Arts Without Boundaries

What Arts Without Boundaries does

Arts Without Boundaries (AWB) is a nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2018 and based in West Philadelphia. It serves youth ages 7-17 (grades 4 through 12th grade) through immersive Saturday workshops covering acting, vocal arts, dance, and musical theater. The program model combines hands-on training with an annual showcase production; productions have included The Lion King Jr. (2023), Journey in Oz (2024), Into the Spotlight (2025), Motown Philly (2026), and Dare to Dream (2027). AWB also frames its work as a literacy intervention, reporting that 70% of participants show increased interest in reading.

The organization is led by founder and Executive Director Nina McCrae, who brings more than 15 years of experience in education and nonprofit leadership. AWB operates as a fiscally sponsored nonprofit, relying on individual donations, community fundraising (including a text-to-give campaign via the keyword GIVE2AWB), and volunteer involvement rather than program fees. Programs are delivered in-person in West Philadelphia on Saturdays between 11am and 4pm at a venue to-be-announced, with registration required and limited capacity to ensure individualized instruction. The organization is small, with 5 employees and cumulative reach of 100+ youth served since 2018 and a 90% participant return rate.

Name

Arts Without Boundaries

Legal name

Arts without Boundaries

Website

https://artswithoutboundaries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arts Without Boundaries is a nonprofit performing arts organization in West Philadelphia that provides Saturday workshops and annual musical productions in acting, vocal arts, dance, and theater for youth ages 7-17, funded by community donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Youth performing arts
• Arts education programs
• Musical theater workshops
• Creative expression training
• Community theater productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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: As a fiscally sponsored nonprofit organization, AWB relies on donations from individuals, families, and community members. The organization accepts donations via text message (GIVE2AWB) and through direct contact ([email protected]). Fundraising supports program operations, venue rental, costumes, and instruction.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arts Without Boundaries (AWB) is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit that delivers performing arts and literacy education to youth ages 7-17 in West Philadelphia. Its core offering consists of immersive Saturday workshops in acting, vocal arts, dance, and musical theater, paired with a culminating full-scale youth musical production each season. Programming is delivered in-person at local Philadelphia venues and culminates in annual showcase productions such as The Lion King Jr., Journey in Oz, Into the Spotlight, Motown Philly, and Dare to Dream.

Product overview

Arts Without Boundaries is a nonprofit organization that offers performing arts and literacy programs for youth ages 7-17 in Philadelphia. The organization operates two main programs: the AWB Youth Performing Arts Intensive & Youth Production, which provides hands-on training in acting, vocal arts, dance, and musical theater through Saturday workshops culminating in annual musical productions; and the AWB Intensive Series, a more focused training program featuring 4 weeks of intensive training followed by 10 weeks of rehearsal for a major production. Both programs emphasize building confidence, developing creative expression, and strengthening literacy skills in a nurturing environment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AWB Youth Performing Arts Intensive & Youth Production
• AWB Intensive Series 2027 — Dare to Dream! A Musical Production

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% return rate among participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• School of Rock: National music school franchise focused on performance-based music education for kids, with students regularly performing live. Comparable in performance-based music pedagogy, but at significantly larger scale and as a commercial franchise.
• Bach to Rock: National music education franchise for kids and teens offering group classes, private lessons, and performance opportunities. Comparable in delivering youth music/performing-arts instruction culminating in performances, but operates as a for-profit franchise at much broader scale.
• Little Kids Rock: National nonprofit that partners with schools to provide music education and instruments to under-served youth. Comparable as a nonprofit bringing performing arts access to youth in under-resourced communities, though with a national rather than single-city footprint.

Direct peers

• Musicopia: Philadelphia-based nonprofit providing music education and performance opportunities to youth in underserved schools and communities. Highly comparable to AWB's mission of delivering performing arts access to Philadelphia youth through recurring, community-based programming.
• Play On Philly: Philadelphia nonprofit that delivers intensive, tuition-free music instruction to children, culminating in orchestral performances. Directly comparable in mission (youth music education), geography (Philadelphia), and intensive-then-performance program structure.
• Settlement Music School: One of the oldest community music schools in the U.S., based in the Philadelphia region, offering music and performing arts instruction to children and adults. Comparable as a Philadelphia-anchored, pre-college performing arts education provider.
• Walnut Street Theatre: Philadelphia-based regional theater that runs a robust education program for school-age youth, including performing arts classes and youth productions. Comparable in geography and in combining youth arts training with staged theatrical productions.
• Philadelphia Young Playwrights: Philadelphia-based nonprofit that teaches young people theater-making, playwriting, and performance skills. Comparable as a Philadelphia youth performing arts education organization with similar participant age range and creative-expression mission.

Regional players

• Nashville Children's Theatre: Regional children's theater organization offering performing arts education classes and youth productions. Comparable as a nonprofit combining youth performing arts training with staged productions, but operating in a different geographic market (Nashville).

Others

• Music Theatre International: Licensing and resource company that supplies scripts, scores, and production materials for youth and community theater productions like those AWB stages. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem partner for community musical-theater productions rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Without Boundaries