ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Inc

What ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Inc does

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 and headquartered at 706 West Main Street in Peoria, Illinois. It operates as the central coordinating body for the arts ecosystem across Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties, serving individual artists, arts organizations, K-12 schools, and the general public through a portfolio of interconnected programs. Its core offerings include the annual Ignite Peoria free community festival (drawing 100+ artists and thousands of attendees), the Sky Art Peoria juried billboard competition (delivering over $37,000 in donated Adams Outdoor Advertising billboard space per winner), the First Fridays monthly multi-district arts walk, the Business of Art entrepreneurship conference, the Arts Dollars grant program (awarding up to $3,500 per recipient), and the Follow Your Arts Gallery exhibition space. Supporting infrastructure includes the Explore Arts online directory of 113 regional arts organizations, an Artist Index, a community event calendar, and the weekly Out and About radio show on WCBU Peoria Public Radio.

The organization employs approximately 6 people and is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Ross Miller. It does not sell products in a traditional commercial sense; instead it delivers community programs funded through a combination of government grants (City of Peoria, Illinois Arts Council), foundation grants (Community Foundation of Central Illinois), corporate sponsorships structured in tiers ranging from $50 to $5,000+, and individual donations that are tax-deductible under its 501(c)(3) status. Its go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, supplemented by email (Constant Contact), social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube), radio, and PR.

The technical platform is non-proprietary and lightweight — a WordPress-based website hosting the event calendar, directories, program registrations, and publications. The underlying value is not technological but relational: ArtsPartners has accumulated 25 years of brand recognition, donor relationships, and convening power in a specific three-county region. Major corporate donors include PNC Bank, CEFCU, OSF Healthcare, Morton Industries, O'Shea Builders, and RLI Insurance. The organization marked its 25th anniversary in October 2025.

Name

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Inc

Legal name

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc.

Website

https://artspartners.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that coordinates the regional arts ecosystem across Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties through festivals, grants, a billboard art competition, a gallery, and business-of-art programming serving local artists, arts organizations, schools, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Administration Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAH

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs

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

SECONDARYBPAGAHAD

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations

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

SECONDARYBPAGAHAG

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations

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

Keywords

• Arts administration services
• Community arts programming
• Artist grant funding
• Arts festival organization
• Nonprofit arts advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria

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. Donations and Contributions: ArtsPartners relies heavily on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund operations and programs. The organization is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, making contributions tax-deductible.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsorships from businesses including PNC Bank, CEFCU, OSF Healthcare, Morton Industries, O'Shea Builders, RLI Insurance, and others at various giving levels (Artist Circle $2,500+, Visionary $1,000-$2,499, Advocate $500-$999, Contributor $250-$499, Supporter $50-$249).
3. Government and Foundation Grants: Funding from the City of Peoria, Illinois Arts Council, and Community Foundation of Central Illinois supports programs like the Arts Dollars grant program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Inc operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that strengthens the arts community in the Greater Peoria region through flagship programs including Sky Art Peoria (juried billboard art competition), Ignite Peoria (annual free STEAM arts festival), the Business of Art conference for entrepreneurial artists, and the Arts Dollars grant program. The organization also maintains community resources such as the Follow Your Arts Gallery, First Fridays monthly arts walk, Explore Arts directory (113+ organizations), Artist Index directory, and a comprehensive community Event Calendar.

Product overview

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Inc operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization offering multiple interconnected community programs. Its core portfolio includes Sky Art Peoria (billboard art competition), Ignite Peoria (annual STEAM festival), Business of Art (artist entrepreneurship conference), and the Arts Dollars grant program. Supporting offerings include the Follow Your Arts Gallery exhibition space, First Fridays monthly arts walks, an Artist Index directory, an Explore Arts venue directory, and a community Event Calendar. These programs work together to strengthen the arts for economic and cultural enrichment of Central Illinois since 1999.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sky Art Peoria A juried competition that places local artists' work on Adams Outdoor 48' x 14' billboards throughout the Peoria market, providing over $37,000 in free advertising value to each winning artist.
• Ignite Peoria Peoria's annual Big Bang Celebration of Creativity featuring hundreds of local makers, musicians, artists, innovators, dancers, and actors in a STEAM-inspired interactive free festival held at Peoria Civic Center. Includes Midwest Makerfest, Sensory Ignite, Fashion Ignite, Global Fest, and two live performance stages.
• Business of Art Conference A day-long conference connecting entrepreneurial artists with business professionals through seminars and networking, featuring hands-on sessions including professional headshots, LLC registration, copyright workshops, and one-on-one business support.
• Arts Dollars Grant Program Grant program supporting programming and artists that enrich quality of life in the Greater Peoria region (Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford counties). Individual artists may apply for up to $2,000 with up to 20% self-pay; non-profit organizations and K-12 schools may apply for up to $3,500. Funded by Illinois Arts Council and Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
• Follow Your Arts Gallery Gallery space located at 706 W Main St., Peoria showcasing rotating exhibitions from local artists. Open during office hours and special open house events.
• First Fridays Monthly arts event across multiple districts in Peoria featuring galleries, studios, restaurants, and creative businesses. The First Fridays Amplified initiative strengthens connections between spaces while increasing visibility, participation, and economic impact.
• Explore Arts Directory Online directory of galleries, venues, theaters, and performing/media arts organizations in Central Illinois, featuring 113 listings.
• Artist Index Online searchable directory of local artists with filtering by medium, subject matter, and gender, featuring various artistic disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media.
• Community Event Calendar Comprehensive community calendar featuring arts events including art exhibits, auditions, classes, dance, film, literature, music, theater, and special events across Central Illinois.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $37,000 in advertising value per Sky Art Peoria winner
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Partnerships

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

• Adams Outdoor AdvertisingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdams Outdoor Advertising provides donated billboard space (48' x 14') for the Sky Art Peoria program, with each winning artist receiving over $37,000 in advertising value.
• Peoria Civic CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeoria Civic Center serves as the venue for Ignite Peoria, the annual free arts and makers festival attracting hundreds of local artists and thousands of community members.
• WCBU Peoria Public RadiomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtsPartners produces the weekly 'Out and About' radio show with WCBU, featuring interviews with local arts leaders and performers. Hosted by Executive Director Dr. Mae Gilliland Wright and produced by WCBU's Jody Holtz.
• Haus of Runway ModelsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaus of Runway Models (creators of Peoria Fashion Week) presents Fashion Ignite at the Ignite Peoria festival, featuring runway shows with innovative fashion designs.
• River City LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiver City Labs provides robotics demonstrations as part of the Midwest Makerfest section of Ignite Peoria.
• Illinois Central CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Central College (ICC) is a special thanks sponsor for the Business of Art conference and provides facilities and support for arts programming.
• Illinois HumanitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Humanities provides a speaker for the Business of Art conference focusing on budgeting for artists.
• Lawyers for the Creative ArtsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLawyers for the Creative Arts conducts copyright registration workshops at the Business of Art conference, helping artists register their work with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ArtsWave: ArtsWave is a regional arts council and fundraising organization serving Greater Cincinnati, distributing community campaign funds to arts organizations and running community-wide arts programs. It is the closest functional analog to ArtsPartners' role as a regional arts coordinator and grantmaker in Central Illinois.
• United Arts of Central Florida: United Arts of Central Florida is a regional nonprofit that coordinates arts funding, community campaigns, and arts information across a multi-county region. Its model of pooling corporate and government funding to support local arts organizations closely mirrors ArtsPartners' Arts Dollars and sponsorship programs.
• Greater Columbus Arts Council: The Greater Columbus Arts Council provides grants, programs, and arts services to support artists and arts organizations in the Columbus, Ohio region. Its grantmaking and community-arts-coordination model is directly comparable to ArtsPartners' Arts Dollars and central-hub role in Central Illinois.
• Silicon Valley Creates: Silicon Valley Creates is a regional arts service organization that advocates, fundraises, and coordinates arts programming across its metro area. Its mission of serving as a unified voice and resource hub for regional arts is closely aligned with ArtsPartners' central-hub positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Arts Midwest: Arts Midwest is a nonprofit regional arts organization serving the upper Midwest with grantmaking, touring programs, and community arts initiatives. While geographically larger, its mission of strengthening regional arts ecosystems is comparable to ArtsPartners' work in Central Illinois.
• Americans for the Arts: Americans for the Arts is a national nonprofit that supports local arts agencies and advocates for arts funding at the federal level. It serves as the umbrella support network for organizations like ArtsPartners, providing research, advocacy, and grant programs relevant to its mission.
• Mid-America Arts Alliance: Mid-America Arts Alliance is a regional arts organization serving multiple Midwest states through grant programs, artist services, and community arts initiatives. Its regional grantmaking and artist-support services are a broader-scale analog to ArtsPartners' programmatic model.
• Illinois Arts Council Agency: The Illinois Arts Council Agency is the state-level public arts funder that provides grants (including the Regional Arts Partners grant received by ArtsPartners). It operates at greater scale and broader geographic scope but addresses the same arts-support mission ArtsPartners pursues regionally.

Others

• Community Foundation of Central Illinois: The Community Foundation of Central Illinois is a major local funder that co-funds ArtsPartners' Arts Dollars grant program and was named 2024 ArtsPartner of the Year. As a regional foundation partner, it is highly relevant to understanding ArtsPartners' funding ecosystem and is a key counterpart rather than a competitor.

Regional players

• Artis—Naples: Artis—Naples is a regional arts and culture organization in Southwest Florida combining museum, performance, and education programs with community grantmaking. While larger and more venue-based, its multi-county community arts programming and grant funding roles parallel ArtsPartners' portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ArtsPartnersInc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@artspartners8951
• Facebookfacebook.com/artspartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artspartners
• Instagraminstagram.com/artspartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Inc