SMARTS

What SMARTS does

SMARTS Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts education organization founded in 1986 in southeastern Massachusetts, focused on youth development through visual and performing arts. The organization serves students in grades K-9, classroom teachers, and community members primarily through two member school districts, Attleboro Public Schools and Mansfield Public Schools, with an additional working relationship with Norton Public Schools.

Its program portfolio centers on the SMARTS Art Mentorship Program, which embeds professional teaching artists in member-district classrooms to deliver residencies alongside classroom teachers. Complementary offerings include the Summer Institute for the Arts, fee-based SMARTS Community Classes across 11 artistic disciplines, and professional development services for educators. The SMARTS Art Mentorship Scholarship Fund, established in 2022, extends access to students who could not otherwise afford programming.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit funding stack: institutional grants from foundations such as the Mansfield Bank Charitable Foundation, Curotto Family Fund, Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund, and the NRTA/Rockefeller Foundation; individual donations via an annual Art of Giving Campaign; tuition from community classes; and in-kind contributions. The organization is led by Executive Director Lisa B. Simmons and Director of Operations Jennifer A. Burkinshaw, supported by a management team of approximately 13 staff. There is no disclosed technology platform, software product, or digital distribution channel; the model is fully reliant on in-person instruction, district partnerships, and philanthropic support.

Name

SMARTS

Legal name

SMARTS Collaborative

Website

https://smartscollab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SMARTS Collaborative is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1986, that delivers in-school artist residencies, summer programs, and community arts classes to K-9 students and teachers through member-district partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Youth arts education
• Performing arts programs
• Summer arts institute
• Community wind ensemble
• Arts scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Attleboro

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: Revenue from summer institute and academic year program tuition fees. Member families (Attleboro & Mansfield) pay reduced rates while non-member families pay higher rates.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting arts education. SMARTS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
3. Grants: Funding from The Massachusetts Cultural Council, Local Cultural Councils, and private foundations including Attleboro Rotary Club, Mansfield Bank Charitable Foundation, Agnes M. Lindsay Trust, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SMARTS Collaborative delivers year-round visual and performing arts education programs for youth in grades K-9 and community members across southeastern Massachusetts. Its primary offerings include a four-week Summer Institute, a Winter Institute, After-School Arts Clubs, the Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony community ensemble, and a Middle School Art Exhibit, supported by scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

Product overview

SMARTS (Southeastern Massachusetts Arts Collaborative) is a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of visual and performing arts programs for youth and community, along with professional development for teachers. The core offerings include the SMARTS Summer Institute (an intensive four-week multi-arts summer camp for grades K-9), the Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony (a community wind ensemble), Winter Institute (winter arts program for grades K-5), After-School Clubs (arts-based programs at elementary schools), and the Middle School Art Exhibit (annual student art exhibition). Financial support is provided through the Fee Reduction Scholarship Program and the Selena Shilad Scholarship. Extended care services (Before & After Care) are available as add-on services during summer programs. All programs emphasize the creative process, imagination, and collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony: A wind ensemble and concert band comprised of adults and high school/college students from the surrounding communities.
• SMARTS Summer Institute
• SMARTS Winter Institute
• SMARTS Middle School Art Exhibit

Products and services

• Summer Institute
• Winter Institute A winter-break arts program for K-9 youth, providing immersive arts instruction during the school vacation period.
• After-School Arts Clubs Recurring after-school arts clubs for K-9 students, providing ongoing arts instruction outside regular school hours, often hosted in partner school district facilities.
• Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony A community wind symphony ensemble for musicians in southeastern Massachusetts, offering performance opportunities under the direction of a dedicated conductor.
• Middle School Art Exhibit An annual juried exhibition of visual art created by middle school students, open to the community, highlighting student artistic achievement.
• Artists-in-Residence Program A program deploying professional teaching artists into school and community settings, providing direct arts instruction to students and supporting member district programming.
• Selena Shilad Scholarship A named scholarship providing financial aid to K-9 students to participate in SMARTS arts education programming, broadening access for families with financial need.
• Before & After Care Extended-day childcare services offered to families of children enrolled in SMARTS programs, supporting working parents during program hours.
• Professional Development for Teachers Professional development services for K-9 educators, providing training in arts pedagogy and curriculum delivery to extend SMARTS' reach into the classroom.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of people benefit annually from SMARTS programs, events and performances

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Attleboro Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district providing governance representation and hosting SMARTS programs at schools.
• Mansfield Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district providing governance representation and hosting SMARTS programs.
• Attleboro Industrial MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the annual Middle School Art Exhibit displaying student artwork.
• Arts|LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Jonathan C. Rappaport represents Arts|Learning on SMARTS board, providing advocacy for arts education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras: Nonprofit community organization providing ensemble-based music education to young musicians across eastern Massachusetts. Comparable as a community nonprofit music/arts education provider serving Massachusetts youth.
• Brookline Music School: Nonprofit community arts school in Brookline, MA providing music and arts instruction to youth and adults, including ensemble, private lesson, and early childhood programming. Comparable in mission and community nonprofit model serving Massachusetts families.
• Rivers School Conservatory: Performing arts education program based in Weston, MA offering music, theater, and dance instruction to youth across Greater Boston. Comparable multi-arts community school with similar tuition-based programming.
• Community Music Center of Boston: Nonprofit community music school in Boston providing affordable music education and ensemble programs to youth and adults. Directly comparable as a community-arts nonprofit with a mission of accessible arts education in Massachusetts.
• South Shore Conservatory: Community-based nonprofit arts school in Hingham, MA offering multi-arts education (music, dance, theater) to youth and adults in the Greater Boston region. Highly comparable in mission, nonprofit structure, multi-arts curriculum, and regional Massachusetts footprint.
• Old Town School of Folk Music: Nationally recognized nonprofit community arts school in Chicago offering multi-arts classes, camps, and programming for youth and adults. Comparable in nonprofit community-arts model, multi-arts curriculum, summer camp programming, and scholarship program.
• Boston City Singers: Nonprofit community choral and music education organization in Dorchester, MA serving youth from diverse backgrounds. Comparable in nonprofit community-arts structure, youth focus, and tuition/scholarship model.

Broad incumbents

• New England Conservatory Preparatory School: Preliminary and continuing education division of New England Conservatory, offering music instruction, ensembles, and classes for youth and adults across the Boston area. Larger, more established institutional player in the same regional arts-education market.
• Walnut Hill School for the Arts: Independent arts high school in Natick, MA offering intensive training in visual and performing arts. Established institutional player in the Massachusetts arts-education market, but focused on a boarding-school format rather than community programs.

Others

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning (Massachusetts): National nonprofit network providing arts-in-education programming and professional development to schools, with a Massachusetts affiliate. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same arts-education ecosystem and shares advocacy and PD overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@smartssummer
• Facebookfacebook.com/SMARTSCollab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smarts-collaborative
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartscollab
• Xx.com/smartsinfo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 SMARTS