National Arts Strategies

What National Arts Strategies does

National Arts Strategies (NAS), founded in 1984 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds and supports a community of arts and culture leaders driving systems change. Its mission centers on leadership development for individual practitioners and nonprofit arts organizations, delivered through a portfolio of cohort-based fellowship programs (Creative Community Fellows with regional variants in New England, the UK, and Durham; Change Network in North Dakota and South Dakota), individual leadership coaching engagements, a systems-change pilot called The Project, and on-demand online courses co-developed with university partners including the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and Vanderbilt University. The organization also publishes resources such as the NAS Toolkit and a leadership compendium created in partnership with the Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University.

Underlying its program delivery is a relatively simple technology stack: an online learning management system hosting self-directed lessons, interactive activities, and discussion groups, supplemented by an alumni community platform hosted on mn.co (the NAS Community Hub). NAS operates under a hybrid revenue model combining foundation grants (The Bush Foundation is the principal underwriter for Change Network at $16,500 per participant), paid leadership coaching services, and program fees for some online courses. The organization is led by President & CEO Gail Crider and governed by a board chaired by Kristina Newman-Scott; it has cultivated a 300+ alumni network of Creative Community Fellows across the US and UK over the past decade. Its go-to-market relies on direct cohort applications, content marketing through the website and newsletter, organic social channels, and word-of-mouth through alumni networks rather than paid acquisition.

Name

National Arts Strategies

Legal name

National Arts Strategies, Inc.

Website

https://artstrategies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Arts Strategies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 that delivers cohort-based fellowship programs, leadership coaching, and online courses to arts and culture leaders across the US and UK, funded primarily through foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Culture Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

Keywords

• Leadership development programs
• Arts management training
• Executive coaching services
• Cohort-based fellowships
• Nonprofit arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Funding: Primary funding appears to come from foundations. The Change Network is funded by The Bush Foundation, representing a $16,500 investment per participant that is provided free to participants.
2. Program Fees: Some programs like online courses may have associated fees, though specific pricing was not publicly disclosed.
3. Leadership Coaching Services: One-on-one leadership coaching sessions offered as a program, likely with associated fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Arts Strategies delivers leadership development programs and coaching services for arts and culture leaders. Offerings include year-long cohort fellowship programs (Change Network, Creative Community Fellows), individual one-on-one leadership coaching, and on-demand online courses co-developed with university partners (University of Michigan Ross School of Business and Vanderbilt University) on topics such as inspiring teams, arts strategy, and leading innovation.

Product overview

National Arts Strategies (NAS) offers a portfolio of leadership development programs and coaching services for arts and culture leaders. The core offerings include The Project (a systems change pilot), NAS Leadership Coaching (individual coaching sessions), Creative Community Fellows (regional fellowship programs), and Change Network (state-based cohort programs for North and South Dakota). NAS also provides online courses developed with university partners including University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University, covering topics like inspiring teams, innovation leadership, and arts strategy. The organization maintains additional initiatives such as the Exchange Program and Racial Equity Principles, along with resources including the NAS Toolkit. The programs emphasize experiential learning, community building, and practical frameworks for driving change in arts and culture organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Change Network: A year-long cohort study program for leaders in North Dakota and South Dakota focused on building skills for community leadership and systems change.
• Creative Community Fellows
• The Project
• NAS Leadership Coaching

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ Creative Community Fellows driving change over 10 years across U.S. and U.K.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Michigan, Ross School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for the 'Inspiring & Motivating Arts & Culture Teams' on-demand course, bringing business school expertise to arts leadership development.
• Vanderbilt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for the 'Leading Innovation in Arts & Culture' on-demand course, contributing academic rigor to NAS leadership programs.
• Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Getty Leadership Institute to create a leadership compendium of 21 articles for arts and culture professionals. The collection addresses mission, organizational strategy, leadership skills, and organizational culture.
• UK Creative Community Fellows PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Derby Museums (UK) for the UK Creative Community Fellows program, and The Bowes Museum for Durham Creative Community Fellows, expanding the program internationally.
• Think Outside the VoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for accessibility initiatives, including programs focused on accessibility journeys and creating inclusive spaces.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EmcArts: Nonprofit that works specifically on systems-change and adaptive change in arts organizations, directly overlapping with NAS's Change Network and The Project programs in mission and methodology.
• Americans for the Arts: U.S. nonprofit that supports arts and culture leaders through advocacy, research, and capacity-building programs; closely comparable as a service/support organization serving the same leadership customer base as NAS.
• AEA Consulting: Arts management consulting firm serving cultural institutions and their leaders with advisory and strategic planning; directly comparable professional-services overlap to NAS's leadership coaching practice.
• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: Nonprofit that provides leadership development, coaching, and training specifically to nonprofit leaders; directly comparable cohort and coaching methodology to NAS programs.
• BoardSource: Nonprofit focused on leadership, governance, and capacity building for the nonprofit sector, including arts nonprofits; overlapping programming with NAS's leadership and systems-change focus.

Broad incumbents

• Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Canadian arts leadership and residency organization with programs for arts and culture leaders; comparable cohort/residency approach but at broader institutional scale and Canadian geography.
• The Wallace Foundation: Major arts and culture philanthropist that funds leadership development and audience-building initiatives comparable to NAS's mission, though it operates as a funder rather than direct service provider.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Established leadership development provider with cohort programs and executive coaching across many sectors; comparable methodology to NAS but operates at much broader scale and is not arts-specialized.

Regional players

• Arts Midwest: Regional arts service organization that supports cultural leaders and institutions across the Midwest; comparable operating model as an arts service/support organization, though covering a different geographic territory than NAS's primary footprint.

Emerging players

• International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA): International membership network for performing arts professionals; comparable membership/community model serving arts leaders, with overlap in cohort and networking focus areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ArtsStrategies
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalartsstrategies
• Instagraminstagram.com/artstrategies
• Xx.com/artstrategies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-arts-strategies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 National Arts Strategies