ArtForce Iowa

What ArtForce Iowa does

ArtForce Iowa (legally Iowa Arts in Education) is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2013 in Des Moines, Iowa, that delivers arts-based, trauma-informed programming to underserved youth ages 12-19 and the adults who serve them. The organization operates three direct-service programs — Pathways for court-involved youth (including CINA cases and DHS custody), Heroes for immigrant, refugee, and first-generation American youth, and ArtForce Everywhere for statewide Iowa distribution of art kits and workshops — grounded in Dr. Sean Ginwright's Healing-Centered Engagement framework rather than any proprietary software platform.

The organization runs an annual #KNOWJUSTICE May exhibit (since 2017), The Legacy Collection statewide archive under kjlegacy.org, StreetCred Studios (a fee-based video production and creative services unit), and a Youth Advocates Training Program that sells professional development in J.E.D.I. principles, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and trauma-informed practices to schools, nonprofits, and conferences. Staff of 14 (7 named managers, including several former AmeriCorps members) deliver weekly workshops, training sessions, and community projects under Executive Director Christine Her.

Revenue is generated through three streams: grants and contributions from foundations and government agencies (Bravo Greater Des Moines, Iowa Attorney General's Office, United Way of Central Iowa, Crime Victim Assistance Division, Des Moines Community Foundation, and others), fee-for-service art projects (curation, graphic design, videography, photography, workshops), and paid professional development training. Distribution occurs via referral pipelines from juvenile justice, refugee services, and DHS, plus formal school district partnerships (Ankeny, Des Moines Public, West Des Moines) and community partnerships (Drake University, Mainframe Studios, DSM Street Collective). No audited financials, budget figures, or revenue disclosures are available in the source materials.

Name

ArtForce Iowa

Legal name

Iowa Arts in Education

Website

https://artforceiowa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ArtForce Iowa is a Des Moines-based 501c3 nonprofit that uses healing-centered arts programming to serve court-involved, refugee, and underserved youth ages 12-19 across Iowa, while training adults and generating earned revenue through training and creative services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education and Trauma-Informed Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAC

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAAAFAN

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

SECONDARYEDAAAOAD

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

Keywords

• Youth arts programs
• Trauma-informed services
• Healing-centered engagement
• Professional development training
• Community arts engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Contributions: Funding from foundations, government agencies, and individual donors. Major champions include Attorney General's Office of Iowa, Bravo Greater Des Moines, Crime Victim Assistance Division, and United Way of Central Iowa. Also receives support from Des Moines Community Foundation, First Realty Cares Foundation, and Restoring Hope Foundation.
2. Fee-for-Service Projects: Contracted art services including art curation, graphic design, videography, photography, and healing-centered arts-based workshops for community organizations. Gives youth opportunities to work as professional artists while building community connections.
3. Professional Development Training: Training services for adults working with youth, covering topics like healing-centered engagement, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and J.E.D.I. principles. Conducted for schools, nonprofits, and conference presentations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ArtForce Iowa delivers free after-school arts-based programming to youth ages 12-19 who are court-involved, immigrants, refugees, or otherwise underserved, while also providing fee-based professional development training for educators and contracted creative services (art curation, graphic design, videography, photography) to community organizations. All offerings are grounded in healing-centered engagement practices designed to help youth heal from trauma, graduate high school, and transition into productive futures.

Product overview

ArtForce Iowa is a 501c3 nonprofit organization offering a suite of youth-focused arts programs, training services, and community engagement initiatives. The core youth programs include the Pathways Program (serving court-involved youth ages 12-19), the Heroes Program (serving immigrant, refugee, and first-generation American youth), and ArtForce Everywhere (providing art kits and workshops across Iowa). The organization also operates a Youth Advocates Training Program offering professional development for adults on trauma-informed practices, J.E.D.I. principles, and healing-centered engagement. Community strengthening efforts include the annual #KNOWJUSTICE exhibit and The Legacy Collection, while fee-for-service projects and video production services provide youth with opportunities to become working artists. All programming is grounded in healing-centered engagement practices that foster culture, agency, relationships, meaning, and aspirations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StreetCred Studios: Video production unit offering event photography and videography services to clients
• Pathways
• Heroes
• ArtForce Everywhere
• #KNOWJUSTICE
• The Legacy Collection

Products and services

• Pathways Program A supportive arts-based community program for youth ages 12-19 who are involved in the juvenile court system, including those labeled delinquent, CINA (Child In Need of Assistance), or in Iowa DHS custody. Provides weekly after-school art workshops led by artist mentors with wraparound support to help youth graduate from high school. Free to participants, funded through grants.
• Heroes Program A supportive arts community for youth ages 12-19 who are immigrants, refugees, and first-generation Americans. Offers weekly workshops in a multilingual atmosphere with arts experimentation and learning opportunities, informal community outings, and one-on-one time. Free to participants, referred through the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services and partner resettlement agencies.
• ArtForce Everywhere Provides robust, age-appropriate art kits and workshops to meet young people where they are across Iowa, extending ArtForce Iowa's programming beyond its studio locations to underserved communities statewide. Free to participating youth.
• Youth Advocates Training Program Professional development and training services for adults working with youth, covering J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Intersectionality) principles, Youth Mental Health First Aid, healing-centered engagement, self-determination theory, and trauma-informed care practices. Includes workshops on Authenticity/Values Affirmation, Building Trust, Cultivating Psychological Safety, and The Power of Language. Sold to schools, nonprofits, and conference audiences on a quote-based, multi-year contract basis.
• Fee-for-Service Creative Projects Contracted creative services for community organizations including art curation, healing-centered arts-based workshops, graphic design, videography, and photography. Project-based, pay-as-you-go pricing. Projects are selected to strengthen community connections and give youth paid opportunities to share their talents and become working artists.
• #KNOWJUSTICE Annual Exhibit An annual month-long May exhibit that elevates stories of strength and resilience from individuals whose stories are often not told, celebrating social justice in art and allowing youth who have survived injustice and childhood trauma to sell artwork and publicly perform. Held at Mainframe Studios.
• The Legacy Collection An initiative that gathers, preserves, and shares a collective history of Iowa through Iowans' stories captured in recorded interviews, essays, songs, animations, art, and journals. Part of the #KNOWJUSTICE program, archiving and elevating voices that make up the state.
• StreetCred Studios Video Production Services ArtForce Iowa's video production unit offering event photography and videography services to clients, providing paid artistic work opportunities for youth and supporting the organization's mission to strengthen communities through storytelling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 612 youth in 2023 across all programs (130 Pathways, 309 Heroes, 173 ArtForce Everywhere)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ankeny Community SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school district hosting youth workshops and professional development for teachers.
• Des Moines Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner providing space for programs and student referrals.
• Bureau of Refugee ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency referring refugee and immigrant youth to the Heroes program.
• Drake UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing student volunteers, law school support for youth, and advisory board representation.
• Iowa WolvesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional sports team collaborating on jersey designs and community events featuring youth artists.
• DSM Street CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal cycling collective collaborating on bike station art installations and community projects.
• Mainframe StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio space hosting First Friday events and providing collaborative workspace for artists.
• Windmill Coffee RoastersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoffee roaster featuring youth artist artwork on product labels, supporting artists and awareness.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Project Row Houses: Houston nonprofit combining art, social engagement, and community development to serve underserved residents through artist residencies and youth programs. Comparable because it integrates arts, cultural affirmation, and community strengthening for marginalized populations.
• Art with Heart: Seattle-based nonprofit producing therapeutic books and creative workshops for children experiencing trauma, with programs serving youth in schools, shelters, and juvenile justice settings. Directly comparable model of producing healing-centered creative materials for court-involved and at-risk youth.
• Groundswell: New York City nonprofit producing public art with and for underserved youth through paid artist fellowships and community mural projects. Directly comparable mission of combining youth arts training, paid creative work, and amplifying marginalized voices.
• Mural Arts Philadelphia: Philadelphia-based nonprofit combining public art creation with youth workforce development, paid artist apprenticeships, and trauma-informed practice. Comparable because it pairs visual arts production with youth employment outcomes and community-based healing work, similar to StreetCred Studios.
• A Reason to Survive (ARTS): San Diego-based nonprofit using art and healing-centered engagement to empower youth facing systemic inequities, trauma, and poverty. Directly comparable methodology (HCE-adjacent) and target population of marginalized adolescents.
• City Arts: Washington DC nonprofit delivering arts education and creative youth development programs to underserved K-12 students, with artist mentors. Comparable direct service model pairing after-school arts instruction with wraparound support.
• Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona: Arizona nonprofit providing arts-based mentoring and healing programs to children and youth who have experienced abuse, neglect, or homelessness. Directly comparable trauma-informed arts programming serving court-involved and foster youth.

Emerging players

• AileyCamp: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's summer camp program serving at-risk youth ages 11-14 in multiple US cities with full scholarships. Comparable audience (underserved pre-teens/youth) and arts-based youth development model, though focused on dance rather than visual arts.

Broad incumbents

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network providing arts education programs to K-12 students, including underserved youth. Comparable because it operates youth-focused arts programming with a similar mission to expand arts access for young people in schools and community settings.
• National Guild for Community Arts Education: National membership organization supporting community-based arts education organizations. Comparable as a peer ecosystem and benchmarking organization, though it operates as a membership body rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artforceiowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 ArtForce Iowa