Art in Action

What Art in Action does

Art in Action is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a complete K-8 visual arts education program to schools, after-school providers, and home educators. Founded in 1980 by Judy Sleeth and headquartered in Redwood City, California, the organization has built its Judy Sleeth Legacy Line curriculum over more than 40 years, covering grades K-8 with structured lessons, art history, and cross-curricular connections aligned to Common Core and state standards. The core technical delivery vehicle is the Teach Site web platform at teach.artinaction.org, which gives subscribing schools and coordinators access to digital lessons, printable materials, and teacher training resources. Beyond the core K-8 line, the product surface has expanded to include Art in STEAM (K-1, 2-3, 4-5 grade bands), Studio Series (Primary, Intermediate, Advanced), Art + Wellness, Clay Concepts, and Beyond the Canvas afterschool programming, plus a program-specific art materials e-commerce store.

The organization's business model is a hybrid of subscription, product sales, and philanthropic funding. Schools and after-school programs pay annual subscriptions for access to the full K-8 curriculum, lesson materials, and training, with quote-based pricing dependent on school size. Art in Action also sells art supplies through store.artinaction.org, runs paid corporate team-building events, and operates the annual OBJECT:ART fundraising gala. As a 501(c)(3), it relies substantially on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate funders across tiers ranging from Trailblazer ($200-$499) up to Avant Garde ($20,000-$80,000), with named institutional supporters including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Kimball Foundation, Cisco Foundation, and Adobe Employee Community Fund. The go-to-market is sales-led, primarily via direct outreach, a school coordinator model, and educator-network marketing (blog, Emagination newsletter, social, GuideStar Platinum Seal credibility), with a particular emphasis on California Proposition 28 arts funding as a near-term demand catalyst.

In 2023-24 Art in Action reported serving 85,000 students across 249 schools in 32 states, with 47% of students in Title I schools and 2,721 classrooms implementing the curriculum. Named customers include Allen Elementary (San Bruno), Horace Cureton Elementary (San Jose), Selma Olinder Elementary (San Jose), College Park Elementary, and Lick-Wilmerding High School (San Francisco). The organization is led by Executive Director Mary Carbullido, with founder Judy Sleeth remaining associated with the program, and governance provided by a Board chaired by Susan Ball with Willow Betchel as Co-Chair. Operational scale is small, with 1-10 employees, and the organization is currently pursuing a vision of providing 1 million K-8 students with equal access to quality art education.

Name

Art in Action

Legal name

Art in Action

Website

https://artinaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Art in Action is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides a K-8 visual arts curriculum, teacher training, and art materials to schools, after-school programs, and home educators across 32 states, with a focus on Title I and other underserved communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. School Subscriptions: Art in Action generates revenue through annual school subscriptions where educational institutions pay for access to the complete K-8 art curriculum, lesson materials, and teacher training resources. Contact Katie at [email protected] or call 650.566.8339 / 888.566.1982 for pricing.
2. Product Sales (Art Materials): The organization operates an online store selling art supplies and materials needed for the program, as well as e-cards for donations. Visit store.artinaction.org for purchases.
3. Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Art in Action relies on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Donor tiers include Avant Garde ($80,000-$20,000), Visionary ($5,000-$19,999), Inspirational ($1,000-$1,999), Trailblazer ($200-$499), and others. Tax ID: 94-3342383.
4. Corporate Engagement Events: Team building events for corporate groups, providing revenue through event fees while also generating donations and volunteer engagement.
5. Fundraising Events: Annual OBJECT:ART fundraising event and community art shows that generate donations and community engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Art in Action provides a comprehensive K-8 visual arts education program for schools, centered on the Judy Sleeth Legacy Line curriculum and delivered through the Teach Site online platform. The offering bundles standards-aligned lesson plans, teacher training, art materials, and specialized programs including Art in STEAM, Studio Series, Art + Wellness, and after-school enrichment (Beyond the Canvas). Schools subscribe annually to access the curriculum, training resources, and implementation support.

Product overview

Art in Action offers a comprehensive K-8 visual arts education program delivered through multiple integrated components. The core offering is the Judy Sleeth Legacy Line curriculum covering grades K-8 with structured art lessons organized by grade level. The platform includes the Teach Site online portal for educators, supplemented by specialized modules including Art in STEAM (STEM integration), Studio Series (multi-grade tracks), Art + Wellness (social-emotional learning), and Afterschool programs. Additional offerings include trial packs, Clay Concepts, and an art materials store. The organization also provides teacher training services to support implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art in Action Curriculum (K-8 Legacy Line) Complete art education curriculum for grades K-8 covering art history, techniques, and cross-curricular connections aligned with Common Core and state standards, sold as an annual subscription to schools.
• Teach Site Online Learning Platform Online platform for educators to access lesson materials, track student progress, and deliver art education content, organized by grade level and subject area.
• Art in STEAM Program STEAM-integrated art lessons combining art with science, technology, engineering, and math, with programs structured by K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 grade bands.
• Studio Series Multi-grade art program with separate tracks for Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, offering deeper exploration of art techniques and mediums.
• Art + Wellness Program Multi-grade program integrating art with social-emotional learning and wellness activities.
• Beyond the Canvas (Afterschool Program) After-school art education program extending Art in Action learning beyond regular classroom hours, offered to after-school programs and summer camps.
• Art Materials Store Online store offering program-specific art supplies and materials needed for implementing the Art in Action curriculum over a school year.
• Teacher Training Professional development and training services for educators and classroom volunteers to deliver the Art in Action art curriculum effectively, even without prior art expertise.
• Corporate Engagement Events Custom team building events sold directly to corporate clients, combining art activities with community impact and volunteer engagement to support Art in Action's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90,000 students served
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Cooline Kids CampminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt in Action partnered with Cooline Kids Camp for an evening of art and storytelling at the Girls' Club of the Mid-Peninsula in Palo Alto. Campers and families created lion drawings and Banda masks, celebrating creativity, community, and youth leadership.
• Girls' Club of the Mid-PeninsulaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Cooline Kids Camp partnership event, providing community space for art activities.
• Stephanie Breitbard Fine ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt in Action was selected as charity partner for the Stephanie Breitbard Fine Arts Annual Art + Charity Sale, supporting art education for children.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Outschool: Outschool operates a marketplace of online enrichment classes for K-12, including a robust catalog of visual arts offerings. It overlaps with Art in Action's Beyond the Canvas and home-learning programs as an alternative channel for parents seeking art enrichment outside the classroom.
• Artsonia: Artsonia is a student art gallery platform used by K-12 art teachers to publish, share, and monetize student artwork, often bundled with curriculum-adjacent tools. It is an adjacent peer because schools frequently adopt it alongside a visual arts curriculum like Art in Action's.

Others

• National Art Education Association (NAEA): NAEA is the leading professional association for art educators, providing advocacy, standards, and national conference programming. It does not sell curriculum but shapes the K-12 visual arts ecosystem in which Art in Action's curriculum and PD offerings compete.
• Blick Art Materials / Blick Educational: Blick Art Materials is the largest U.S. distributor of art supplies to schools and art classrooms, with Blick Educational packaging materials alongside lesson plans and PD. It is comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant where Art in Action's curriculum and Blick's materials could form partnerships or compete for the school art-education budget dollar.

Direct peers

• Deep Space Sparkle: Deep Space Sparkle provides K-8 visual arts lesson plans, video tutorials, and project-based art curriculum sold to elementary teachers and schools. It is comparable to Art in Action's K-8 Legacy Line as an online, lesson-pack-driven art curriculum subscription targeting the same classroom-teacher buyer.
• KinderArt: KinderArt provides K-8 art lessons and curriculum packages sold via subscription to teachers, homeschoolers, and after-school programs. It is comparable to Art in Action's per-lesson, grade-banded curriculum model and competes for the same educator buyer.
• Davis Publications / Davis Art: Davis Publications is a long-standing K-12 visual arts curriculum publisher offering textbook programs, digital lessons, and teacher resources adopted at district scale. It competes with Art in Action's full K-8 scope-and-sequence model and is often the incumbent competing against Art in Action in district adoption decisions.
• The Art of Education: The Art of Education is a direct competitor offering K-12 art curriculum, online courses, and an annual art education conference for teachers. Both organizations sell standards-aligned art curriculum and professional development to schools, but The Art of Education has a more digital-first subscription model and a larger conference/community franchise.

Broad incumbents

• Crayola Education / Crayola CreatED: Crayola Education offers K-8 STEAM and art-ed curriculum, classroom art supplies, and professional development at scale as part of a broader consumer-art-supplies business. It overlaps with Art in Action in K-8 art curriculum delivery and materials bundling but operates from a much larger supply-side platform.
• Khan Academy (Art & STEM Content): Khan Academy offers free K-12 instructional content across subjects including the arts, positioning it as a free substitute for paid art curriculum in budget-constrained districts. It shapes the pricing ceiling Art in Action can charge in public-school adoptions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/art_in_action
• Facebookfacebook.com/myartinaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art-in-action

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Art in Action