Town of New Milford

What Town of New Milford does

The New Milford Commission on the Arts is a volunteer municipal commission established by ordinance of the Town of New Milford, Connecticut in 1977. Operating under the authority of the Town government, its mission is to support and encourage the development and appreciation of artistic and cultural experiences in the Town across music, theater, dance, film, literature, and visual arts. The Commission pursues this mission through two mechanisms: direct event programming and grant disbursement to local arts organizations and individual artists whose projects benefit New Milford residents.

Its portfolio of programming comprises four signature annual events—the Arts Festival, Concerts on the Green, Carol Sing on the Green, and the Poetry Contest—plus ongoing sponsorship of Gallery 25 and Creative Arts Studio. The Arts Festival, revived in 2023 after a decade-long lapse, features 50+ fine artists and artisans; Concerts on the Green and Carol Sing are decades-long traditions. The Commission also administers a competitive Arts Funding Program and convenes an annual Community Engagement Day that in 2026 drew over 40 organizations to the New Milford Public Library. It has no proprietary technology; its operating assets are community volunteer networks, municipal authority, and privileged access to Town Hall venues and the historic Town Green.

The Commission's revenue model is municipal appropriation from the Town budget, supplemented by a modest $75 non-refundable Arts Festival exhibitor registration fee and donations. It does not sell products or services commercially and has no SaaS, licensing, or transactional revenue. Headcount is 13 (per firmographic data), with volunteer commission leadership including Lou Mandler (Interim Chair), Susan Randel (Vice Chair), and Ali Psomas (Secretary). The Commission holds formal partnerships with the Fairfield County Cultural Alliance, the Northwest Connecticut Council on the Arts, and the New Milford Public Library, and is presently pursuing Connecticut Cultural District designation for New Milford.

Name

Town of New Milford

Legal name

New Milford Commission on the Arts

Website

https://artsnewmilfordct.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New Milford Commission on the Arts is a volunteer municipal commission established in 1977 under the Town of New Milford, Connecticut, that funds local arts organizations and runs four annual community events including the Arts Festival, Concerts on the Green, Carol Sing, and Poetry Contest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Arts Services

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Municipal arts commission
• Community arts funding
• Arts festival management
• Cultural event sponsorship
• Local arts grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New Milford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Funding / Town Budget Appropriation: The Commission operates as a Town of New Milford government body funded through municipal appropriations. It receives an annual budget from the town to carry out its mission of supporting and encouraging artistic and cultural development.
2. Grant Disbursement to Local Arts Organizations: The Commission funds local arts organizations and individual projects through a grant application process. It distributes municipal funds to support events, programs, performances, and arts activities benefiting New Milford residents. Funded recipients include Gallery 25, Merryall Center, Village Center for the Arts, New Milford Riverfest, and others.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The New Milford Commission on the Arts is a volunteer municipal commission that organizes and sponsors free community arts events (Arts Festival, Concerts on the Green, Carol Sing, Poetry Contest), distributes grant funding to local arts organizations and individual artists, and sponsors Gallery 25 and Creative Arts Studio. It operates as a Town of New Milford government body established by ordinance in 1977 to support artistic and cultural development.

Product overview

The New Milford Commission on the Arts is a volunteer municipal organization established in 1977 that supports and encourages artistic and cultural development in the Town of New Milford, Connecticut. Rather than offering a unified technology product, the Commission provides a portfolio of community arts programs and services including the annual Arts Festival, Concerts on the Green, Carol Sing on the Green, Poetry Contest, and sponsorship of Gallery 25 and Creative Arts Studio. Additionally, the Commission administers an arts funding program that provides grants to local arts organizations and projects. These programs serve to promote music, theater, dance, film, literature, and visual arts throughout the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gallery 25 and Creative Arts Studio: A sponsored gallery providing a friendly space to display and sell remarkable works of fine art and unique handmade artisan creations; to stimulate interaction and cultural exchange throughout western Connecticut; to educate through programs and presentations; and to foster interest and appreciation for the creative arts within the greater New Milford community.

Products and services

• Arts Festival An annual juried fine art and artisan show held on the Town Green featuring over 50 artists, artisans, and performances by local dance, music, and theater groups. Open to the public and free to attend, with a $75 non-refundable registration fee for exhibitor booth spaces.
• Concerts on the Green A free outdoor music series held every Saturday evening in August around the historic bandstand on the Town Green, featuring various musical genres from blues to country to pop classics.
• Carol Sing on the Green An annual holiday tradition held in December around the bandstand with songbooks, luminaries, and holiday carols, followed by the Parade of Lights.
• Poetry Contest An annual poetry competition open to New Milford residents across four age categories (Youth 8-12, Young Adult 13-18, Adult 19-55, Senior 56+), featuring cash prizes and a public reading ceremony.
• Gallery 25 and Creative Arts Studio A sponsored gallery providing a space to display and sell fine art and handmade artisan creations, fostering cultural exchange and appreciation for the creative arts in the greater New Milford community and western Connecticut.
• Arts Funding Program A municipal grant funding program that supports artistic and cultural projects, programs, and events in New Milford, open to legal residents, nonprofits, and businesses whose projects benefit New Milford residents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Arts Festival draws thousands of attendees over first three years (2023-2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fairfield County Cultural AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Commission partners with Fairfield County's Cultural Alliance as part of its regional arts network. This partnership connects New Milford's local arts community to broader regional resources, funding opportunities, and collaborative initiatives across Fairfield County.
• Northwest Connecticut Council on the Arts (NWCT Arts Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Commission partners with Litchfield County's Northwest Connecticut Council on the Arts. This regional arts council provides networking, resources, and programming support for local arts initiatives. The NWCT Arts Council co-sponsored the Make Music Day 2025 event with the Commission and Town of New Milford.
• New Milford Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe New Milford Public Library is a primary co-sponsor of the annual Poetry Contest, hosting ceremonies and readings. It also hosts Community Engagement Day events where the Commission engages residents. The library serves as a central community hub for Commission programming.
• Town of New MilfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Commission is a volunteer body established by Town of New Milford ordinance in 1977. It operates under the municipality, uses Town Hall meeting spaces (Loretta Brickley Room), organizes events on the Town Green, and receives municipal funding. Mayor Pete Bass presented the 2025 DaVinci Awards at Town Hall.
• Gallery 25 and Creative Arts StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery 25 and Creative Arts Studio is sponsored by the Commission. The Commission approved funds in 2025 for eight white display panels to enhance the gallery's professional appearance. The gallery provides a space for fine art and artisan creations in western Connecticut.
• Village Center for the Arts (VCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Commission nominated VCA founders Jayson Roberts and Sharon Kaufman for the 2025 DaVinci Award. VCA provides educational fine art programs for all ages in New Milford. The Commission recognizes and supports VCA's mission as part of the local arts ecosystem.
• TheatreWorks NMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatreWorks NM hosts Commission-sponsored events including Make Music Day performances by the Sherman Chamber Ensemble. The theater company participates in the Arts Festival and was part of the 2024 Carol Sing. TheatreWorks provides a performance venue for Commission programming.
• New Milford RiverfestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Commission contributed entertainment funding to New Milford Riverfest, sponsored by the Riverfront Revitalization Committee. The two-day free event takes place at Young's Field along the Housatonic River and features live music, food, and children's activities.
• The Silo at Hunt HillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Silo at Hunt Hill partnered with the Commission to bring 50 New Milford children to Carnegie Hall for the New York Pops Gala Performance. This partnership extends the Commission's arts education mission beyond New Milford.
• Riverfront Revitalization CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Riverfront Revitalization Committee organizes the annual New Milford Riverfest. The Commission contributes entertainment funding to this event, which draws crowds to Young's Field along the Housatonic River.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit advocacy organization for the arts that supports and convenes local arts agencies like the New Milford Commission on the Arts through research, policy, and network programming — an ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• New England Foundation for the Arts: Regional private arts foundation supporting arts organizations across the six New England states — analogous grantmaking/arts-support function as the Commission but with regional scope and significantly larger capital base, including support for community arts initiatives.
• Mass Cultural Council: Massachusetts state arts agency performing arts-support and grantmaking functions analogous to the New Milford Commission on the Arts, but at the state level in a neighboring jurisdiction.
• Connecticut Office of the Arts: The Connecticut state arts agency — analogous municipal-arts-council function but operating statewide with significantly larger budgets, statutory authority, and statewide grantmaking programs that the New Milford Commission on the Arts interacts with via Cultural District designation efforts.

Direct peers

• Litchfield County Chamber of Commerce — Arts & Culture: Adjacent county-level body supporting arts and cultural programming in Litchfield County — closely comparable to the Commission's grantmaking and event-coordination role, serving overlapping but distinct towns in the same northwest Connecticut region.
• Greater Hartford Arts Council: Regional arts council serving the Hartford, Connecticut metro area — same foundational mission of community arts funding, programming, and convening that the New Milford Commission on the Arts performs, but with broader geographic coverage and larger operating capacity.

Regional players

• Northwest Connecticut Council on the Arts: Regional arts council serving Litchfield County, Connecticut — a current Commission partner — performing the same grantmaking, programming, and community convening function as the New Milford Commission on the Arts but at the county-wide scale and adjacent geography.
• Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut: Fairfield County regional arts alliance and current Commission partner — comparable function to the New Milford Commission on the Arts (grantmaking, advocacy, programming) but operating across a much larger county footprint and adjacent Connecticut geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/artwalknewmilford
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/town-of-new-milford

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Town of New Milford