The Kota Alliance

What The Kota Alliance does

The Kota Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Jaana Rehnström, a Finnish-American physician, that operates a women-centered community hub in West Harlem, New York. Its mission is to empower marginalized women and girls through Arts & Culture and Advocacy, with an explicit focus on gender equity and holistic wellness. The organization's core asset is The Kota Nest, a historic four-story Art Deco building at 43 St. Nicholas Place that the organization moved into in 2022 to anchor programming, host partner events, and generate earned income. The Kota Alliance delivers in-person programming at the venue and through partner collaborations, including rotating art exhibitions featuring marginalized gender artists, holistic wellness offerings (yoga, meditation retreats, doula circles, wellness days), creative writing workshops, and — most recently — an Intergenerational Learning & Healing Program for teen girls and gender non-conforming youth developed with 4Ward Inclusion. It also produces a Writing Women video interview series documenting West Harlem's literary community. The Kota Nest is additionally rented out for events such as photoshoots, film shoots, art exhibitions, fundraisers, and panel discussions, with capacity for up to 40 guests and amenities including a kitchen, garden, and WiFi.

Revenue is generated through a nonprofit mix of donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, government cultural-affairs funding, and event-space rental fees. Funding sources identified include Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Baillie Gifford, Proskauer, Target, The Berk Foundation, Next50 Initiative, West Monroe, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Programming is delivered in collaboration with strategic partners including the West Harlem Arts Alliance, Harlem Wellness Center, 4Ward Inclusion, and BroSis (Brotherhood Sister Sol). There is no proprietary technology product; the website and donation flow run on standard platforms (Squarespace and Givebutter), and AI/ML capability is not part of the operating model.

The organization is small (1-10 employees), governed by a board led by the founder/president, with operational leads for Health and Wellness and Arts and Culture, a fractional COO, and an advisory board. Geographic focus is single-country/domestic — New York City — with no disclosed plans for expansion beyond Harlem.

Name

The Kota Alliance

Legal name

The Kota Alliance

Website

https://kota-alliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kota Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates The Kota Nest, a Harlem-based community hub empowering marginalized women and girls through arts, culture, wellness, and advocacy programs, supported by donations, grants, and event-space rental.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Adult/Public Speaking Clubs & Community Organizations (EDAMAOAI)

Keywords

• Women empowerment programs
• Community nonprofit services
• Arts and culture programming
• Holistic wellness programs
• Community event space rental

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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. Space Rental: The Kota Nest event space is available for rental for events including photoshoots, film shoots, art exhibitions, workshops, fundraisers, panel discussions, and more.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded by donations, corporate sponsors, and foundation grants.
3. Grants: Supported by businesses, corporations, foundations including Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Target, Baillie Gifford, Proskauer, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kota Alliance is a women-centered nonprofit community hub in Harlem that empowers marginalized women and girls through arts and culture programs, holistic wellness offerings, advocacy, and intergenerational learning. The organization operates The Kota Nest, a historic four-story venue used as a community gathering space and rented out for events, exhibitions, workshops, and film and photo shoots. Programming is delivered primarily in person at the venue, supplemented by select digital wellness sessions and partner-driven collaborations.

Product overview

The Kota Alliance operates as a unified community-based hub offering physical space rental (The Kota Nest) combined with arts, culture, and wellness programming. The organization provides rotating art exhibitions featuring marginalized gender artists, holistic wellness programs including yoga and meditation, writing and creative workshops, and intergenerational youth programs—all centered around gender equity and women's empowerment in West Harlem. Their community hub at 43 St. Nicholas Place also serves as a rentable venue for events aligned with their mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kota Nest: The organization's Harlem-based community hub for creativity and connection, providing space for women-led collaboration, rest, and cultural exchange.

Products and services

• The Kota Nest Community Hub Harlem-based community hub inside a historic four-story Art Deco building, providing space for women-identifying adults and girls to collaborate, rest, and engage in cultural exchange through events, workshops, art exhibitions, and community gatherings.
• Event Space Rental Rental of The Kota Nest for photoshoots, film shoots, art exhibitions, workshops, fundraisers, panel discussions, live music, and popup shops. Accommodates up to 40 guests with kitchen, garden, furniture, chairs, large TV, WiFi, and pet-friendly access; available Monday to Sunday 9am to 9pm.
• Arts and Culture Programs Intercultural programming that connects Harlem's creative and historical legacy with global inclusion and equity movements through exhibitions, workshops, and artist showcases designed to expand access and amplify women's creative voices.
• Wellness Programs Holistic health and wellness programming including yoga, meditation retreats, doula circles, and wellness days that integrate care and support for the whole person and community.
• Intergenerational Learning and Healing Program Saturday program in collaboration with 4Ward Inclusion serving teen girls and gender non-conforming youth, exploring creativity, self-expression, wellness, and resilience in an intergenerational setting.
• Writing Women Interview Series Video interview series exploring diverse women's voices from West Harlem's literary community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves women and gender-marginalized individuals in West Harlem through arts, culture, wellness, and advocacy programs

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• West Harlem Arts Alliance (WHAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit dedicated to resourcing local artists and building collaborative partnerships to support the vibrant arts community in West Harlem. WHAA is supporting the Spring 2026 Art Exhibition 'Rooted'.
• Harlem Wellness CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeekly yoga collaboration offering peaceful escape from city life. Open to all skill levels from seasoned yogis to beginners. Also co-hosts meditation retreats.
• 4Ward InclusioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to develop Intergenerational Learning & Healing Program for teen girls and gender non-conforming youth. Explores creativity, self-expression, wellness, and resilience every Saturday.
• BroSis (Brotherhood Sister Sol)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides comprehensive, holistic and long-term support services to youth ages 8 to 22.
• CloztalksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial commerce platform supporting through product sales.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thekotaalliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheKotaAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-kota-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/kota_alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Kota Alliance