A Blade of Grass
A Blade of Grass is an artist-led nonprofit that funds socially engaged artists through grants, commissioned public programming, and the Field Funds peer-mutual-aid mechanism, while publishing the Landscapes digital platform to document the field.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLong Island City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What A Blade of Grass does
A Blade of Grass is an artist-led nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered in Long Island City, New York, that supports socially engaged artists through grants, fellowships, commissioned public programming, and field-building publications. Its primary constituents are individual artists and artist collectives working in socially engaged practice, for whom the organization provides direct funding (including via the Field Funds mechanism), curates commissions such as the 2021 Curriculum for the Future public programming, and convenes an Artist Circle of ten established artists (including Mel Chin, Rick Lowe, Tania Bruguera, Stephanie Dinkins, and Christine Sun Kim) who self-fund their peers.
The organization's core product is Landscapes, a flexible digital publication platform hosted at ablad eofgrass.pub and built on a Sanity CMS, which commissions and publishes conversations, texts, and projects shaped by rotating guest collaborators. The organization runs no traditional commercial product; instead, its operating model is sustained by foundation grants (The Mellon Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Wagner Foundation), individual tax-deductible donations processed through Monkey Pod and Give Lively, and direct contributions from the Artist Circle. Distribution is digital-first via the website, email newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram, with occasional on-site commissions at partner cultural institutions such as Weeksville Heritage Center.
A Blade of Grass firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- A Blade of Grass
- Legal name
- A Blade of Grass
- Website
- https://abladeofgrass.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- A Blade of Grass is an artist-led nonprofit that funds socially engaged artists through grants, commissioned public programming, and the Field Funds peer-mutual-aid mechanism, while publishing the Landscapes digital platform to document the field.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where A Blade of Grass is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Island City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
A Blade of Grass business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants: Sustained funding from institutional foundations including The Mellon Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Wagner Foundation, providing multi-year grant support for programming and artist amplification.
- Individual Donations: Individual donors at every level — from monthly sustainers to first-time contributors — contribute tax-deductible donations via an online portal (Monkey Pod) or by check, providing flexible, responsive funding.
- Artist Circle Membership: An intentional community of artists (Alice Sheppard, Alisha B. Wormsley, Brett Cook, Christine Sun Kim, Mary Mattingly, Mel Chin, Rick Lowe, Stephanie Dinkins, Tania Bruguera, and Valerie J. Maynard Foundation) who contribute directly to fund other artists through Field Funds.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
A Blade of Grass product offering
Product offeringCore offering
A Blade of Grass is an artist-led nonprofit that funds socially engaged art through grants, fellowships, and Field Funds administered via an Artist Circle. The organization commissions public programming at partner cultural institutions (e.g., the 2021 Curriculum for the Future at Weeksville Heritage Center) and publishes the Landscapes digital platform, which features guest-edited issues of conversations, texts, and projects exploring the field.
Product overview
A Blade of Grass is an artist-led organization dedicated to nurturing socially engaged art. The organization operates primarily as a grant-making entity and programmatic organization, with its main digital offering being the 'Landscapes' platform—a flexible digital publication that commissions and shares conversations, texts, and projects exploring ecosystems of socially engaged art.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Landscapes: A flexible digital platform made by A Blade of Grass to explore ecosystems of socially engaged art. Each issue is shaped by a guest collaborator offering a perspective on the field from their vantage point. Landscapes commissions conversations, texts, and projects.
Products and services
- Landscapes A flexible digital publication platform that commissions and publishes guest-edited issues of conversations, texts, and projects exploring ecosystems of socially engaged art. Free and open to the public via the organization's website.
- Artist Grants and Fellowships Direct financial support provided to individual socially engaged artists through the organization's grantmaking programs, funded by institutional foundation partners and individual donations.
- Curriculum for the Future Public programming initiative in which A Blade of Grass commissions artists for projects at partner cultural institutions, exemplified by the 2021 fence-weaving installation by Brooklyn Hi-Art! Machine at Weeksville Heritage Center.
- Field Funds Mutual-aid funding mechanism in which Artist Circle members (Alice Sheppard, Alisha B. Wormsley, Brett Cook, Christine Sun Kim, Mary Mattingly, Mel Chin, Rick Lowe, Stephanie Dinkins, Tania Bruguera, and Valerie J. Maynard Foundation) contribute directly to fund other socially engaged artists.
Companies that use A Blade of Grass
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
A Blade of Grass technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
A Blade of Grass partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Artist Circle MemberscoreArtist Circle is an intentional community of ten established artists (Alice Sheppard, Alisha B. Wormsley, Brett Cook, Christine Sun Kim, Mary Mattingly, Mel Chin, Rick Lowe, Stephanie Dinkins, Tania Bruguera, and Valerie J. Maynard Foundation) who contribute directly to fund other artists through Field Funds. This peer-support model reflects a commitment to mutual aid and the redistribution of resources within the artist community.
- Weeksville Heritage CenterminorA Blade of Grass commissioned Brooklyn Hi-Art! Machine to install a fence weaving at the perimeter of the Weeksville Heritage Center as part of its 2021 Curriculum for the Future public programming, demonstrating a partnership-based commissioning model with cultural heritage institutions.
- Brooklyn Hi-Art! MachineminorBrooklyn Hi-Art! Machine (artists Mildred Beltré and Oasa DuVerney) was commissioned by A Blade of Grass in 2021 for Curriculum for the Future public programming at Weeksville Heritage Center.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights3 records
A Blade of Grass competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Creative Capital: National nonprofit that provides grants and professional development to individual artists working in innovative practice. Most directly comparable to A Blade of Grass as a peer grant-maker serving contemporary artists with project funding, though less narrowly focused on socially engaged practice.
- MAP Fund: Grant-making program supporting live performance and interdisciplinary practice with social engagement. Comparable as a project-based nonprofit funder of socially engaged contemporary work with similar values around community impact.
- The Laundromat Project: NYC-based nonprofit that supports artists working in community engagement and socially engaged practice through fellowship-style programs. The closest peer in niche — specifically community-anchored, socially engaged art — even though smaller and more place-based than A Blade of Grass.
- Anonymous Was A Woman: Annual unrestricted grant to women-identifying artists over 40. Comparable as a donor-funded nonprofit granting significant sums to individual artists, though narrower in demographic scope than ABoG.
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Nonprofit providing grants to individual artists for innovative contemporary work. Directly comparable as a grant-making arts organization, although broader in discipline scope than A Blade of Grass.
- Pollock-Krasner Foundation: Provides financial assistance to individual working artists through grants. Comparable as a nonprofit artist-grant vehicle with a foundation-funded model, although its criteria emphasize visual art rather than socially engaged practice.
- United States Artists: Nonprofit that awards unrestricted USA Fellowships of $50,000 to artists across disciplines. Comparable as a fellowship/grant-making nonprofit supporting working artists, with a similar foundation-funded model.
- Joan Mitchell Foundation: Foundation providing grants, fellowships, and residencies to visual artists. Shares the artist-support and grant-making mission with A Blade of Grass, although its scope (painting, sculpture, work on paper) is broader than social practice.
Broad incumbents
- New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): Larger, broader arts nonprofit serving New York State artists with grants, residencies, and resources. A scaled incumbent that supports artists along similar dimensions but with a wider scope than ABoG's socially engaged practice focus.
Regional players
- Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC): NYC-based nonprofit providing workspace, residencies, and grants to artists. Closely tied to the New York arts ecosystem and overlapping in artist-support functions, though more focused on space provision than socially engaged practice.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
A Blade of Grass social profiles
Digital presenceA Blade of Grass financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
A Blade of Grass leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
A Blade of Grass funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
A Blade of Grass M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about A Blade of Grass
What does A Blade of Grass do?
A Blade of Grass is an artist-led nonprofit that funds socially engaged art through grants, fellowships, and Field Funds administered via an Artist Circle. The organization commissions public programming at partner cultural institutions (e.g., the 2021 Curriculum for the Future at Weeksville Heritage Center) and publishes the Landscapes digital platform, which features guest-edited issues of conversations, texts, and projects exploring the field.
Is A Blade of Grass a public or private company?
A Blade of Grass is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was A Blade of Grass founded?
A Blade of Grass was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is A Blade of Grass based?
A Blade of Grass is headquartered in Long Island City, United States, in the North America region.
How does A Blade of Grass make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations and artist Circle Membership.
Who are A Blade of Grass's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Creative Capital, MAP Fund, The Laundromat Project, Anonymous Was A Woman, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, United States Artists and Joan Mitchell Foundation. New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is listed as a broad incumbent. Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) is listed as a regional player.
Does A Blade of Grass have an API?
No public API is recorded for A Blade of Grass.