Arts Ed Collaborative

What Arts Ed Collaborative does

Arts Ed Collaborative (AEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and headquartered at Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. AEC supports K-12 arts education across 11 counties of Southwestern Pennsylvania by serving school districts, classroom teachers, arts organizations, and individual teaching artists. Its service portfolio includes professional learning programs (notably the Arts Ed Leadership Academy), school district consulting, program evaluation, regional convenings, and operation of artlook® SWPA — a no-cost, public mapping and directory platform that aggregates arts education data from schools, arts organizations, and teaching artists in a searchable format.

AEC's core technology asset is the artlook® SWPA platform, which runs on a web-based mapping application (swpa.artlookmap.com) and uses Salesforce for internal data management. The organization also maintains a curated Resource Hub, an Opportunities page, and the proprietary Activating Arts Learning Theory of Change framework (organized into Youth Outcomes, Elements of Instruction, and Environmental Factors). The registered artlook® trademark and the 27-year operating history form intangible assets that distinguish AEC from generic arts-in-education intermediaries.

AEC's business model is grant-funded with modest fee-for-service components. Primary funding comes from foundations including The Grable Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Revenue-generating activities are limited to the Leadership Academy (sliding-scale registration of $650–$975) and program evaluation consulting; the artlook® platform is offered free of charge, and the organization pays sliding-scale stipends (up to $400) to incentivize arts partner data contributions. AEC operates as an independent project of Carnegie Museum of Art and as a local affiliate of the Young Audiences Arts for Learning national network. With 6–8 staff, AEC is a small, mission-driven regional collaborative rather than a venture-scale entity.

Name

Arts Ed Collaborative

Legal name

Arts Education Collaborative

Website

https://artsedcollab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arts Ed Collaborative is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that supports K-12 arts education across 11 Southwestern Pennsylvania counties by operating the artlook® SWPA mapping platform, delivering professional learning programs like the Leadership Academy, and providing program evaluation services to school districts, arts organizations, and teaching artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing) (EDAJAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts education services
• Professional learning programs
• K-12 arts partnerships
• Arts education mapping platform
• Program evaluation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: AEC operates as an independent project of Carnegie Museum of Art and fundraises independently from other CMP fundraising efforts. Primary funding comes from foundations including The Grable Foundation and Heinz Endowments.
2. Professional Services: Fee-for-service professional learning programs including Leadership Academy (sliding-scale registration $650-$975), and program evaluation consulting services provided to schools and arts organizations.
3. Platform Participation Stipends: AEC offers sliding-scale stipends up to $400 for eligible arts partners who complete their artlook® SWPA profiles on time. This incentivizes data contribution to the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arts Ed Collaborative provides arts education support services across Southwestern Pennsylvania through the artlook® SWPA mapping platform and a portfolio of professional learning, consulting, and convening programs. The organization serves K-12 school districts, individual arts educators, arts organizations, and teaching artists with cohort-based leadership development, short workshops, program evaluation consulting, and regional data infrastructure. AEC operates as an independent project of Carnegie Museum of Art and a local affiliate of the Young Audiences Arts for Learning network.

Product overview

Arts Ed Collaborative (AEC) operates as a regional arts education support organization with artlook® SWPA as its core data platform—a no-cost, open-access map and searchable directory of people, places, and programs supporting arts learning for students in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected services including the Arts Ed Leadership Academy (a 10-month cohort-based professional learning program), professional learning workshops, program evaluation consulting services, and the Activating Arts Learning Framework (a Theory of Change). Additional offerings include the Resource Hub, Arts Partner Workshops series, and connector/convener services that build a diverse network committed to making the arts central to learning. The organization serves schools, districts, teaching artists, and arts organizations across 11 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• artlook® SWPA Platform A no-cost, open-access web-based mapping and directory platform that brings together arts education data from schools, districts, arts organizations, and teaching artists across 11 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Features searchable directory of learning opportunities in dance, literary arts, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts, plus customizable reports for program improvement and advocacy.
• Arts Ed Leadership Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• Sliding scale stipends up to $400 available for arts partner participation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEC is an independent project of Carnegie Museum of Art, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. While operationally distinct with dedicated staff and separate organizational budget, AEC accesses some institutional resources at CMP and is guided by an advisory committee separate from CMOA and CMP. AEC fundraises independently from other CMP fundraising efforts.
• Young Audiences Arts for Learning (YA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEC is a local affiliate of the national Young Audiences Arts for Learning network, founded in 1952. The network is made up of local affiliated nonprofits that collectively impact over 5 million young people each year. YA works collaboratively to advance arts in education through advocacy, communications, fundraising, program development, professional learning, and other support.
• Project ZerominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEC partnered with Project Zero to create an arts pathway for the Learning and Thinking That Make a Difference Conference, connecting arts education with broader educational innovation.
• Shiftworks Community + Public ArtsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAEC kicked off a new evaluation project with Shiftworks Community + Public Arts, providing program evaluation and assessment services.
• Remake LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEC participates in Remake Learning's Personalized Learning Working Group, contributing to regional education innovation initiatives.
• Arts Education Partnership (AEP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEC connects with Arts Education Partnership for the Annual Convening and utilizes AEP resources including ArtScan, Theatre Counts, Dance Counts, and other data/advocacy materials. AEP is a national coalition working to improve arts education.
• Union ProjectminorOthersPartner organization listing employment opportunities on AEC's opportunities page; AEC shares their job postings with their network.
• AssembleminorOthersPartner organization with youth programs and development/marketing positions shared on AEC's opportunities page.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: The national parent network of which AEC is a local affiliate; it operates 22+ affiliates delivering arts education programs impacting 5M+ youth annually. Directly comparable as the umbrella organization for arts-education nonprofit affiliates across the U.S.
• Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh: Parent institutional ecosystem that hosts AEC within Carnegie Museum of Art. Overlapping education/outreach mission to schools and families in the Pittsburgh region, though at much larger scale.
• Arts Education Partnership (AEP): National coalition that convenes arts-education stakeholders, produces research, and provides data tools (ArtScan, Theatre Counts). AEC draws on AEP resources and operates comparable convening/advocacy functions in its region.
• National Association for Music Education (NAfME): National professional association supporting music and arts educators with advocacy, professional development, and curriculum resources. Comparable in serving arts educators and influencing K-12 arts-education standards.

Direct peers

• Young Audiences of Houston: Another YA affiliate serving a single metro region with arts education programming, professional learning, and school partnerships. Comparable model, scale, and customer base (school districts) as AEC in a different geography.
• Young Audiences of Western New York: Regional YA affiliate delivering arts-in-education programming, teaching artist roster, and school district partnerships. Closely mirrors AEC's regional arts-education intermediary role.
• Education Through Music: Nonprofit that partners with school districts to deliver music and arts instruction and teacher training. Similar mission of building sustainable K-12 arts programs through district partnerships and professional learning.

Regional players

• Remake Learning: Pittsburgh-region learning innovation network in which AEC participates. Comparable convening role for educators and partners across SWPA, though focused more broadly than just arts education.

Others

• Project Zero: Harvard-based research group on teaching, learning, and creative thinking with which AEC has partnered on arts-education pathways. Comparable in producing frameworks and convenings that inform arts-education practice.
• Grantmakers in the Arts: National membership association for arts funders. Comparable as a nonprofit intermediary supporting the arts-education funding ecosystem, with convening and resource-sharing functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artsedcollab/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/artsedcollab

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 Arts Ed Collaborative