Arts Council for Long Beach

What Arts Council for Long Beach does

Arts Council for Long Beach (ArtsLB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by the City of Long Beach in 1976 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1982, serving as the city's designated local arts agency. It operates four core service lines: an Artist Registry connecting the public with more than 1,300 local artists across folk and traditional, literary, performance, and visual disciplines; a Public Art Program that maintains a catalogue of more than 400 public artworks and runs mural, utility box, and storefront projects across all nine City Council Districts; a Grants Program administering merit-based grants, microgrants (up to $1,000), the Professional Artist Fellowship, Measure B organization funding, and the $60 million California Creative Corps pass-through; and Arts Education programs reaching approximately 1,000 students and teachers annually in partnership with Long Beach Unified School District.

The organization's revenue model is a hybrid of public appropriations (City of Long Beach allocations, Measure B, Long Beach Recovery Act), state arts funding (California Arts Council), private donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and contracts for services. Programs are delivered free to end users, with monetization occurring at the funder and partner level rather than the participant level. The technology stack is conventional web infrastructure (WordPress-style CMS, public art mapping tool, online registry) with no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI capabilities; data assets such as the public art catalogue are assembled with assistance from Long Beach City College student interns. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and staffed by approximately 23 employees, currently led by Interim Executive Director Lisa DeSmidt following the January 2026 departure of long-serving Executive Director Griselda Suarez.

Name

Arts Council for Long Beach

Legal name

Arts Council for Long Beach

Website

https://artslb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arts Council for Long Beach (ArtsLB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 that serves as Long Beach's designated local arts agency, operating an Artist Registry of 1,300+ artists, a Public Art Program with 400+ catalogued works, a grants portfolio, and arts education reaching 1,000+ students annually through partnerships with LBUSD, the Port of Long Beach, and the City of Long Beach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

Keywords

• Nonprofit arts advocacy
• Arts grantmaking
• Public art programs
• Arts education services
• Artist registry directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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. Public Funding: Arts Council for Long Beach receives and distributes public funds as a 501(c)(3) organization founded by the City of Long Beach in 1976 as the Public Corporation for the Arts.
2. Private Donations and Foundation Support: The organization raises funds through private donations, foundations, corporations, and contracts for services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arts Council for Long Beach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit local arts agency that channels public and private funding to Long Beach's arts community through an Artist Registry of 1,300+ artists, grant programs (Organization Grants, Community Project Grants, Microgrants, Professional Artist Fellowship, Measure B, Creative Corps), a Public Art Program with a 400-work public art map, and arts education reaching 1,000 Long Beach Unified School District students annually. It also convenes annual community events such as the State of the Arts Awards and the City of Long Beach Youth Art Contest, and advocates for arts inclusion in city planning.

Product overview

Arts Council for Long Beach (ArtsLB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1976 that serves as a dynamic hub connecting artists, communities, and organizations through advocacy, arts education, public art, and grant making. The organization operates multiple interconnected services: the Artist Registry (a directory of 1,300+ local artists), Public Art Program (mural projects and public art installations with a map of 400+ artworks), Grants Program (offering various funding opportunities including microgrants up to $1,000), Arts Education programs (serving 1,000+ students annually), and Community Events Calendar. Annual signature events include the State of the Arts Awards and the Professional Artist Fellowship Exhibition. ArtsLB also administers special initiatives like the Long Beach Recovery Act Mural Program and IMAGINE28 cultural planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Registry A public, free directory connecting the public, businesses, and event organizers with more than 1,300 local artists across folk & traditional, literary, performance, and visual arts disciplines. Artists self-register and are searchable by genre.
• Public Art Program Connects neighborhoods through public art installations including murals (such as the 7 for 7 Mural Project, Cambodia Town Mural Project, Community Corners, Creative Economy Grants, Together We Make Change, Vacancy to Vibrancy Storefront Program) and utility box art. Includes a Public Art Map of 400+ works, public art tours, and maintenance microgrants distributed across all 9 City Council Districts.
• Grants Program Merit-based grants, contracts, and commissions awarded to Long Beach artists and arts organizations through multiple streams: Measure B Organizations, Organization Grants, Professional Artist Fellowship, Community Project Grants, Microgrants (up to $1,000), Creative Corps, and Seeds of Resilience. Includes technical assistance via the Grant Assistance program.
• Arts Education Program Provides free arts education experiences to approximately 1,000 students and teachers annually in collaboration with Long Beach Unified School District through four core programs: Eye on Design (15-week public art curriculum), Passport to the Arts, Creative Long Beach, and Arts Enrichment. Supplemental programs include the Youth Leadership Academy at Stevens, McBride, and Keller Middle Schools, Go Make Something Kids!, and Art Kits.
• City of Long Beach Youth Art Contest Annual citywide art contest for Long Beach youth in grades 1-8, awarding prizes to winners from each City Council District for original art or photography capturing the beauty and essence of the city.
• State of the Arts Awards Annual celebration recognizing Long Beach residents who make extraordinary impact through the arts via community organizing, education, philanthropy, or cultural innovation.
• Community Events Calendar Free online community events calendar that lets users browse Long Beach arts and culture events and submit events via Airtable.
• Healing Through Color Free summer arts program for Long Beach high school teens (ages 14-18) in which participants are paid to create art. The 2026 session runs July 28 through August 20, 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Arts education provided to 1,000 students and teachers annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

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

• City of Long BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1976Arts Council for Long Beach was founded by the City of Long Beach in 1976 as the Public Corporation for the Arts. The organization maintains a long-standing partnership with the city for distributing public arts funding, managing public art programs, and serving as the city's primary arts convener and advocate.
• Long Beach Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts education partnership providing experiences to 1,000 students and teachers annually through four core programs: Eye on Design, Passport to the Arts, Creative Long Beach, and Arts Enrichment. Collaboration also extends to Youth Leadership Academy at Stevens, McBride, and Keller Middle Schools.
• Port of Long BeachmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Port Photo Program partnership offering photography learning experiences for amateur and professional photographers. Also partners on public art installations at port facilities and the new Port Photo Program for 5th graders.
• Downtown Long Beach AlliancemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for DTLB Unfiltered signature art program celebrating Arts Month in downtown Long Beach, combining photo contests and gallery exhibitions.
• Billie Jean King Main LibrarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Professional Artist Fellowship exhibitions, hosting annual exhibitions showcasing selected fellows' artwork for public viewing.
• Museum of Latin American ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for mayoral candidates forum and State of the Arts events.
• Long Beach City CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLBCC Library Technician Program student interns assist in researching and cataloging public art for the Public Art Map. Also partner on LBCC Public Art Program and faculty job postings.
• League of Women Voters Long BeachminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to host mayoral candidates forum focusing on arts and culture in Long Beach.
• Centro CHA, Love Beyond Limits, Playnice, UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partners for Jumpstart Program arts enrichment initiative, celebrating youth creativity and community engagement.
• Casita Bookstore and Long Beach City Public LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for youth creativity, poetry, and nature celebration events.
• Office of Mayor Robert GarciamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual State of the Arts event partnership for celebrating creativity, community, and cultural leadership.
• Department of Parks, Recreation and MarinemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for public art installations at parks including Drake Chavez Greenbelt Park Mural Project and Washington Neighborhood Basketball Court Mural Project.
• Sister Cities Long BeachminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Young Artists & Authors Showcase annual global competition encouraging artistic expression of international friendship and cultural exchange.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture: City of San Diego's designated arts agency administering the City's Arts & Culture Funding Program, managing public art, and convening the local cultural sector. Direct peer to ArtsLB with comparable California municipal arts-council functions.
• Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council: Regional arts council serving Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania with grantmaking, advocacy, and professional development for artists and organizations. Direct peer to ArtsLB by mission (arts advocacy, grants, capacity building) though geographically distant and operating at a multi-county regional scale.
• Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture: Local arts agency for LA County providing grantmaking, public art, arts education, and advocacy across the broader LA region. Direct functional peer to ArtsLB with overlapping scope on arts funding distribution, public art programs, and partnerships with municipalities and school districts, though operating at a substantially larger county-wide scale.
• San Francisco Arts Commission: City of San Francisco's arts agency with grantmaking, civic art collection, and cultural programming functions. Direct functional peer running parallel programs (grants, public art, artist registry, community events) although operating at a larger municipal scale and budget.
• Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission: Municipal arts council for Pasadena operating similarly as a 501(c)(3) affiliate of city government, providing grant funding, public art, and cultural programming. Closest comparable peer by municipal-convening model and California municipal scale, directly paralleling ArtsLB's Long Beach charter.

Broad incumbents

• Mid-America Arts Alliance: Regional arts organization serving six Midwestern states with grantmaking, touring, and arts-services programming. Compares to ArtsLB as a grantmaking and artist-services intermediary, but at a much larger multi-state scope.
• California Arts Council: State arts agency that has funded ArtsLB's programs (e.g., California Artists in Schools) and selected it as a Creative Corps regional coordinator. Functions at a higher governmental level as a funder and policy body, but is structurally comparable as a public-sector arts council interfacing with local arts agencies.
• Americans for the Arts: National service organization for the arts field, providing advocacy, research, capacity building, and network support for local arts agencies. Comparable to ArtsLB in convener/advocate function but operating at national scope as the field's umbrella body rather than serving as a single-city convener.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/artscouncil4LB
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtsCouncil4LB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arts-council-for-long-beach
• Instagraminstagram.com/artslb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Council for Long Beach