Arts & Healing Initiative

What Arts & Healing Initiative does

Arts & Healing Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Ping Ho, MA, MPH, headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Its mission is to integrate the innate benefits of the arts—drumming, visual arts, movement, music, writing, and dance—with mental health practices to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-based social emotional learning (SEL) programs. The organization's core product portfolio centers on Beat the Odds® (BTO), an evidence-based drumming and group counseling program with UCLA-validated outcomes for reducing inattention, depression, PTSD, anxiety, ADHD, and oppositional defiance in children; the Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts (SEA), a 40-60 hour facilitator training launched in 2013; Dance for All™ (DFA), a creative-movement program originally designed for adolescents and adults with disabilities; the Social Emotional Arts Toolkit (SEA-T), a scripted multi-modal curriculum; and the HOPE Series, a free monthly virtual workshop running since 2020.

The organization serves K-12 schools and school districts (including fire-impacted schools in Pasadena and Long Beach USD), educators and mental health professionals seeking continuing education, veterans through the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and UCLA|VA Family Wellbeing Center, transitional-aged youth experiencing homelessness through the Creative Minds Project, and community members at large. Revenue is generated through a mix of transactional sources: seasonal Beat the Odds facilitator trainings priced at $109-$129, individual curriculum e-books and print manuals at $59-$79, continuing education credits at $30-$115 per course, custom programs for schools and workplaces, and donations including a Visionary Circle tier at $2,500+ annually. Distribution occurs through a Shopify online storefront, Zoom-based online program delivery, direct institutional partnerships, and a distributed network of trained facilitators who deliver licensed curricula independently.

Name

Arts & Healing Initiative

Legal name

Arts & Healing Initiative

Website

https://artsandhealinginitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arts & Healing Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that delivers trauma-informed, UCLA-validated social emotional arts programs—including drumming, movement, and multi-modal curricula—to K-12 schools, mental health professionals, veterans, and underserved community members through facilitator training, curriculum licensing, and free virtual workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Emotional Arts and Creative Arts Therapy Programs

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Health & Wellbeing Curriculum (EDAGAAAF), Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Social emotional learning
• Creative arts therapy
• Trauma-informed programs
• Arts-based mental health
• Group drumming curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Program and Training Fees: Revenue from fee-based signature programs including Beat the Odds seasonal trainings ($109-$129), Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts, Social Emotional Arts Toolkit Training, and Dance for All Training. Continuing education credits available for additional fees ($30-$115).
2. Curriculum Materials Sales: Sale of digital (e-book) and print curriculum manuals for Beat the Odds, Dance for All, and Social Emotional Arts Toolkit through the Shopify online store. Prices range from $59-$79 for individual manuals.
3. HOPE Series Workshop Fees: Free monthly HOPE Series workshops that serve as a community acquisition channel. Facilitators are paid $100-$150 per session, with the free programming enabled by donor support and grants.
4. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations accepted through the website via PayPal, Givebutter, Donor-Advised Funds, estate planning, Facebook Fundraisers, Ralphs Community Rewards, workplace giving platforms (Benevity, Bright Funds, Charityvest), and Bookshop purchases. Visionary Circle membership at $2,500+ annually.
5. Custom Programs and Presentations: Revenue from customizable programs and presentations delivered to schools, organizations, and workplaces. Programs can be customized to meet SEL grant deliverables such as CalHOPE 3.0 funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arts & Healing Initiative develops, sells, and delivers evidence-based social emotional arts programs that integrate creative arts with mental health practices for K-12 schools, mental health professionals, and community organizations. Core revenue comes from facilitator training programs (Beat the Odds, Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts, Dance for All, Social Emotional Arts Toolkit), printed and digital curriculum manuals, continuing education courses for licensed clinicians, and customized institutional programs.

Product overview

Arts & Healing Initiative offers a portfolio of social emotional arts programs that integrate the innate benefits of the arts with mental health practices. The core offerings include Beat the Odds® (a drumming-based social emotional skill building program), Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts (SEA), Dance for All (creative movement program), and Social Emotional Arts Toolkit (SEA-T) training with scripted activities across four art forms. Supporting these are curriculum materials including print manuals and e-books for each program, and continuing education credits for professionals. The HOPE Series provides free monthly virtual workshops for community engagement. The organization also runs the Youth Leadership Project to train students as peer facilitators, extending program reach through sustainable youth-powered delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beat the Odds (BTO): Evidence-based, trauma-informed program integrating group drumming and group counseling for social and emotional skill building.
• Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts (SEA)
• Dance for All (DFA)
• Social Emotional Arts Toolkit (SEA-T)
• HOPE Series
• Creative Minds Project (CMP)

Products and services

• Beat the Odds® (BTO)

Quantifiable outcome

• UCLA research demonstrated significant reductions in a spectrum of behavior problems including inattention, withdrawn/depression, PTSD, anxiety, ADHD, oppositional defiance, and sluggish cognitive tempo in children who participated in Beat the Odds.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCLA|VA Family Wellbeing CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration since fall 2023 to bring mind/body healing to veterans through expressive arts, with art therapist Amber Cromwell facilitating Expressive Arts Groups.
• Remo, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts & Healing Initiative partnered with Remo, Inc. to offer drum packages and individual percussion instruments at deeply discounted, below-market rates for community use. Remo drums are lightweight, durable, nestable, and designed for fire-impacted and under-resourced community settings.
• Aveson Global Leadership Academy (AGLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivered semester-long Beat the Odds drum program to 6th-12th graders as elective classes. Training Aveson staff for sustainable continuation of the program.
• Aveson School of Leaders (ASL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivered Beat the Odds to all TK through 5th grade classrooms. After-school program planned for sustainable continuation with trained staff.
• Whole Health at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System's Whole Health initiative to deliver expressive arts programming to veterans, in collaboration with UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellbeing Center.
• Creative Minds Project (CMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA program of Arts & Healing Initiative that integrates the innate social-emotional benefits of the arts with mental health practices at community agencies serving transitional-aged youth, adults, and veterans living homeless in West Los Angeles.
• Safe Place for YouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that often seeks volunteers and serves transitional-aged youth experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Part of the Creative Minds Project network.
• PATH West Los Angeles (People Assisting the Homeless)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for the Creative Minds Project serving adults experiencing homelessness in West Los Angeles.
• The People ConcernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through their Access Center for the Creative Minds Project, serving individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Long Beach Unified School District - Family Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with district counselors to train 7th graders to work with 5th graders, and 5th graders with 3rd graders, in the Beat the Odds Youth Leadership Project. District arranged training for 50 mental health professionals.
• Asia Moore, MSW (PhD candidate)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping innovative, comprehensive, and culturally-informed assessment methods to capture the benefits to diverse youth in quantitative and qualitative ways for the Youth Leadership Project.
• New HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to lead families through an experiential journey of art making, sound, and drumming for managing grief and loss.
• Let's Dance It Out!minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTherapeutic dance/movement program for teens and adults with disabilities, run by Dance for All Training instructors. Facilitators, coordinator, interns, and volunteer positions available.
• Waldorf School (Pasadena)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTarget school for expansion of Beat the Odds programming to fire-impacted students. School has suffered two moves in one year and operates a K-12 model enabling peer-to-peer program delivery.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BASE Education: BASE Education delivers SEL curriculum through self-paced digital modules for secondary students. Comparable SEL content provider targeting the same student mental health outcomes via scripted, evidence-based programming.
• Aperture Education: Aperture Education offers CASEL-aligned SEL curriculum and assessment tools for districts. Comparable as a K-12 SEL curriculum vendor; AHI competes for the same SEL budget line items within schools.
• Rethink Ed: Rethink Ed provides SEL and mental health curricula for K-12. Comparable as a structured SEL content and professional learning provider competing for district contracts.
• Move This World: Move This World delivers K-12 SEL through structured movement and dance-based video programs. Directly comparable to Arts & Healing Initiative's Dance for All (DFA) and Beat the Odds programs in mission, audience, and arts-based delivery model.
• KID smART: KID smART is a New Orleans-based nonprofit integrating arts into K-12 education for social-emotional outcomes. Comparable as a nonprofit, arts-in-education organization delivering creative, trauma-informed programming to schools.
• Open Studio Project: Open Studio Project is a nonprofit delivering trauma-informed expressive arts programming in schools and communities. Highly comparable methodology to AHI's Color & Conflict and SketchPoetic workshops.
• 7 Mindsets: 7 Mindsets provides evidence-based SEL curriculum for K-12 schools with scripted lessons and facilitator training. Comparable as a competing SEL content-and-training provider in the same school buyer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Imagine Learning: Imagine Learning is a large, well-capitalized K-12 edtech incumbent with an expanding SEL and mental health product suite. Comparable in buyer (school districts) and SEL spend capture, but AHI focuses narrowly on arts-based SEL while Imagine Learning serves broader academic and supplemental needs.

Others

• National Arts Education Association (NAEA): NAEA is the professional membership organization for visual arts educators, advancing arts education in schools. Adjacent peer as the leading arts-in-education convener and standards body.
• Americans for the Arts: Americans for the Arts is a national nonprofit service organization advocating for the arts and providing resources to arts organizations. Adjacent ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UCLArtsandHealing
• Facebookfacebook.com/artshealinginitiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/artshealinginitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artshealinginitiative

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Arts & Healing Initiative