UCLA Art & Global Health Center

What UCLA Art & Global Health Center does

The UCLA Art & Global Health Center is a nonprofit university research center founded in 2004 and housed at UCLA's Glorya Kaufman Hall in Los Angeles, operating under the Regents of the University of California. It applies arts-based methodologies (including entertainment-education, Theater of the Oppressed, photo-storytelling, and performance-based pedagogy) to address sexual health, HIV/AIDS stigma, mental health, and social justice. Core programs include AMP! and Sex Squad (arts-based sexual health education delivered through live performances and films for LAUSD high school and UCLA student audiences), Through Positive Eyes (a global collaborative photo-storytelling project engaging over 200 people living with HIV/AIDS), Up to Us (fictional sex education films for justice-system-impacted youth), Valentine Toya LeGrand (a mental health/Afrofuturist film initiative), Art & Global Health Salons (community dialogue events), and RaD Lab (research and development laboratory for new methodologies). The center's technical backbone consists of a 50+ video educational library with discussion guides, mixed-methods evaluation capabilities validated by randomized controlled trials, and international replication infrastructure.

Name

UCLA Art & Global Health Center

Legal name

Regents of the University of California

Website

https://artglobalhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts-Based Health Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAFAG

Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops)

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

SECONDARYEDAGALAK

Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Educational Media & Multimedia (Video, Audio, Interactive)

SECONDARYEDAMAAAC

Photography & Videography Arts Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Arts & Creative Enrichment (Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance)

SECONDARYMPADADAL

Educational & Instructional Nonfiction

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

Keywords

• Arts-based health education
• Sexual health programs
• HIV/AIDS stigma reduction
• Theater-based public health
• Community health engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding & Grants: Funding from foundations and institutional sources including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for training programs. Operates as part of UCLA, suggesting university budget support.
2. Donations: The center operates a donation page through UCLA's giving platform with a suggested amount of $100.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The UCLA Art & Global Health Center delivers arts-based health education programs that use theater, performance, storytelling, and photo-storytelling to address sexual health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and social justice topics. Programs such as AMP! & Sex Squad (sexual health education through student-performed theater), Through Positive Eyes (collaborative photo-storytelling with people living with HIV/AIDS), Up to Us (sex education films for justice-impacted youth), Valentine Toya LeGrand (mental health through Haitian Amazons storytelling), Art & Global Health Salons, RaD Lab, the Activist Summer Theater Workshop, and the Eyes on Ukraine documentary are delivered through LAUSD schools, UCLA campus, juvenile detention centers, and international replication sites, free of charge to participants.

Product overview

The UCLA Art & Global Health Center is a university center that operates multiple arts-based health programs rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings include: AMP! & Sex Squad (sexual health education through performance), Through Positive Eyes (photo-storytelling for people living with HIV/AIDS), Up to Us (sex education films for justice-impacted youth), Valentine Toya LeGrand (mental health initiative featuring Haitian Amazons), Art & Global Health Salons (community engagement gatherings), RaD Lab (research and development laboratory), Activist Summer Theater Workshop (student intensive), and the Eyes on Ukraine documentary. The center also provides educational videos and guides covering topics like consent, safe sex, and LGBTQ+ identity. Programs align with the CA Healthy Youth Act and are delivered through live performances, films, community events, and educational resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AMP!: Arts-based sexual health education program using theater, humor, and storytelling for high school and college students
• Sex Squad
• Through Positive Eyes
• Up to Us
• RaD Lab
• Art & Global Health Salons
• Valentine Toya LeGrand

Products and services

• AMP! & Sex Squad Arts-based comprehensive sexual health education program using humor, theater, performance, dance, music, and poetry to educate LAUSD high school and UCLA college students about sexual health, healthy relationships, bullying, and LGBTQ+ identity affirmation. Includes the near-peer Sex Squad student performer troupe at UCLA and field trip performances for visiting LAUSD high school groups, with content aligned to the CA Healthy Youth Act and CA Health Education Standards.
• Through Positive Eyes Global collaborative photo-storytelling project documenting the lives of 200+ people living with HIV/AIDS in cities around the world, addressing stigma and elevating lived experiences. Co-directed with South African photographer Gideon Mendel; project materials and video stories are publicly available through a dedicated website.
• Up to Us A series of fictional sex education films made by and for youth impacted by the justice system, exploring consent, relationships, communication, and sexual health through arts-based storytelling. Developed with the UCLA Prison Education Program to serve justice-impacted young people, including those at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Detention Center.
• Valentine Toya LeGrand A poetic mental health and empowerment initiative celebrating women heroes and warriors, including Haitian Amazons, through a short film blending historical fiction and Afrofuturism. Includes a comic book component and addresses mental health themes of grief, resilience, and identity affirmation.
• Art & Global Health Salons Roaming, curated salon spaces hosted across UCLA campus for community art-making and facilitated conversation about health, identity, mental health, and social justice topics. Designed to create immersive experiences where participants engage directly with featured artists and ideas.
• RaD Lab Research and Development Laboratory serving as a 'test kitchen' for experimenting, vetting, and exploring innovative arts-based methodologies and partnerships. Operates as an internal incubator to develop, refine, and evaluate new program designs before broader rollout.
• Activist Summer Theater Workshop A free, week-long intensive summer theater workshop at UCLA bringing together LAUSD high school students and UCLA college students to collaboratively create original performances addressing mental health, sexual health, identity, and empowerment. Includes daily lunch, a $20 Target gift card stipend per day, and culminates in a public performance; participants who complete the week receive a formal certificate of completion.
• Eyes on Ukraine Documentary Short-form documentary extending the Through Positive Eyes photographic project to explore the intersection of war and the HIV epidemic in Ukraine, following HIV-positive Ukrainian activist Yana Panfilova. Directed by Mo Stoebe and executive produced by Richard Gere; world-premiered at the Hammer Museum in partnership with UCLA Film & Television Archive, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, UCLA AIDS Institute, and the Herb Ritts Foundation.
• Videos & Guides Free online library of 50+ educational videos covering sexual health topics including consent, safe sex, LGBTQ+ identity, body autonomy, and communication. Each video is paired with downloadable discussion guides and classroom activities for independent use by educators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Statistically significant changes in HIV-related knowledge and attitudes among high school participants (N=280 in 2013 LA evaluation; N=570 in 2012 RCT)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• UCLA Film & Television ArchivemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Presented world premiere of Eyes on Ukraine documentary. Partnership for film preservation and screening events.
• UCLA School of the Arts and ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Co-presenter of Eyes on Ukraine world premiere alongside Film & Television Archive.
• UCLA AIDS InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Co-presenter of Eyes on Ukraine world premiere, bringing HIV/AIDS research expertise to documentary screening.
• Herb Ritts FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Co-presenter of Eyes on Ukraine world premiere, supporting HIV/AIDS awareness initiatives.
• Art Global Health Center Africa (Art Glo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational replication of UCLA model in southern Malawi. Founded by Dr. Galia Boneh (UCLA WAC/D alumnus), directed by Helen Todd. Programs include theater to inoculate against HIV in rural areas (where infection rates reach 15%), secondary school sexual health education modeled after AMP!, and Students with Dreams program for young college students.
• Center for Theater of the Oppressed (Rio de Janeiro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual program bringing UC students to Rio de Janeiro to study Theater of the Oppressed in its birthplace. Students engage in month-long learning about Brazilian history, arts, cultures, and activism with rigorous study at the center and community groups.
• PCI Media Impact (New York)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration from 2013-2015 co-teaching Soap Operas for Social Change course at UCLA. Refined model for universities to address sexual assault via student-generated media. Included in UNICEF vetting process for future contracts with major international organizations.
• Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration creating radionovela Aprendiendo de La Vida following two middle-aged sisters navigating women's health as indigenous, migrant women in Oxnard California. Deep collaboration with community members cast as voice actors.
• UCLA Fielding School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for Mixtec Radio Project and various research initiatives. Contributes public health expertise and infrastructure to center programs.
• UCLA Prison Education ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Up to Us program developing fictional sex education films for justice system-impacted youth. Also collaborated on Legislative Theater for Racial Justice at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Detention Center.
• LAUSD HIV/AIDS Prevention UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year collaboration delivering AMP! program to LAUSD schools. Full support and approval for Activist Summer Theater Workshop. Program contents align with CA Healthy Youth Act and CA Health Education Standards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sesame Workshop: Large established children's educational-entertainment organization with global health, identity, and resilience programming (e.g., Sesame Street's HIV-positive character Kami). Operates in a far larger scale version of the center's edutainment premise.
• SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.): National policy and advocacy organization for comprehensive sexuality education. Adjacent rather than competing — provides the policy/mandate environment in which the UCLA center's curriculum gains traction, but does not deliver arts-based programming.

Direct peers

• Advocates for Youth: Washington, D.C.-based organization delivering rights-based, inclusive sex education and youth leadership programs. Directly comparable in mission, target audience, and the combination of training, content production, and advocacy.
• PCI Media Impact: New York-based nonprofit using entertainment-education (soap operas, serial dramas) for social change on health, environment, and rights. Direct strategic partner of the UCLA center from 2013–2015 on the Soap Operas for Social Change course and operates in overlapping health-education territory.
• MTV Staying Alive Foundation: Global foundation funding youth-led HIV and sexual health projects via media and storytelling, including TV content and peer education. Comparable in targeting youth audiences with arts/media-driven sexual health messaging.
• The Representation Project: Uses film, media, and education campaigns (e.g., Miss Representation, The Mask You Live In) to advance gender equity and social justice. Comparable in pairing film/media production with educational and community engagement for social change.
• Population Media Center: Uses long-running serialized dramas and entertainment-education methodology to address reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and gender equity globally. Highly comparable in combining arts-based storytelling with measurable health behavior change.
• Center for the Theater of the Oppressed: Augusto Boal's flagship Theater of the Oppressed organization in Rio de Janeiro and direct UCLA partner; trains facilitators in the exact legislative-theater and image-theater techniques the UCLA center uses with incarcerated and marginalized populations.

Emerging players

• Echoing Ida: A national writing and leadership collaborative amplifying Black women and nonbinary writers on reproductive justice. Smaller and more focused on reproductive justice than UCLA's center, but shares the methodology of arts/writing as health communication.
• Welcoming Schools (HRC Foundation): HRC Foundation program providing LGBTQ+ inclusive K–12 curricula, books, and training. Competes in the same school-based inclusive sexual health and identity education space, particularly for the LAUSD-adjacent inclusive-content niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucla-art-&-global-health-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCLA Art & Global Health Center