Arts on the Ave

What Arts on the Ave does

Arts on the Ave Edmonton Society is a registered Canadian non-profit charity (BN 85299 0159 RR0001), founded in 2005 and incorporated as a Society in 2007, with charitable status granted in 2015. The organization is developing Edmonton's Alberta Avenue district (118 Avenue, 75 Street to 106 Street) into a curated community arts district. It is headquartered at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse (9351 118 Ave NW), a volunteer-powered, professionally managed not-for-profit coffeehouse that doubles as a professional arts venue and exhibition hub. The organization serves multi-disciplinary artists, residents, newcomers and refugees, and the broader Edmonton community through a portfolio of signature festivals, public art, food security, and community safety programs.

The organization's core offerings comprise free signature festivals (Kaleido Family Arts Festival held each September and Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival held each January, with Deep Freeze having drawn 50,000+ visitors to a single feature and Kaleido engaging 400+ volunteers and 600+ artists), year-round programming at The Carrot, a public art program featuring Vancouver Biennale loans (works by Wang Shugang, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Cosimo Cavallaro, Toni Latour, Yong Fei Guan), the Little Street Art Gallery exchange initiative, guided heritage tours (If These Walls Could Talk), and youth programming (Spark! Youth Camp). Adjacent community service lines include Families Helping Families (grocery matching, oversubscribed), Bethel Food Pantry (weekly Monday distribution), Coffee with Cops (now in its 16th consecutive year), Make the Call safety reporting, and Green Alleys. The flagship capital project in planning is Arts Common 118, a mixed-use social purpose development proposing 76 affordable live-work artist spaces, retail, a 2,000 sq. ft. industrial kitchen, a 175-200 seat black box theatre, and a rooftop urban farm.

The revenue model is a hybrid non-profit construct combining donated revenue (one-time and monthly giving through CanadaHelps and ATB Cares 20% match), grants (Edmonton Arts Council, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, City of Edmonton, Edmonton Community Foundation, Edmonton Heritage Council, ATB Cares), corporate sponsorship (Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, Edmonton Elks partnership with 20% ticket proceeds, EPCOR, TELUS, KOR-ALTA, Avatex, Canadian National Railway), earned event revenue (Kaleido and Deep Freeze 50/50 raffles, Jazz Alley $10 tickets, Community Regeneration Conference $99-$125+GST, If These Walls Could Talk tour tickets), art sales through an online store ($300-$925 prints by Robin Light), social enterprise food and beverage revenue at The Carrot Coffeehouse, and a $5/year membership program. Distribution is event-driven and place-anchored, with The Carrot as the persistent physical hub and the two festivals serving as primary mass-reach vehicles. Technology stack is community-nonprofit-grade (Squarespace, Eventbrite, CanadaHelps, Better Impact, Raffle Nexus/Rafflebox, Google Forms, Wufoo) with no disclosed AI or proprietary platform.

Name

Arts on the Ave

Legal name

Arts on the Ave Edmonton Society

Website

https://artsontheave.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arts on the Ave is a registered Canadian non-profit charity developing Edmonton's Alberta Avenue district into a curated arts community through free signature festivals, a social enterprise coffeehouse, public art, and food security and neighborhood safety programs serving multi-disciplinary artists, residents, and newcomers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Programming

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGALAO

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAHAC

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYMPAGAEAG

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Cultural Festivals & Community Events

SECONDARYMPAGABAM

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Theater, Broadway & Performing Arts

Keywords

• Community arts programming
• Public art installations
• Arts festivals events
• Community regeneration services
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Arts on the Ave is a registered charity (BN 85299 0159 RR0001) that accepts one-time and monthly donations through Canada Helps and ATB Cares, providing tax receipts to donors. The organization has run matching donation campaigns (e.g., Government of Alberta matching $2000+ donations, Make It Monthly programs).
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership is available for $5 per year, enabling members to vote at the AGM and participate in Arts on the Ave events and programs.
3. Festival and Event Fundraising: 50/50 raffles at Kaleido Festival (e.g., $11,200 pot in 2025, $10,000 pot in 2023), Carrot by Moonlight annual fundraiser, garage sales, pub nights, and luncheon fundraisers generate revenue for programming.
4. Art Sales: The online store sells art prints and paintings by local artists such as Robin Light at price points ranging from $300 to $925.
5. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for community events including Jazz Alley ($10 tickets), Community Regeneration Conference (Early bird $99 + GST, General $125 + GST, Staff/Volunteers $50), and If These Walls Could Talk guided tours.
6. Social Enterprise - The Carrot Coffeehouse: The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse generates revenue through food and beverage sales, with proceeds supporting Arts on the Ave programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arts on the Ave is a registered nonprofit charity that curates and operates free public arts festivals (Kaleido Family Arts Festival and Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival), runs The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse as a social-enterprise arts venue, and delivers community-based public art installations and social support programs (food security, neighbourhood safety, youth arts) to develop Edmonton's Alberta Avenue corridor into a curated arts district. Revenue is generated through donations, grants, memberships, ticket and raffle sales, art sales, and food/beverage sales at The Carrot.

Product overview

Arts on the Ave is a community arts organization operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio consists of signature festivals (Kaleido Family Arts Festival and Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival), a social enterprise (The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse), public art installations and gallery programs, community safety/food security initiatives (Green Alleys, Make the Call, Families Helping Families, Bethel Food Pantry, Coffee with Cops), youth programming (Spark! Youth Camp), a planned arts hub (Arts Common 118), and annual membership. These programs interconnect through The Carrot as a central hub, with festivals providing high-visibility community engagement and social initiatives addressing food security and safety supporting the overall neighborhood revitalization mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kaleido Family Arts Festival
• Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ visitors attracted to a single festival feature (Deep Freeze woolly mammoth)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vancouver BiennalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVancouver Biennale loans public art installations to Arts on the Ave as part of the effort to transform the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood into a community arts district. Artworks include 'The Meeting' by Wang Shugang, 'Walking Figures' by Magdalena Abakanowicz, 'Love Your Bean' by Cosimo Cavallaro, 'lets heal the divide' by Toni Latour, and '金猪 Golden Pig' by Yong Fei Guan.
• The Carrot Community Arts CoffeehousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise operated as Arts on the Ave's hub at 9351 118 Ave, serving as a volunteer-powered not-for-profit coffeehouse and professional arts venue for curated exhibitions and live performances.
• Alberta Avenue Business AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents over 200 businesses on 118 Ave and partners on community events including AvèPalooza and Eats on 118 promotions.
• Nina Haggerty Centre for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated at 118 Avenue at 92 Street; hosts 'lets heal the divide' neon artwork installation and collaborates on community arts programming.
• The Places (The Works Art & Design Festival)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Arts on the Ave on public art installations including 'Love Your Bean' by Cosimo Cavallaro as part of transforming Alberta Avenue into a community arts district.
• Edmonton Police ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on Coffee with Cops (16th year), Make the Call safety initiative, and community policing programs that bridge law enforcement and community members.
• Edmonton Folk Music FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts on the Ave partnered with Edmonton Folk Music Festival for a shindig event featuring African drums, dance, folk music, and chalk art at 118 Avenue and 92nd Street.
• Edmonton Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Arts on the Ave and Bethel Gospel Chapel on the Bethel Food Pantry providing free food to Norwood community members.
• John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human RightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Arts on the Ave on the Bethel Food Pantry and community food security initiatives.
• Bethel Gospel ChapelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Arts on the Ave to operate the Bethel Food Pantry at 11461 95 Street, providing free food every Monday 3-5 PM.
• Royal Alberta MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRen the Woolly Mammoth, created by Arts on the Ave for Deep Freeze Festival, was donated to the Royal Alberta Museum where it now greets visitors in the museum lobby.
• CO*LABminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated studio space to allow Arts on the Ave to build the life-size woolly mammoth lantern for Deep Freeze Festival.
• Canadian Urban InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured Arts on the Ave in the COVID-365 Magazine, highlighting community leadership during the pandemic.
• Avenue InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collaborating on public art and urban renewal initiatives in the Alberta Avenue district.
• Neighbourhood Empowerment Team (NET)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Arts on the Ave on the Green Alleys project and neighbourhood safety initiatives.
• Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignature festival organized by Arts on the Ave held every January on Alberta Avenue celebrating French, Ukrainian, and Indigenous cultures through art, music, dance, food, and ice carvings.
• Kaleido Family Arts FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignature free, radically open family arts festival organized by Arts on the Ave held in September, engaging 400+ volunteers and 600+ artists.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Artscape: Toronto-based nonprofit that creates and operates community arts hubs, artist live-work spaces, and creative placemaking initiatives. Closest structural peer to Arts on the Ave given both organizations run multi-venue community arts ecosystems that combine arts programming with affordable artist space and neighbourhood revitalization.
• Arts Commons: Calgary arts complex operating multiple performance venues, galleries, and community programming under one organization. Comparable to Arts on the Ave's Carrot-plus-festivals model in combining a year-round arts venue with signature programming, though larger in scale.
• Vancouver Biennale: Nonprofit that curates and loans large-scale public art installations across multiple host cities. Direct peer in free, outdoor, internationally curated public-art programming — and an explicit Arts on the Ave partner that supplies sculptures to Alberta Avenue, making it both a comparable and a strategic ally.
• Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts: Edmonton artist-run centre on 118 Avenue hosting exhibitions, studio programs, and community arts programming. Direct peer given shared Alberta Avenue geography and explicit partnership with Arts on the Ave on the 'lets heal the divide' public art installation.
• Harcourt House Artist Run Centre: Edmonton artist-run centre operating gallery, studio, and workshop programming for visual artists. Comparable to Arts on the Ave in artist-development programming, exhibition curation, and Edmonton community-arts nonprofit structure, though narrower in performing-arts focus.
• The WORKS Art & Design Festival: Edmonton-based international art and design festival featuring public art installations across the city. Direct peer in Edmonton public-art festival programming and an explicit Arts on the Ave partner (co-presenting Cosimo Cavallaro's 'Love Your Bean'). Comparable in free, public-facing, urban-scale art activation.
• MECA (Multicultural Education through Counseling and the Arts): Edmonton-based nonprofit delivering arts and cultural programming to immigrant, refugee, and underserved communities. Direct peer in scope, Edmonton geography, and multicultural community-arts mission; Arts on the Ave has cited newcomer integration outcomes (Ammar Alshikh from Syria joining via The Carrot).

Broad incumbents

• The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Major Canadian arts and cultural institution offering programming across visual arts, performing arts, and community engagement with federal/provincial funding. Broader incumbent in the Canadian arts ecosystem with overlapping educational programming (Spark! Youth Camp parallels) but operating at much larger scale and national scope.
• National Arts Centre (Canada): Canada's federally funded performing arts presenting organization with year-round programming across theatre, music, and dance. Overlaps with The Carrot as a performing arts presenter/venue and with Kaleido/Deep Freeze as a major festival-style programming operator, but operates at a national scale.

Others

• Creative City Network of Canada / Creative Placemaking peers (Artscape, Calgary Arts Commons etc.): Canadian network of municipal cultural planners and creative placemaking practitioners. Not a direct operating competitor but a thematic/ecosystem peer representing the broader Canadian community-arts and creative-placemaking infrastructure Arts on the Ave participates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtsOnTheAveEdmonton
• Instagraminstagram.com/artsontheave
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arts-on-the-ave

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 on the Ave