Snap Foundation

What Snap Foundation does

Snap Foundation is a Santa Monica-based nonprofit organization that develops pathways to the creative economy for underrepresented youth in Los Angeles. It does so through three principal mechanisms: a trust-based grant-making program that funds a curated portfolio of approximately 17 LA-based nonprofit organizations across film, theater, visual arts, architecture, and design (including Venice Arts, Ghetto Film School, Inner-City Arts, Better Youth, Girls Inc. of Los Angeles, Manifest Works, Architecture for Communities LA, ICA LA, Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Ready to Succeed, Center Theatre Group, 826LA, Ryman Arts, Entertainment Equity Alliance, ESMoA, and CERF+); a direct-to-youth engagement platform anchored by The Creator's Compass newsletter and resource hub, distributed via email, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube to creative youth ages 14-24 and their educators and mentors; and signature convenings and research outputs, notably FUTURES SUMMIT LA25 and the annual Otis College Report on the Creative Economy. The foundation operates with 1-10 employees from a single headquarters at 3000 31st Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405.

The foundation's underlying 'technology' is primarily content and community infrastructure rather than software: The Creator's Compass functions as a digital newsletter and resource hub, and the organization maintains a youth advisory structure that embeds participatory grant-making. Notable programmatic components include Creative Careers Online, a digital career-navigation tool co-developed with the LA Arts Education Collective and Gladeo in 2022, and the Youth Advisory Council, which gives young people direct advisory roles over funding decisions. The foundation is funded through the philanthropy of Snap Inc. (Evan Spiegel, co-founder of Snapchat) but operates as an independent nonprofit entity with its own board and governance.

Snap Foundation does not generate revenue in the conventional sense. It is funded by Snap Inc. philanthropy and disburses capital to grantees, with no consumer pricing or fee-for-service model. Its geographic and demographic scope is deliberately narrow: a single-country, single-metro focus on Los Angeles youth ages 14-24 (with grantee programs extending to ages 10-18 in some cases). Note: source materials disagree on the founding year, with firmographic data listing 2017 while the company's own timeline, website copyright, and operating history consistently reference 2023; the 2023 date is treated as authoritative.

Name

Snap Foundation

Legal name

Snap Foundation

Website

https://snapfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Snap Foundation is a Santa Monica-based nonprofit that funds and convenes programs connecting underrepresented LA youth (ages 14-24) to the creative economy. It supports 17+ nonprofit grantees, runs The Creator's Compass newsletter, hosts FUTURES SUMMIT, and publishes research with Otis College, funded by Snap Inc. philanthropy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Child and Youth Services (62411), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grant making
• Youth creative development
• Arts education funding
• Creative economy programs
• Nonprofit foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grant Making: Snap Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations and collaboratives that support youth and communities within the arts, culture, design, and innovation industries across Los Angeles. The foundation is funded through the philanthropy of Snap Inc. (Evan Spiegel, co-founder of Snapchat).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Snap Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation that provides grants to nonprofit organizations and collaboratives supporting underrepresented youth in Los Angeles' arts, culture, design, and innovation industries. The foundation operates The Creator's Compass newsletter and resource hub for creative youth ages 14-24, hosts events such as FUTURES SUMMIT LA25, and partners with Otis College on the annual Otis College Report on the Creative Economy. Programs are aimed at creating pathways to artistic careers and economic inclusivity for young people in LA's creative economy.

Product overview

Snap Foundation operates as a nonprofit grant-making organization that develops pathways to the creative economy for underrepresented youth in Los Angeles. The foundation's offerings center on The Creator's Compass newsletter and resource hub for youth ages 14-24, grant programs supporting nonprofit organizations in arts, culture, design and innovation, the Otis College Report on the Creative Economy partnership, grantee program spotlights, and internal impact reporting. The foundation also supports Creative Careers Online, a digital career navigation tool developed in partnership with the Arts Education Collective and Gladeo, along with the Youth Advisory Council for participatory grant-making. All programs are designed to connect young people to career opportunities and economic inclusivity as working creatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Creator's Compass: A newsletter and resource hub curated by the Snap Foundation connecting LA's creative youth (ages 14-24) to jobs, skills, and community opportunities in the creative economy.

Products and services

• Our Giving (Grants Program) A grant-making program that provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and collaboratives supporting youth and communities within the arts, culture, design, and innovation industries across Los Angeles.
• The Creator's Compass

Quantifiable outcome

• The creative economy contributes nearly 15% ($507.4 billion) of California's $3.4 trillion economy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Otis CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Snap Foundation partners with Otis College to present the annual Otis College Report on the Creative Economy, an authoritative research program examining the impact of the creative sector. The partnership includes in-depth studies, an interactive digital dashboard, and a series of launch events. The 2026 report titled 'Creative Disruption: AI and California's Creative Economy (2022–2025)' was launched at Snap Inc. headquarters on April 7, 2026.
• Arts Education CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Arts Education Collective, an initiative of Los Angeles's Department of Arts and Culture, partnered with Creative Careers Online (a Gladeo platform) to create a digital tool for young people in LA county to understand the creative economy and navigate careers within it. The platform provides pathways to creative careers targeting underserved communities.
• Venice ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenice Arts is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization ignites, expands and transforms the lives of youth through creativity and storytelling practices, serving low income, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and foster youth ages 10-18 through programs in photography, filmmaking and animation.
• Ghetto Film SchoolcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGhetto Film School is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization teaches, develops, and celebrates tomorrow's filmmakers through high-quality education and early-career support, serving 8,000 storytellers annually with programs in NYC, Los Angeles, and London.
• Inner-City ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInner-City Arts is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization equips Los Angeles teens with skills, training, and real-world experience in performing and media arts through its Work of Art (WOA) program.
• Better YouthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBetter Youth is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The mentoring and media arts nonprofit instills creative confidence and prepares foster/system-impacted youth for sustainable success within the creative economy, having served over 12,000 young people over 16 years.
• Girls Inc. of Los AngelescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGirls Inc. of Los Angeles is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization empowers girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy, serving nearly 1,000 girls at schools in South Los Angeles, Watts, and Venice.
• Manifest WorkscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerManifest Works is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization creates paths of opportunity for individuals impacted by foster care, homelessness and incarceration, connecting them with meaningful job opportunities in the creative economy within Film & Television.
• Architecture for Communities LAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerArchitecture for Communities LA (ACLA) is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The independent nonprofit makes architecture and design more accessible to students and communities through hands-on programs, mentorships, and scholarships.
• Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerICA LA is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The Agency of Assets fellowship program builds pathways for youth into the creative economy through learning workshops, mentorships, and excursions, with 15 participants per yearly cohort from areas including Boyle Heights, Downtown LA, and South LA.
• Crenshaw Dairy MartcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCrenshaw Dairy Mart is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The artist-led community collective based in Inglewood is dedicated to ancestry, abolition, and healing, empowering marginalized artists to join the creative economy.
• Ready to SucceedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerReady to Succeed is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization closes the opportunity gap for foster care-affected youth by connecting Scholars to career pathways in the creative economy, including mentorship with AEG and Live Nation.
• Center Theatre GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCenter Theatre Group is a grantee of Snap Foundation. LA's leading non-profit theatre company presents plays supporting underrepresented voices in the creative economy.
• The Unusual Suspects Theatre CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Unusual Suspects Theatre Company is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization provides theater programming for youth, addressing the future of theater and engaging young people in performing arts.
• 826LAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner826LA is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The nonprofit organization supports young writers through creative writing workshops and mentorship programs.
• Ryman ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRyman Arts is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The nonprofit provides free art education to young people in Southern California, empowering them to explore their creativity and pursue a future in the arts.
• Entertainment Equity AlliancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment Equity Alliance is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization offers career exposure and education to students through events, online resources, and educational frameworks.
• ESMoA (Experimentally Structured Museum of Art)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerESMoA is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The free nonprofit museum in Lawndale fosters creative thinking in the South Bay through experimental art exhibitions, public programs, and artist residencies.
• Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCERF+ is a grantee of Snap Foundation. The organization provides rapid grants and preparedness support to help Los Angeles craft artists recover from the Palisades and Eaton fires while preserving cultural traditions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Annenberg Foundation: Large LA-based private foundation funding arts, education, and youth development. Directly comparable as a regional grantmaker with significant arts/education programming and grantees that overlap with Snap Foundation's portfolio.
• California Community Foundation: LA-based community foundation distributing grants across arts, education, and youth programs. Comparable as a regional grantmaker serving many of the same LA nonprofits and community-based organizations.
• Weingart Foundation: Major LA-based private foundation funding nonprofits serving low-income and underrepresented communities. Comparable in focus on Southern California grantmaking for underserved populations, with overlapping grantee types in arts and youth services.
• LA84 Foundation: LA-based foundation focused on youth access to sport and related developmental opportunities. Comparable as an LA-focused private foundation supporting youth pathways, with overlapping geographic and beneficiary focus.
• Herb Alpert Foundation: LA-based private foundation focused on arts education and youth access to the arts. Closely aligned with Snap Foundation's arts/youth creative economy mission and grants similar types of LA-based arts nonprofits.
• The Broad Foundation: LA-based foundation (Eli and Edythe Broad) with significant arts and education grantmaking. Comparable as a private LA foundation with arts programming and youth education focus, operating at larger scale than Snap Foundation.

Broad incumbents

• Emerson Collective: Tech-billionaire-backed philanthropic organization (Laurene Powell Jobs) operating across education, arts, and equity. Comparable as a tech-affiliated foundation pursuing social impact with significant scale and broader geographic scope than Snap Foundation.
• Ballmer Group: Philanthropic organization funded by Steve Ballmer focused on economic mobility for children and families. Comparable as tech-billionaire-backed philanthropy targeting youth economic opportunity at much larger scale.
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: Tech-billionaire-backed philanthropic LLC funded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Comparable corporate-affiliated philanthropy model with education, community, and equity programs — operating at far larger scale.
• The California Endowment: Large California-focused health foundation with significant grantmaking to underserved communities. Comparable in California-centered grantmaking to vulnerable populations, though oriented around health rather than creative economy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snap-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments11 records

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Frequently asked questions about Snap Foundation