ArtsBuild
ArtsBuild is a Chattanooga-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1969, that serves as the central grant-maker, arts educator, and advocate for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County arts ecosystem through programs reaching K-12 students, artists, arts organizations, and local businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersChattanooga, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ArtsBuild does
ArtsBuild is a Chattanooga-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1969 (originally as Allied Arts) that operates as the central convening and grant-making body for the arts ecosystem across Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Tennessee. The organization runs a four-pillar portfolio: (1) grant-making through Mission Support Grants (awarded to 20 local arts organizations annually), Community Cultural Connections Grants (150+ unique programs funded since 2012), REGIA racial-equity grants for Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino(a)(x) artists, and the NEA-funded United We Create: America 250 grants; (2) arts education anchored on the Imagine! program, which reaches approximately 14,000 K-5 students across every elementary school in Hamilton County through formal delivery partnerships with seven cultural institutions including Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga Ballet, and the Hunter Museum of American Art, plus Kennedy Center Any Given Child affiliation; (3) arts leadership via the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute (300+ graduates since 2005), Opportunity Fellows paid internships, and Periscope CHA artist-entrepreneur training (licensed in 2023 from the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville); and (4) advocacy and community engagement including Arts Week (an annual 50-70+ event celebration), the newly launched Culture Works business-engagement program (2026), and a Community Performing Arts Center feasibility study (2025). The underlying technology stack is minimal: a Google Maps-based engagement map, built with the Chattanooga Design Studio, visualizes the geographic reach of grant-making and programs across the county. ArtsBuild is headquartered on the second floor of The Arts Building (301 E. 11th Street), donated to the organization by WEHCO Media in 2015, which also houses for-profit arts school Townsend Atelier and nonprofit ceramic studio Scenic City Clay Arts.
ArtsBuild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ArtsBuild
- Legal name
- ArtsBuild
- Website
- https://artsbuild.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ArtsBuild is a Chattanooga-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1969, that serves as the central grant-maker, arts educator, and advocate for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County arts ecosystem through programs reaching K-12 students, artists, arts organizations, and local businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ArtsBuild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Arts Grantmaking and Education Services
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)
Keywords
Where ArtsBuild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chattanooga
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ArtsBuild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Annual Campaign: ArtsBuild generates primary revenue through an annual fundraising campaign with individual donors, corporate partners, and foundation supporters. The organization reported 650+ annual campaign donors.
- Foundation and Government Grants: ArtsBuild receives grant funding from organizations such as the Lyndhurst Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, and local government to fund specific programs and initiatives.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
ArtsBuild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ArtsBuild is a private nonprofit arts organization that invests in arts organizations, education, and leadership across the Chattanooga-Hamilton County region. It provides grant funding (Mission Support, Community Cultural Connections, REGIA, America 250), delivers K-5 arts education through the Imagine! program, develops arts leadership via the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute and Opportunity Fellows, and supports artist entrepreneurship through Periscope CHA, while advocating for arts policy and connecting the arts and business sectors through Culture Works and Arts Week.
Product overview
ArtsBuild is a nonprofit arts organization that operates as a unified portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single software product. Its core offerings span four main areas: (1) Grant Making, including Mission Support Grants, Community Cultural Connections Grants, REGIA Racial Equity Grants, and United We Create: America 250 Grants; (2) Arts Education, centered on the Imagine! program for K-5 students and educator training through the Arts, Education & Ideas Series; (3) Arts Leadership, comprising the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute (HALI), the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award (RHALA), Opportunity Fellows internships, and Periscope CHA artist entrepreneur training; and (4) Advocacy and Community Engagement, including Arts Week celebrations and Culture Works business partnerships. Additional offerings include The ArtsBuild Muse publication and the Community Performing Arts Center Feasibility Study initiative. Together, these programs aim to provide 'more arts in more places for more people' across Chattanooga-Hamilton County.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Imagine!: Arts education initiative providing systematic introduction to the arts for Hamilton County elementary school students through performances and exhibits
- Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute
- Periscope CHA
- Culture Works
- Arts Week
- REGIA
- Opportunity Fellows
- The Muse
Quantifiable outcome
- $80M+ invested into local arts since 1969; $500,000 in grants awarded annually; 750,000+ people served by community arts partners each year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ArtsBuild
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ArtsBuild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ArtsBuild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Chattanooga Chamber of CommercecoreProgram partner for Culture Works: Arts Supportive Businesses, a new initiative celebrating local businesses that engage with the arts community, moving beyond traditional sponsorships toward sustainable integrated partnership models.
- River City CompanycoreProgram partner for Culture Works initiative, working to strengthen connections between the private sector and creative economy in Chattanooga.
- City of Chattanooga Office of Arts, Culture & Creative EconomycoreProgram partner for Culture Works initiative, collaborating on efforts to integrate arts support into the broader economic development strategy.
- Arts & Business Council of Greater NashvillecoreLicensed the Periscope artist entrepreneur training program to ArtsBuild, which has been adapted for Chattanooga. The program provides business skills training for artists culminating in pitch competitions.
- RISE ChattanoogaminorVenue partner for Periscope CHA events and program activities.
- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtscoreArtsBuild and Hamilton County Schools are partners in the Kennedy Center's Partners in Education program and Any Given Child program, providing professional development for teachers and strategic coordination of arts education.
- Hamilton County SchoolscoreLong-standing partner for Any Given Child program, supporting arts education access for all K-8 students. ArtsBuild serves as lead organization for the initiative.
- University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaminorPartner through UTC-Wolf Trap teaching artist program and Arts-Based Collaborative (ABC-Arts) for arts education development.
- WTCI-PBSminorArts education partner providing professional development resources for teachers through the Arts, Education & Ideas Summit.
- Creative Discovery MuseumcoreArts education partner delivering Imagine! program experiences for Hamilton County K-5 students.
- Chattanooga Theatre CentrecoreArts education partner delivering theatre and performance experiences for Imagine! program students.
- Chattanooga BalletcoreArts education partner delivering dance and ballet experiences through the Imagine! program.
- Chattanooga Symphony & OperacoreArts education partner providing musical performance experiences for Imagine! program students.
- Hunter Museum of American ArtcoreArts education partner providing visual arts museum experiences for Imagine! program students.
- Sculpture FieldscoreArts education partner providing outdoor sculpture park experiences for Imagine! program students.
- Scenic City Clay ArtscoreArts education partner providing clay and ceramics workshops for Imagine! program, including professional glazing and firing services for student artwork.
- The Pop-up ProjectminorPartner for Speaking Through Dance arts integration workshop and collaborative arts education programming.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ArtsBuild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit advocating for the arts and producing the Arts & Economic Prosperity studies cited by ArtsBuild; a broader-incumbent peer in arts advocacy and impact research.
- Mid-America Arts Alliance: Regional arts organization serving six states with grantmaking, touring, and capacity-building programs; a broader-scale peer in arts funding and ecosystem support.
- New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): Statewide arts organization providing grants, fellowships, and professional development to artists; comparable in mission to ArtsBuild's artist-support programs at greater scale.
Direct peers
- United Arts of Central Florida: Central Florida's regional arts council and grantmaker coordinating funding, advocacy, and education across a multi-county region; structurally analogous to ArtsBuild's role in Chattanooga-Hamilton County.
- Houston Arts Alliance: Local arts council that administers city and cultural arts funding and operates arts education and grant programs, structurally comparable to ArtsBuild's combined grantmaking and education mandate.
- Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: Regional cultural alliance providing research, advocacy, and capacity-building for arts organizations in Greater Philadelphia, similar to ArtsBuild's ecosystem-coordination role.
- Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council: Regional arts council providing grantmaking, advocacy, and professional development to arts organizations and artists in the Pittsburgh metro, comparable to ArtsBuild's funding and leadership programs.
- ArtsWave (Cincinnati): Cincinnati-based community-supported arts council that combines annual campaign fundraising, grantmaking, and arts advocacy for a regional arts ecosystem, mirroring ArtsBuild's hub-and-spoke model.
- TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) - Dallas: Dallas-based arts council supporting performing, visual, and literary arts organizations through grants and capacity-building; a close direct peer in mission and operating model.
- Arts Council Indianapolis: Indianapolis-based arts council providing grants, advocacy, and capacity-building services to arts organizations and artists, directly analogous to ArtsBuild's nonprofit hub model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ArtsBuild social profiles
Digital presenceArtsBuild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ArtsBuild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ArtsBuild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ArtsBuild 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 ArtsBuild
What does ArtsBuild do?
ArtsBuild is a private nonprofit arts organization that invests in arts organizations, education, and leadership across the Chattanooga-Hamilton County region. It provides grant funding (Mission Support, Community Cultural Connections, REGIA, America 250), delivers K-5 arts education through the Imagine! program, develops arts leadership via the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute and Opportunity Fellows, and supports artist entrepreneurship through Periscope CHA, while advocating for arts policy and connecting the arts and business sectors through Culture Works and Arts Week.
Is ArtsBuild a public or private company?
ArtsBuild is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ArtsBuild founded?
ArtsBuild was founded in 1969. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ArtsBuild based?
ArtsBuild is headquartered in Chattanooga, United States, in the North America region.
How does ArtsBuild make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Annual Campaign is the primary driver. The others are foundation and Government Grants.
Who are ArtsBuild's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Americans for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). Direct peers are United Arts of Central Florida, Houston Arts Alliance, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, ArtsWave (Cincinnati), TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) - Dallas and Arts Council Indianapolis.
Does ArtsBuild have an API?
No public API is recorded for ArtsBuild.
What industry is ArtsBuild in?
ArtsBuild's product category is Nonprofit Arts Grantmaking and Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs. Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 8600.