What Legacy Arts Project does

The Legacy Arts Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at the Legacy Arts Studio in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood (7227 Tioga Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208). Founded by Linda 'Imani' Barrett with origins tied to Harlem Renaissance artist Selma Burke and the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble led by Bob Johnson, and formally led by Executive Director Erin Perry since 2011, the organization's mission is to preserve, promote, and create Africana arts that honor the history, heritage, and cultures of the African diaspora to advance healing, wellness, education, and community empowerment.

The organization's product portfolio centers on in-person arts programming: weekly Afro Movement & Fitness classes at the studio, the Youth Dance Collective and Summer Camp programs for children, the annual Dance Africa Pittsburgh Community Festival, the Keepers of the Flame intergenerational knowledge-transfer program, the Africana Wellness Conference, The Legacy Journal publication (launched April 2025), and the Community Dance Ensemble performance group. It employs 1-10 staff, supplemented by instructors such as Master Drummer Fode 'Lavia' Camara, and operates without proprietary technology beyond a Squarespace website, Google Forms registration, and Humanitix event ticketing.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: usage-based program fees (e.g., $15 drop-in, $65 for a 5-class package, $120 for a 10-class package for Afro Movement & Fitness) and recurring grants/donations from a diversified base of 13+ foundations and public agencies including The Heinz Endowments, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Eden Hall Foundation, McElhattan Foundation, PA Humanities, PA Council on the Arts, Grable Foundation, and others. The go-to-market model is community-led and event-driven, with participant acquisition occurring through in-person programming, festivals, partnerships with peer arts organizations (Dreams of Hope, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, Children's Museum/MuseumLab), earned local media, and email/newsletter outreach, all anchored to a single regional Pittsburgh service area.

Name

Legacy Arts Project

Legal name

The Legacy Arts Project, Inc.

Website

https://legacyartsproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Legacy Arts Project is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that preserves, promotes, and creates Africana arts through dance classes, youth programs, festivals, and cultural events serving community members, youth, and families in the Homewood neighborhood and broader Pittsburgh region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts and Cultural Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Dance Companies (711120)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Community arts education
• Africana cultural programming
• African dance classes
• Youth arts enrichment
• Cultural wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

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. Class and Program Fees: Revenue generated from weekly classes such as Afro Movement & Fitness and summer camp programs. Classes are offered at various price points including drop-in rates and multi-class packages.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization actively solicits donations through its website. Funded by multiple foundations including The Heinz Endowments, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Eden Hall Foundation, McElhattan Foundation, PA Humanities, Grable Foundation, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Legacy Arts Project is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that preserves, promotes, and creates Africana arts for the African diaspora community. It sells and delivers in-person cultural programs including weekly Afro Movement & Fitness dance classes, youth dance instruction (Youth Dance Collective), summer camp programming, the annual Dance Africa Pittsburgh Community Festival, the Keepers of the Flame intergenerational program, the Africana Wellness Conference, and the Community Dance Ensemble. Programming is delivered primarily at its Legacy Arts Studio in Homewood, Pittsburgh and at partner cultural venues.

Product overview

The Legacy Arts Project is a community arts organization offering a portfolio of cultural programs centered on African and diaspora arts traditions. The organization provides dance and movement classes (Afro Movement & Fitness), youth programming (Youth Dance Collective, Summer Camp), and community events (Dance Africa Pittsburgh Community Festival, Africana Wellness Conference). Key programs include Keepers of the Flame for intergenerational knowledge transfer and The Legacy Journal as a publication initiative. The Community Dance Ensemble offers performance opportunities. These programs collectively serve the mission of preserving, promoting, and creating Africana arts that advance healing, wellness, education, and community empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Afro Movement & Fitness Weekly fitness class held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 PM at the Legacy Arts Studio, offering dynamic African rhythms and movements in an energizing and welcoming atmosphere for all fitness levels. Designed for community members interested in African and African diaspora movement traditions.
• Youth Dance Collective Youth dance program that provides dance instruction and performance opportunities for young people in the Pittsburgh community. Registration is completed online through a Google Forms sign-up form.
• Summer Camp Seasonal summer camp program offering arts education and cultural programming for youth during the summer months, with details and registration on the Legacy Arts Project program schedule page.
• Dance Africa Pittsburgh Community Festival Annual community festival celebrating African dance, music, and cultural heritage, typically held at partner venues including the Children's Museum/MuseumLab. Ticketing is handled via the Humanitix platform and serves the broader Pittsburgh community.
• Keepers of the Flame Community program focused on preserving and passing on African diasporic arts traditions to future generations through intergenerational learning and programming.
• The Legacy Journal Publication initiative introduced by the Legacy Arts Project in April 2025 to document and share community cultural knowledge, stories, and experiences.
• Africana Wellness Conference Conference program focused on wellness within the Africana community, promoting health and healing through cultural connections and education.
• Community Dance Ensemble Community dance ensemble performing African and African diaspora dance forms, offering performance opportunities for ensemble members and contributing to community performances and events.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kelly-Strayhorn TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerformance venue partner that has hosted Dance Africa Pittsburgh events. Co-hosts cultural performances and cultural exchange programming.
• Children's Museum/MuseumLabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting the Dance Africa Pittsburgh Community Festival in 2026.
• Dreams of HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization partner. Bekezela Mguni from Dreams of Hope serves on Legacy Arts Project's Board of Directors. Organizations share office/studio space and collaborate on performances.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DanceAfrica (BAM): BAM's DanceAfrica festival is the originating large-scale African dance festival in the U.S. and the direct namesake inspiration for Legacy Arts Project's Dance Africa Pittsburgh Community Festival. Highly comparable as a festival-format African dance program, though BAM operates at an entirely larger institutional scale.
• Carnegie Museum of Art: Major Pittsburgh art museum with community and educational programming around diverse cultural traditions. Comparable in operating as a Pittsburgh arts institution with cultural education programming, though vastly larger, focused on visual arts, and serving a broader audience.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Nationally prominent African American dance company with educational and community programming rooted in African diasporic traditions. Comparable as an Africana dance institution, though vastly larger in scale and operating a national footprint versus Legacy's single-city Pittsburgh focus.

Direct peers

• Kelly-Strayhorn Theater: Pittsburgh performing arts venue that actively partners with Legacy Arts Project, hosting Dance Africa Pittsburgh events and co-presenting cultural programming. Comparable as a Pittsburgh arts organization supporting African diasporic performance, though operating primarily as a presenting venue rather than producer.
• Manchester Craftsmen's Guild: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit providing arts education and youth programming, with one of Legacy's own staff (Naomi Ilochi) having worked there. Directly comparable as a small Pittsburgh community arts education nonprofit serving youth through creative programming.
• Dreams of Hope: Pittsburgh-based LGBTQ+ youth arts nonprofit that shares office/studio space with Legacy Arts Project and has board member overlap. Directly comparable as a small, mission-driven community arts organization serving youth in Pittsburgh with similar grant-funded model.
• Urban Bush Women: African American dance company focused on performing, educating, and developing artists rooted in African diaspora traditions, with strong community engagement programming. Directly comparable mission and target audience to Legacy Arts Project, though operating at a larger national scale.
• Kente Arts Alliance: African American arts presenting organization supporting Black performing artists and cultural programming in Pittsburgh and the broader Pennsylvania region. Highly comparable as a regional African diasporic arts organization with overlapping donor base and community audience in Pittsburgh.

Regional players

• August Wilson African American Cultural Center: Pittsburgh-based cultural institution dedicated to African American arts, presenting performing arts, visual arts, and community programming with a similar mission to celebrate Black cultural heritage. Comparable as a Pittsburgh-anchored African American arts institution, though operating at much larger scale with a dedicated facility.

Others

• ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History): National African American history organization with a Pittsburgh chapter whose leadership (Anthony B. Mitchell) sits on Legacy Arts Project's board. Comparable as a heritage-focused nonprofit promoting African American cultural preservation, though primarily an academic and educational advocacy body rather than a performing arts producer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LegacyArtsPgh
• Facebookfacebook.com/Legacyartsproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-legacy-arts-project-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Legacy Arts Project