29 Pieces

What 29 Pieces does

29 Pieces is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and education organization (EIN 34-2038797) founded in 2005 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Its core deliverable is the Artists Making a Kinder World curriculum — more than 15 evidence-based, hands-on art lessons available free online in English and Spanish — targeted at K-12 students and educators and focused on social-emotional learning, kindness, conflict resolution, and analytical thinking. Beyond the classroom curriculum, the organization produces large-scale public art initiatives and citywide installations including The Dallas Love Project (2013), The Dallas Respect Project (2015), Dallas Teachers Speak (2018) with UNT Dallas and Ashoka, Cool Schools murals (2020) with Trust for Public Land, and The American Love Project (2021), as well as sculptures in the 29 Sculptures series designed by co-founder and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Karen Blessen.

The organization operates a community-led, mission-driven go-to-market: free curriculum and downloadable toolkits (lesson plans, posters, greeting cards, digital wallpapers, stickers) are distributed via a self-serve online portal (artistsmakingakinderworld.org), supplemented by direct district-level partnerships (notably Dallas ISD), educator workshops that confer Continuing Professional Education credits, and broadcast/earned-media exposure from civic art projects. Revenue is entirely donation- and grant-based — individuals, foundations (Harold Simmons Foundation, Simmons Sisters Fund), federal cultural funding (National Endowment for the Arts), and municipal partners (City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs) — processed through the Network for Good donation portal. All curriculum and instructional resources are provided at no charge to end users, with donations voluntary.

Scale signals include 250,000+ students reached, 1,600+ educators trained, 30,000+ participants in public art exhibits, and reach across 24 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and at least 4 countries. The team is sized at 11-50 employees, and the organization does not monetize any technology product, API, or application; AI/ML capabilities are not evidenced in the input data.

Name

29 Pieces

Legal name

29 Pieces

Website

https://29pieces.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

29 Pieces is a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides the free Artists Making a Kinder World art curriculum to K-12 students and educators, and produces citywide public art installations and large-scale sculptures for community engagement across 24 U.S. states and multiple countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts & Media Arts Programs (Art Club, Photography, Film) (EDAJAJAF), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Arts education
• Social emotional learning
• Nonprofit curriculum
• Public art projects
• Community engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 34-2038797), 29 Pieces relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The organization accepts one-time donations and monthly contributions through its Network for Good donation portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

29 Pieces is a nonprofit that delivers free art-based education and community programs that teach kindness, compassion, and social-emotional learning to K-12 students. Its primary product is the "Artists Making a Kinder World" curriculum, supplemented by citywide public art projects, large-scale sculptures, and downloadable classroom toolkits. Programs are funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships and delivered through school district partnerships, online curriculum access, and public exhibitions.

Product overview

29 Pieces is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that uses art to awaken, uplift, and give voice to the creative human spirit for positive social change. The organization offers a unified portfolio centered on its core art education curriculum, Artists Making a Kinder World, which contains over 15 evidence-based lessons in social and emotional learning available free in English and Spanish. Complementing the curriculum are citywide public art projects including The Dallas Love Project, The American Love Project, The Dallas Respect Project, Cool Schools murals, and the 29 Sculptures series. The organization also produces downloadable toolkits (wallpapers, greeting cards, posters, stickers) and classroom project guides. Products like Piece 24 and Piece 10 are large-scale public sculptures created in collaboration with students and professional artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artists Making a Kinder World: The hands-on art education curriculum of 29 Pieces. An evidence-based program using art to foster social and emotional learning, essential values like kindness and compassion, and life skills such as conflict resolution and analytical thinking.

Products and services

• Artists Making a Kinder World The hands-on art education curriculum of 29 Pieces; an evidence-based program using art to foster social and emotional learning, essential values like kindness and compassion, and life skills such as conflict resolution and analytical thinking. Contains over 15 lessons available at no cost in English and Spanish for K-12 educators and students.
• The Dallas Love Project A 2013 citywide art movement in Dallas, Texas in which over 20,000 Dallas residents created more than 10,000 pieces of art displayed in 67 venues across the city; described as the largest citywide art installation in history.
• The American Love Project A positive grassroots response to the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol; engaged schools, organizations, and artists across the U.S. and beyond in a version of the Love Lesson to cultivate healing and hope.
• Dallas Teachers Speak A 2018-2019 citywide art exhibit and joint initiative with UNT Dallas and Ashoka featuring photographic portraits of 165 Dallas ISD teachers answering 'Why do you teach?' and 'What do you need?', representing all Dallas ISD trustee districts.
• Dallas Students Speak A 2019 companion campaign to Dallas Teachers Speak in which 29 Pieces led workshops for 320 Dallas ISD students from Emmett J. Conrad High School and Irma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School to create portraits of teachers who impacted them positively.
• The Dallas Respect Project A 2015-2016 project that used visual art to empower people to spread respect, with over 20,000 students, teachers, and religious community members pledging respect in word and deed.
• Cool Schools A 2020 community schoolyards project in partnership with Trust for Public Land and Texas Trees Foundation in which 29 Pieces oversaw the design, production, and installation of public murals on six Dallas ISD elementary school campuses.
• Piece 24 29 Pieces' first major public sculpture, a 21-foot mosaic designed and built by Dallas high school students and master mosaic artists, located on Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff, Dallas, and themed on Chief Yellow Lark's poem 'Let Me Walk in Beauty.'
• Piece 10: Souls Hidden A human-scale glass sculpture produced 2018-2019 in collaboration with the South Dallas Cultural Center, 12 Southeast Dallas students, and six local artists, based on Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook's poem 'Radiant is the World Soul'; part of the 29 Sculptures series.
• The 29 Sculptures A series of 29 large-scale sculptures designed by co-founder Karen Blessen, inspired by sacred texts from major faith traditions and designed to be as large as 60 feet tall; the series inspired 29 Pieces' name.
• The Planet Earth Love Project An environmental-focused art project that uses art to promote love and respect for the planet Earth.
• Toolkits (Digital Wallpapers, Greeting Cards, Posters, Stickers) Printable and downloadable materials including digital wallpapers for phones and desktops, greeting cards featuring student artwork, printable poster designs, and sticker templates, available at no cost.
• Classroom Projects A collection of creative classroom project guides and activities including Put Your Art on Display, Teacher Doorways, Make a Statement, Love Portals, Big Screen showcases, In Search of a Heart, Butcher Paper Banners, Yard Signs, Accordion Fold Books, Zines, Prayer Flags, Bulletin Boards, Weathergrams, and DIY Easel Stands, available at no cost.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000+ students reached through art-based education curriculum
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AshokacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington, D.C.-based organization that partnered with 29 Pieces and UNT Dallas on the Dallas Teachers Speak project. Ashoka focuses on social entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Trust for Public LandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Cool Schools community schoolyards project to make green space available within a 10-minute walk for all Dallas citizens. 29 Pieces produced murals for six Dallas ISD elementary school campuses.
• Dallas Independent School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary educational partner for art programs, teacher training, and student workshops across Dallas ISD schools.
• University of North Texas at DallascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner in Dallas Teachers Speak project through the School of Education and the Emerging Teacher Institute.
• South Dallas Cultural CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner for Piece 10 sculpture production; Piece 10 is now in the Center's permanent collection. Collaborated with 29 Pieces on student workshops.
• Downtown Dallas Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business organization supporting Dallas arts and cultural initiatives.
• Dallas Love FieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner providing visibility for 29 Pieces' art installations.
• Region 10 ESCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducation Service Center partner for distributing curriculum to regional schools.
• Art ConminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts organization contributing to Dallas arts community.
• Network for GoodcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment processor for online donations. Handles credit card transactions and donor data storage (Tax ID: 68-0480736).
• Texas Trees FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cool Schools project for community park improvements on Dallas ISD campuses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Inner-City Arts: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing arts education to underserved K–12 youth through studio-based programs and public art projects. Closely comparable in mission and youth-focused art education delivery model.
• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit focused on advancing the arts through advocacy, capacity building, and public art programs. Comparable to 29 Pieces as a national arts nonprofit working at the intersection of community art, education, and civic engagement.
• Art with Heart: Seattle-based nonprofit that creates arts-based social-emotional learning books and curricula for youth. Directly comparable to 29 Pieces in combining art creation with SEL outcomes for K–12 students.
• Young Audiences: National nonprofit network providing arts education programs and residencies to K–12 schools across the U.S. Directly comparable to 29 Pieces as an arts-education nonprofit serving K–12 students and educators with similar community-led delivery models.
• The Memory Project: Nonprofit that connects young artists worldwide with children in need through portrait-making programs. Comparable as a nonprofit that produces art through K–12 participation and emphasizes kindness and human connection.
• ProjectArt: Nonprofit that provides free arts education and mentorship to youth in underserved communities, including partnerships with public libraries. Comparable as an art education nonprofit targeting K–12 with a free, community-delivered model.

Broad incumbents

• Crayola: Major consumer products and education company providing creative learning content, lesson plans, and grants to schools. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering K–12 art education resources and programs at scale, though commercial rather than nonprofit.

Others

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates parks and green spaces, partnered with 29 Pieces on Cool Schools. Comparable as a partner organization that co-develops community-based schoolyard art and greening projects.
• Ashoka: Global organization supporting leading social entrepreneurs, partnered with 29 Pieces on Dallas Teachers Speak. Comparable as a strategic ecosystem partner that elevates social-impact initiatives aligned with 29 Pieces' mission.
• National Art Education Association: Professional association supporting art educators through advocacy, resources, and standards. Comparable as a national ecosystem organization advancing K–12 art education, though focused on educator support rather than direct student programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/29pieces
• Facebookfacebook.com/29Pieces
• Instagraminstagram.com/29pieces
• Xx.com/29pieces
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/29pieces

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 29 Pieces