiered benefits including stickers, mugs, exclusive shirts, festival VIP access, and custom mixtapes of student songs.
3. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations including H&R Block Foundation, Levitt Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Francis Family Foundation, and corporate sponsors.
4. Program Participation Contributions: Suggested donations for program participation, such as $50 suggested donation for Ignition Camp lunch costs. Maintains accessibility with no financial barrier for families.
5. Stars Out Paid Ensemble: Youth performers earn $250 for participating in rehearsal camp plus additional compensation for performances at booked venues including festivals and community events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Art as Mentorship delivers free youth music education and mentorship programs for young artists ages 11-18, anchored by the 12-week Rebel Song Academy curriculum where students write, record, publish, and perform an original song under guidance from GRAMMY-winning and world-class musician mentors. Supporting programs include Ignition Camp (week-long summer bootcamp), RSA Spring (weekly sessions), RSA Drop-In (introductory consults), RSA Live! (performance opportunities), and the paid Stars Out performing ensemble, all integrated with mental health principles through the proprietary C.A.R.E. Method and supported by the in-house LAB recording studio.

Product overview

Art as Mentorship is a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive ecosystem of youth music education programs centered on the Rebel Song Academy (RSA). The core offering is a 12-week RSA curriculum where students ages 14-18 work with Grammy Award-winning industry mentors to write, record, publish, and perform original songs. Supporting programs include RSA Spring (free weekly sessions), RSA Drop-In (introductory consultations), Ignition Camp (week-long summer bootcamp for ages 11-18), RSA Live! (performance opportunities), and Stars Out (paid performing ensemble for ages 16-20). The organization also operates The LAB recording studio and produces the annual Celebrate AMERI'KANA Music & Arts Festival and Making Waves arts-health event. Funded programs are supported by sustaining membership tiers (SoundBoard) and subscription service (Band-Aid), with merchandise available through a Square e-commerce store. All programs incorporate mental health principles through the proprietary C.A.R.E. Method framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rebel Song Academy (RSA): The heart of Art as Mentorship's programming. A 12-week curriculum exploring young artists' full potential through creativity, mentorship, and fostering exploration and achievement. Students work with industry-professional mentors to write, record, publish, and perform an original song.
• Ignition Camp
• RSA Spring
• RSA Drop-In
• RSA Live!
• Stars Out
• Making Waves
• The LAB
• The C.A.R.E. Method

Products and services

• Rebel Song Academy (RSA) Flagship 12-week music mentorship program for young artists ages 14-18 where students work directly with industry-professional mentors to write, record, publish, and perform an original song, learning transferable real-world skills and mental health principles through a 12-module curriculum.
• Ignition Camp
• RSA Spring Free in-house weekly music camp program for experienced young artists held every Thursday from 6-8pm March through May. Participants collaborate under industry professional direction, gain access to The LAB recording studio, and enjoy performance opportunities through RSA Live!
• RSA Drop-In Free introductory consultation program for students new to Rebel Song Academy. Students meet one-on-one with mentors to discover songwriting, production, and recording opportunities and connect with the right program for their needs. Available virtually or at AMHQ.
• RSA Live! Supplemental sister program of Rebel Song Academy providing real-world performance opportunities at venues like Crossroads Music Fest and Plaza Art Fair. Connects students virtually with nationally renowned mentors through virtual chat rooms.
• Stars Out Paid performing ensemble for advanced young musicians ages 16-20. Summer bootcamp with rehearsal sessions followed by booked performances. Participants earn compensation for participation and performances, including headlining slots at major festivals like Celebrate AMERI'KANA, Crossroads Music Fest, and Plaza Art Fair.
• Celebrate AMERI'KANA Music & Arts Festival Free neighborhood arts festival celebrating BIPOC musicians and the diverse Kansas City arts community. Collaborative project between Art as Mentorship and Making Movies exploring America's music. Features national, local, and youth performers and artisans.
• Making Waves Community-wide event examining the essential role of the arts in health and wellness. Held at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, combining interactive workshops (Popcorn Songwriting, Joy through Movement, Meditative Making, Tactile Tour, Collaboration Lab, A Beautiful Disruption) with talks from industry innovators, live brain scans, and arts-health programming.
• SoundBoard Sustaining Membership Monthly recurring donation program with tiered benefits ranging from $10 to $150 per month. Benefits include AM sticker sets, logo mugs, exclusive shirts by ODDITIES, VIP access to Celebrate AMERI'KANA Festival, major project recognition, and custom mixtapes of student songs.
• Band-Aid Subscription Monthly subscription service providing community members a simple way to support the organization, starting at $10 per month (approximately $0.35 per day).
• The LAB Recording Studio State-of-the-art recording studio at AMHQ where students create professionally mixed and mastered original songs for release. Provides free studio time for program participants.
• The C.A.R.E. Method Proprietary methodology deconstructing the creative process in music: Creation (harness creative spark), Alchemy (find right elements), Release (design sharing plan), Experiment (build authentic audiences). Framework at the heart of all organizational programs.
• MERCH (Art as Mentorship Store) Online merchandise store selling Art as Mentorship branded items including apparel and accessories, operating on Square's e-commerce platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95.5% of students report increased self-confidence
• +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

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Making MoviescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Founding collaborative partner in the AMERI'KANA project. Making Movies, led by Enrique Chi (also Art as Mentorship founder), created the AMERI'KANA festival to benefit Art as Mentorship. The band has used benefit concerts since 2015 to establish and raise resources for AM. NPR coverage of the Making Movies album led to PBS documentary and AMERI'KANA project.
• Harmony Project KCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue partner for Ignition Summer Camp. Provides NEKC campus facilities (544 Wabash Ave) for week-long songwriting bootcamp. Students from both organizations collaborate and perform together.
• Kansas City Kansas School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner hosting RSA satellite programs at Wyandotte High School and Alfred Fairfax Academy. District serves diverse student population in under-resourced communities.
• Kansas City International AcademysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school hosting RSA programming for students.
• Liberty AcademysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative education partner hosting RSA satellite program.
• Synergy Services - Youth Resiliency CentersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth services organization hosting RSA programming for resilient youth participants.
• Mill Creek Alternative SchoolsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative school in Olathe, KS hosting RSA satellite program. Principal Seth Schwieterman provided testimonial praising program impact.
• Boys and Girls Club of TopekasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtended RSA programming to Topeka location, serving youth beyond Kansas City Metro area.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Making Waves arts and health event. Director Julián Zugazagoitia serves on Art as Mentorship advisory board. Museum provides space for workshops and community gatherings.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock): Large national nonprofit that provides free music instruction, instruments, and teacher training to under-resourced schools. Comparable youth music education mission with a focus on modern genres (rock, pop, hip-hop), paralleling AM's approach.
• Harmony Project (national): National nonprofit providing free music education to youth in underserved communities. Art as Mentorship already partners with Harmony Project KC for the Ignition Camp, indicating overlapping mission and target population.
• Nashville Songwriters Association Foundation (NSAI): Songwriting education and mentorship nonprofit hosting workshops, song camps, and youth programs. Directly comparable in songwriting/mentorship focus for emerging songwriters, with strong industry-professional mentor network.
• Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: Nonprofit that supports music education through instrument donations and program grants to under-resourced schools. Comparable in youth-music-equity mission, though more equipment-focused than mentorship-focused.
• Berklee City Music Network: Network of nonprofit music education programs affiliated with Berklee College of Music, providing contemporary music instruction and mentorship to youth from underserved communities. Closely matches AM's industry-mentor-led, contemporary-pop pedagogy.
• Inner-City Arts: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing arts education to underserved youth, including music. Comparable model of free, in-depth creative arts instruction for under-resourced youth with strong outcome reporting.

Broad incumbents

• Songwriters Hall of Fame (education programs): Hosts songwriting workshops, master classes, and youth programs (e.g., GRAMMY Camp partnership). Comparable industry-mentor-led songwriting education model with a national brand.
• The Grammy Museum Music Education Programs: Music education programs and camps leveraging Grammy brand and network of professional musicians. Comparable in connecting working musicians with youth, though part of a larger institutional portfolio.
• Carnegie Hall Music Education Programs: Major institutional music education initiatives (Link Up, Lullaby Project, Future Music Project). Large national footprint and broader programming focus, but serves a similar youth-music-education mission.

Emerging players

• Notes for Education: Smaller nonprofit providing music education and instruments to under-resourced schools and youth. Comparable mission and target demographic, though a smaller, less established footprint than AM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artasmentorship
• YouTubeyoutube.com/artasmentorship
• Facebookfacebook.com/artasmentorship
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art-as-mentorship
• Instagraminstagram.com/artasmentorship
• Pinterestpinterest.com/artasmentorship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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 Art as Mentorship