Community Arts Resources

What Community Arts Resources does

Community Arts Resources (CARS) is a privately-held, non-profit arts and culture consultancy headquartered in Los Angeles that has operated continuously since 1989. The firm produces large-scale public events, cultural festivals, open-streets activations, and community engagement programs on behalf of government agencies, transit authorities, municipalities, and cultural institutions across Southern California. Its core clients include the J. Paul Getty Trust (25+ year relationship, 90+ Family Festivals produced), the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Metro, LA County, and the cities of Santa Monica, Glendale, Irvine, Garden Grove, and Beverly Hills. CARS is the original producer of CicLAvia and has executed more than 26 car-free open-streets events across the region, alongside strategic planning engagements for venues such as the Ford Amphitheatre, the San Diego Symphony's Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, and the Warner Grand Theater.

CARS' underlying capability is not technological — the firm operates as a professional services consultancy with no proprietary software, hardware, or platforms. Its value lies in a 30+ year network of community-based organizations, artists, municipal departments, and cultural institutions, combined with demonstrated capacity to coordinate complex multi-agency public-sector projects at scale (e.g., the first-ever two-day LA County open-streets event, the largest LA arts event since the 1984 Olympics with 1,800 artists). Recent projects include the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Zones for LA County, Getty 25 Community Art Festivals across ten neighborhoods, and ongoing Getty Family Festivals that have attracted over 500,000 attendees cumulatively.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue from contract negotiations, RFPs, and direct outreach to public-sector and institutional clients. CARS generates revenue through creative direction, event production, community engagement strategy, public space planning, and institutional milestone programming. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-client via enterprise-style government contracts and institutional partnerships, with no resellers, marketplaces, or indirect channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are negotiated individually; marketing is primarily through the firm's portfolio website (carsla.net), an email newsletter, earned media, and partner referrals. The firm operates with a small core team of 1–10 employees supplemented by project-based creative and event-day labor.

Name

Community Arts Resources

Legal name

Community Arts Resources

Website

https://carsla.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Arts Resources (CARS) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit consultancy founded in 1989 that produces large-scale cultural events, open-streets festivals, and community engagement programs for government agencies, municipalities, and cultural institutions across Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Event Production and Community Arts Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Community arts programming
• Event production services
• Public space planning
• Cultural programming services
• Community engagement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services & Event Production: CARS generates revenue by providing professional services including creative direction, event production, community engagement strategy, and cultural programming to government agencies, municipalities, and cultural institutions. Revenue is project-based and contracted, typically through multi-year agreements with public sector clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Arts Resources produces large-scale cultural events, festivals, open-streets activations, and community engagement programs on a contracted basis for government agencies, municipalities, transit authorities, and cultural institutions across Southern California. The firm provides end-to-end event production, creative direction, artist coordination, public space planning, and community outreach as professional services. It also delivers strategic planning reports and cultural programming studies for institutional clients such as museums, symphonies, and performing arts centers.

Product overview

Community Arts Resources (CARS) is an event production and community engagement firm, not a software or technology product company. Its offering is a portfolio of named event programs and planning services rather than a unified software product. The core programs include CicLAvia (open-streets festivals), COAST (Santa Monica's open streets), Getty Family Festivals and Getty 25 Community Art Festivals, Metro Art programming at Union Station, Play Streets with LADOT, and a range of public space planning, community engagement, and institutional milestone services. CARS also produces virtual programs such as Fantastic Journeys for the Getty. These are delivered as live events and planning consultancy services, not as downloadable software or SaaS products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Events & Festivals End-to-end production of cultural events and festivals for government agencies, municipalities, and cultural institutions, including family festivals, open-streets events, neighborhood celebrations, and institutional milestone events.
• Public Space Planning Strategic planning and programming recommendations for public spaces, including activation plans, governance strategies, and design programming guidance for streetscapes, parks, plazas, and amphitheaters.
• Community Engagement Grassroots community outreach and stakeholder engagement services, including door-to-door engagement, stakeholder meetings, charrettes, walk audits, pop-up events, and digital input platforms for public-sector projects.
• Institutional Milestones & Celebrations Production of major institutional anniversaries, openings, and milestone celebrations for museums, performing arts organizations, and cultural institutions (e.g., Getty Center opening, LA Phil centennial).
• Active Transportation Production and consulting for open-streets, car-free, and active transportation events and corridor planning, including pilot events, pop-up demonstrations, and greenway community support efforts.
• Branding, Marketing & Identity Branding, marketing, and identity services supporting cultural programming initiatives, public space activations, and institutional events, including naming, visual identity, and promotional strategy.
• Educational Programs & Conferences Educational programming and conference services tied to cultural and community topics, including speaker series, workshops, and panel discussions produced in partnership with cultural institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90+ Getty Family Festivals produced for over 500,000 attendees since 1997
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• J. Paul Getty Museum / Getty TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership spanning 25+ years. CARS has produced Getty Family Festivals since 1997, the Getty Center opening celebrations, and Getty 25 neighborhood festivals. The Getty Trust is CARS' most significant and enduring client, representing a multi-decade relationship that has defined CARS' institutional reputation. CARS' charge was to create a relationship between the Getty's collections and the diverse communities of Los Angeles, ensuring the Getty Center became accessible to all peoples of the region.
• Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS partnered with LA Phil and CicLAvia to produce Celebrate LA, a free eight-mile day-long event connecting Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Hollywood Bowl for the Phil's centennial year. CARS also partnered with LA Phil's YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) to produce Getty 25 Celebrates Inglewood at the Beckmen YOLA Center.
• Metro Art / LA MetrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS has an ongoing partnership with Metro Art to produce public programs at Los Angeles Union Station, including Bollywood Express, LAte Night Train of Thought, and Roots and Rails. These events transform Union Station into a space for creativity and connection.
• CicLAviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS was instrumental in founding CicLAvia. Co-founder Aaron Paley developed the concept through his Durfee Fellowship and CARS served as event producer of the pilot CicLAvia on 10/10/10. CARS produced 17 CicLAvia events from 2009 to 2016 and developed the operational template that CicLAvia (now an independent nonprofit) continues to use.
• LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis / LA County Public WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS partnered with LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, LA County Public Works, and Metro to produce the first-ever two-day open streets event in LA County: LA County's Camino City Terrace Presented by Metro. This cross-agency partnership demonstrates CARS' ability to coordinate complex multi-government projects.
• Grand PerformancesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS partnered with Grand Performances to co-produce Metro Art presents LAte Night Train of Thought at Union Station. Grand Performances is a major Los Angeles presenter of free cultural programming.
• Zócalo Public SquaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS partnered with Zócalo Public Square to produce Metro Art presents LAte Night Train of Thought at Union Station, with Zócalo hosting a panel discussion titled 'How Does Art Connect L.A.?'
• City of Santa Monica (Cultural Affairs Division, Office of Sustainability and the Environment, Transportation Planning Division)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS produced COAST, the City of Santa Monica's signature Open Streets Event, in collaboration with multiple city departments from 2016 to 2019. Each event drew over 50,000 attendees along two miles of streets.
• City of IrvinemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS worked with the City of Irvine to develop a strategic plan and produce CicloIrvine, Irvine's first open streets event along nearly two miles of Barranca Parkway and Harvard Avenue.
• City of Garden GrovemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS worked with the City of Garden Grove to develop and produce two open streets events (2014 and 2015) celebrating downtown Garden Grove. The events were credited as the catalyst for economic revitalization of Downtown Garden Grove.
• Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and AltamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS partnered with Alta and LADOT to produce arts and culture-centered events as part of LADOT's Play Streets Program, prioritizing park-poor communities with events designed to attract 400 to 1,000+ people.
• Los Angeles CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS worked with Los Angeles County to produce two Fan Zones for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — at Earvin 'Magic' Johnson Park in South LA and Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in the San Gabriel Valley.
• LA Phil's YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS partnered with LA Phil's YOLA to produce Getty 25 Celebrates Inglewood, the first Getty 25 Community Festival, highlighting the Beckmen YOLA Center as a new addition to Inglewood's arts scene.
• Terasaki Exhibitions / Japanese American National MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS produced the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders for the Japanese American National Museum in collaboration with artist Taiji Terasaki, exploring visible and invisible borders through music, dance, art, and speaker series.
• Go Human / Southern California Association of GovernmentsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeet on Beach was presented by Go Human and the Southern California Association of Governments. CARS served as producer for this multi-city reimagining celebration transforming Beach Boulevard across seven Orange County cities.
• Renew Beach Boulevard CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of the economic revitalization efforts of the Renew Beach Boulevard Coalition, CARS produced Meet on Beach, a multi-city event across seven Orange County cities along Beach Boulevard from La Habra to Huntington Beach.
• Studio 111minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUnder the guidance of Studio 111, CARS completed tasks one and two of three on the design and programming for Artsakh Avenue in the City of Glendale, developing an overarching vision for programming and reviewing programming concepts to inform design specifics.
• Brenda Levin AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCARS was part of a team with Brenda Levin Associates to develop a comprehensive report, mission and rationale for the Ford Amphitheatre's renovation, which was key to County Supervisors' approval and funding.
• Marina del ReymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS is producing Marina del Rey Kickoff at the Coast Los Angeles, featuring sand sculptures and art installations celebrating soccer culture at Mother's Beach throughout the 2026 World Cup tournament.
• Bob Baker Marionette TheatermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS is partnering with Bob Baker Marionette Theater to produce the 12th annual Bob Baker Day, a free community festival celebrating theater founder Bob Baker through puppetry, art, live entertainment, and hands-on activities.
• J. Paul Getty Museum (Virtual Engagement)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARS co-produced Fantastic Journeys: Myth, Magic, and Mysterious Monsters, a virtual family series for the Getty, creating three videos with magical music, puppets, animation, and interactive workshops to bring family festival engagement into people's homes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Better Block: Nonfocused on temporary, citizen-driven public space demonstrations and creative placemaking. Comparable to CARS in its consulting-plus-implementation model for activating streets and underused public spaces in cities.
• CicLAvia: Nonprofit that runs LA's open-streets events. CARS founded CicLAvia and produced 17 of its events from 2009–2016; the two organizations remain deeply intertwined, making CicLAvia the closest direct peer in both mission (car-free community events) and operational model.
• Grand Performances: LA-based free cultural programming presenter that co-produces events with CARS (e.g., Metro Art presents LAte Night Train of Thought at Union Station). Directly comparable as a free outdoor cultural programming producer in the same LA market.
• Open Streets Project: National initiative that supports and advocates for open-streets events across US cities. Operates in the same car-free event category as CARS' CicLAvia, COAST, Re:Imagine Garden Grove, and Meet on Beach work.
• Street Plans Collaborative: Urban planning and tactical urbanism consultancy that advises cities on active transportation, complete streets, and public space pilots. Comparable to CARS for its blend of planning strategy and on-the-ground public space activations.

Others

• Active Transportation Alliance: Chicago-based advocacy organization promoting walking, biking, and transit. Operates in the same active-transportation policy space that underpins CARS' open-streets and Play Streets work for LADOT and Metro.
• National Performance Network: National performing arts network where CARS co-founder Aaron Paley served as the first staff person. Represents an adjacent ecosystem player in community-based performing arts production and touring.
• National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): Association of 96 major North American cities and transit agencies that produces design guidance for streets and public space. Shapes the policy and funding environment for CARS' open-streets and Play Streets municipal projects.

Regional players

• Fringe Festival LA: Performing arts festival in Los Angeles where CARS co-founder Aaron Paley previously served as Director. Operates in the same LA cultural-event space and represents a comparable regional performing-arts / community festival model.
• Los Angeles County Arts Commission: County agency that funds and coordinates cultural programming across LA County. CARS works closely with LA County departments as both funder/partner and contractor; comparable in its role as a convener of civic cultural activity in the same region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Community Arts Resources