Residency Unlimited

What Residency Unlimited does

Residency Unlimited (RU) is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 2009 by Executive Director Nathalie Anglès. RU operates a customized residency program for US-based and international artists and curators, providing studio space, curatorial guidance, professional development, and integration into New York's contemporary art ecosystem. Beyond the residency itself, RU runs year-round public programming including exhibitions, talks, workshops, the Meet Over Lunch series, and the RU Voices dialogue series designed to engage both the artist community and the broader public.

The organization is anchored by two physical locations: a permanent headquarters at 360 Court Street in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood, and a seasonal RU House at 404B Colonels Row on Governors Island operated under the Governors Island Arts Organizations in Residence program (2022-2026). It maintains a network of cultural partnerships, including domestic collaborations with Beach64retreat in the Rockaways, Realty Collective and Compère Collective in Red Hook, and Art in Brackets, plus international residency partnerships with REMONT Gallery in Belgrade and Gola Glava Residency in Serbia.

RU is funded primarily through foundation and government grants (including the Trust for Mutual Understanding, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and international cultural foundations), supplemented by an annual residency raffle (introduced in 2018 at $25 per ticket or $40 for two) and website donations. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The business model is mission-driven rather than commercial, and customer concentration is inherently decentralized across a long tail of individual artists and curators. No AI/ML or proprietary technology platform is associated with the organization.

Name

Residency Unlimited

Legal name

Residency Unlimited Inc.

Website

https://residencyunlimited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Residency Unlimited is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that runs customized artist residencies and year-round public programs (exhibitions, talks, workshops) for US-based and international artists and curators, funded by foundation grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Residency Services

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Furnished Monthly Apartments (Urban/Residential) (THAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Artist residency programs
• Contemporary art residencies
• International artist exchange
• Curatorial residency services
• Arts nonprofit programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: Residency Unlimited operates as a nonprofit organization funded by various foundations and government cultural agencies including Trust for Mutual Understanding, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and international cultural foundations.
2. Residency Raffle: Annual residency raffle program where tickets are sold to fund residency opportunities. In 2018, tickets were sold at $25 for one or $40 for two, with proceeds funding artist residencies including international locations like Serbia.
3. Donations: Organization accepts donations through its website to support residency programs and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Residency Unlimited runs a customized residency program for US-based and international artists and curators, providing studio space, curatorial guidance, professional development, and networking opportunities within the New York contemporary art ecosystem. Complementing the residency, RU delivers year-round public programming including exhibitions, talks, workshops, Meet Over Lunch presentations, and the RU Voices dialogue series at its Brooklyn headquarters and seasonal RU House on Governors Island.

Product overview

Residency Unlimited is a Brooklyn-based non-profit arts organization offering a comprehensive artist residency program and year-round public programming. The core offering is a customized residency program for US-based and international artists and curators, complemented by public programs including exhibitions, talks, workshops, Meet Over Lunch presentations, and the RU Voices dialogue series. The organization operates the RU House on Governors Island during spring-fall months and maintains partnerships with various cultural institutions. Artists benefit from studio space, curatorial guidance, professional development, and networking opportunities within the New York art ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Residency Program Customized residency program providing studio space, curatorial guidance, professional development, housing assistance, studio visits, and networking opportunities for US-based and international artists and curators, with connections to the New York contemporary art scene.
• Public Programs Year-round public programming including exhibitions, talks, workshops, Meet Over Lunch presentations, and dialogues that engage the broader art community and general public with resident artists' work, hosted at RU's Brooklyn headquarters and the seasonal RU House on Governors Island.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple artists have won prestigious awards including Jindřich Chalupecký Award, DENES Award, and Artists of Tomorrow Award during or after their residencies

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Art in BracketsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership announced in June 2026. Content is password-protected.
• Governors Island ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Annual partnership (2022-2026) through the Organizations in Residence program. Over two dozen arts, culture and education organizations utilize space inside Governors Island's historic military houses during spring, summer, and early fall months. RU House operates at 404B Colonels Row. The City of New York and Trust for Governors Island plan to evolve this seasonal program into year-round permanent homes for cultural organizations.
• Beach64retreatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership established in 2018 with series of talks and workshops including the popular Meet Over Lunch series. Beach64retreat is a micro-initiative supporting contemporary arts and culture in the Rockaways, Queens, founded in Spring 2017 to promote global cultural exchanges. They hosted thirty-one American and International creatives in their second season.
• Realty CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership began in 2018 holding RU events at their gallery space at 351 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Co-sponsored by Victoria Alexander, the local woman-owned company transforms people's experience of Brooklyn real estate while supporting artistic practice. Together they curated exhibitions including 'mono no aware' and 'May Be A Donkey'.
• Compère CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery hosting the CONTINGENCIES exhibition in 2019. Compère Collective's mission is to nurture and host diverse artistic practice and thoughtful dialogue. Founded by Victoria Alexander, owner of Realty Collective, in the culturally rich neighborhood of Red Hook Brooklyn.
• REMONT GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting residency in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in 1999, Remont is a main contemporary art resource in the Serbian and regional art scene. Established non-profit gallery operating as platform for dynamic exchange, exhibitions, curatorial projects, and education. Over 400 programs realized with Serbian creators and international curators and artists.
• Gola Glava (Naked Head) ResidencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting residency in Gola Glava village, Serbia. Unique residency program offering special and quiet environment for artists to stay, contemplate and work. Surrounded by extraordinary nature, they provide cozy living space and small working space with access to local resources for artistic research and production.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC): Larger NYC nonprofit operating multiple artist residency programs (Workspace, Arts Center at Governors Island) with substantial public funding. Comparable residency and public program offerings but at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• MacDowell: Nationally renowned New Hampshire-based artist residency providing dedicated studio time and accommodations to invited artists across disciplines. Comparable residency-plus-public-benefit mission with similar nonprofit funding model, but substantially larger scale and longer history.
• Eyebeam: NYC-based nonprofit art and technology residency focused on artists working at the intersection of art, technology, and social impact. Comparable residency-plus-public-program model but specialized toward tech-adjacent practice and larger institutional scale.
• Yaddo: Historic artist residency in Saratoga Springs, NY offering multi-week residencies across disciplines to invited artists. Comparable artist-residency model and nonprofit funding structure, but residential/invitational model versus RU's open-call urban approach.
• Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture: Maine-based intensive summer residency program for established visual artists. Comparable mission of advancing artistic practice through dedicated time and community, with nonprofit structure, but operates as a short summer intensive rather than RU's rolling year-round model.

Regional players

• Socrates Sculpture Park: Long Island City, Queens-based outdoor sculpture park and artist residency program with year-round public programming. Comparable NYC artist-support model with public programming emphasis, though oriented to sculpture and outdoor installation rather than RU's mixed-media residency focus.

Direct peers

• ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program): Brooklyn-based nonprofit offering international artist and curator residencies with studio space and public programming. Closely comparable model: customized residencies, year-round exhibitions/open studios, and similar nonprofit funding structure serving the same NYC arts ecosystem.
• Smack Mellon: Brooklyn-based nonprofit providing studio residencies and exhibition opportunities for emerging visual artists. Comparable size and structure, similar grant-funded model, and overlapping target demographic of emerging-to-mid-career artists seeking NYC exposure.
• Location One: Manhattan-based nonprofit residency for international artists and curators. Directly comparable mission and structure; notably, RU's founder Nathalie Anglès previously directed Location One's International Residency Program (2000-2008), making this an institutional peer with historical leadership overlap.
• Triangle Arts Association: New York-based nonprofit providing residencies and exchange programs for international and US-based artists, emphasizing cross-cultural dialogue. Operates a similar residency-plus-public-programming model with comparable grant-funded structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@residencyunlimitedorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/residencyunlimited
• Instagraminstagram.com/residencyunlimited
• Xx.com/resunlimited

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 Residency Unlimited