Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy

What Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy does

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, delivering African-centered, multi-disciplinary arts and cultural education to youth and families of the African diaspora. Its core offerings include the Cultural Arts Program (CAP), a Saturday performing arts academy for ages 2-18 covering dance, music, theater, visual arts, and martial arts; the audition-based Ifetayo Youth Ensemble (IYE) for pre-professional training of ages 13-18; the free Rites of Passage Program (Sisters In Sisterhood and I Am My Brother) for ages 10-18; the Marcus Garvey Cultural Heritage Program (Africana Studies); CAP Mini workshops and CAP+ for older students and adults; seasonal camps (Summer, Mid-Winter, Spring Break); an in-school Arts Education Program; and a Financial Education Institute. The academy operates from a single Brooklyn facility at the Major Owens Health & Wellness Center and serves over 2,000 students and families annually across six major programs.

The organization runs on a community-rooted operating model with no proprietary technology platform; routine administration is handled through third-party tools including Jackrabbit for class registration, e-payment, and parent portal; PayPal for donations; Square and Eventbrite for events; and Printify for merchandise fulfillment. Revenue is generated through three streams: program tuition under a sliding-scale tiered pricing model ($675-$775 per class, plus registration fees, costume fees, and culminating ticket fees), tax-deductible donations from foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals (via PayPal and direct giving), and merchandise sales. The go-to-market is community-led, driven by the Ubuntu Savings referral program rewarding existing families with tuition credits, direct school partnerships offering workshops and performances as enrollment incentives, and culminating performances as live demonstration events. The board is composed of senior finance, legal, and policy professionals from Neuberger Berman, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Google, BNBCPA, and Denham Wolf Real Estate, augmenting fundraising capacity and governance.

Name

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy

Legal name

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, Inc.

Website

https://ifetayo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that delivers African-centered arts and cultural education across dance, music, theater, visual arts, and martial arts to over 2,000 youth and families of the African diaspora annually through its Saturday academy, pre-professional ensemble, camps, and free Rites of Passage program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing) (EDAJAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD), Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Cultural arts academy
• Performing arts instruction
• Youth arts education
• Community arts programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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. Program Tuition Fees: Year-round Cultural Arts Program (CAP) tuition with tiered pricing model ($675-$775 per class), one-time registration fees ($85), costume fees ($65), and culminating ticket fees. Summer camp fees at $350/week or $75/day with extended care options.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Registered 501(c)(3) organization accepting tax-deductible donations via PayPal. Receives support from foundations, corporations, and individuals to fund programs, including free Rites of Passage program and subsidized pricing tiers.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sells branded merchandise including uniforms and Ifetayo t-shirts through Printify e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy delivers African-centered, multi-disciplinary arts and cultural education programs to youth ages 2-18 and their families of the African Diaspora, headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Its core offerings include year-round performing arts classes (dance, music, theater, visual arts, martial arts), pre-professional ensemble training, free Rites of Passage leadership development, Africana Studies, financial education, and seasonal school-break camps, supported by sliding-scale tuition and donations.

Product overview

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy offers a multi-tiered portfolio of African-centered arts and cultural education programs for youth and families. The core offerings include the Cultural Arts Program (CAP), a flagship Saturday performing arts academy for ages 2-18, supplemented by the pre-professional Ifetayo Youth Ensemble (IYE) for ages 13-18. Additional programs include condensed CAP Mini workshops, CAP+ for adults, the free Rites of Passage Program (Sisters In Sisterhood and I Am My Brother), Marcus Garvey Cultural Heritage Program (Africana Studies), Arts Education in Schools, and Financial Education Institute. Seasonal camps include Summer, Mid-Winter, and Spring Break camps. The organization also offers a Ubuntu Savings referral incentive program. Programs serve over 2,000 students and families annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cultural Arts Program (CAP): Yearlong comprehensive arts instruction program for students ages 2-18 in dance, music, theater, visual arts and martial arts
• Ifetayo Youth Ensemble (IYE)
• CAP Mini Program
• CAP+ Program
• Rites of Passage Program
• Marcus Garvey Cultural Heritage Program
• Ubuntu Savings
• Ifetayo Camps
• Arts Education Program
• Financial Education Institute

Products and services

• Cultural Arts Program (CAP)
• Ifetayo Youth Ensemble (IYE)
• Rites of Passage Program
• Marcus Garvey Cultural Heritage Program
• Arts Education Program (In-School)
• Financial Education Institute (FEI)
• Summer Camp Program
• Mid-Winter Camp
• Spring Break Camp
• CAP Mini Program
• CAP+ Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 students and families served annually across six major programs
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mark Morris Dance Group: Major NYC dance company with extensive community education, in-school programming, and youth classes. Comparable to Ifetayo's dance education and school-outreach components, though at larger scale and with a different choreographic focus.
• Lincoln Center Education: Education arm of Lincoln Center delivering school partnerships, family programming, and youth performances across NYC. Comparable to Ifetayo as a youth arts education provider and listed supporter, though at substantially larger institutional scale.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Iconic African-American dance institution with extensive education and community programs including AileyCamp and AileySchool. Comparable to Ifetayo in providing African-centered dance instruction and youth development pathways in NYC, but operates at significantly larger scale and brand recognition.
• Carnegie Hall Education Programs: Major NYC music institution running youth and family music education programs, including in-school partnerships. Comparable to Ifetayo's music-instruction and school-partnership components, though Carnegie Hall's scale and brand are several orders of magnitude larger.

Direct peers

• Dance Theatre of Harlem: Culturally-rooted ballet institution with community education and training programs serving youth of African descent. Comparable to Ifetayo in serving African diaspora families with structured arts training and a pre-professional pathway.
• National Dance Institute: NYC-based nonprofit delivering in-school and community dance education programs to youth, with a strong focus on underserved communities. Comparable to Ifetayo's arts education model, school partnerships, and youth-development mission.
• Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!): NYC community arts organization offering multi-disciplinary arts programming with strong cultural and social-justice orientation. Comparable to Ifetayo as a small-to-mid-sized community-rooted arts provider serving diverse NYC youth.
• Harlem School of the Arts: Community-based multi-disciplinary arts education organization in NYC offering instruction in dance, music, theater, and visual arts to youth and families. Closely comparable to Ifetayo in mission, model, and target audience as a tuition-supported community arts academy.

Others

• Studio Museum in Harlem: Harlem-based cultural institution supporting artists of African descent with exhibitions and educational programming. Comparable to Ifetayo in mission alignment with African diaspora cultural development, though the Studio Museum's primary focus is visual arts exhibition rather than instruction.

Regional players

• Brooklyn Arts Council: Brooklyn-based nonprofit providing grants, programming, and community arts services across the borough. Comparable to Ifetayo as a Brooklyn-rooted arts nonprofit, though positioned more as a funder/convener than a direct instruction provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ifetayoculture
• Facebookfacebook.com/ifetayoculture
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifetayoculture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy