Beyond Empathy
Beyond Empathy is an Australian non-profit arts and community cultural development organization founded in 2005 that runs long-term, community-led multi-arts programs (film, audio, photography, sculpture, animation) with disadvantaged communities across NSW, VIC, QLD, NT and WA, including a social enterprise creative agency (BE Studios).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersMilton, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Beyond Empathy does
Beyond Empathy is an award-winning Australian non-profit arts and community cultural development organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Milton, NSW, with regional operations across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Sapphire Coast. It employs 26 staff and operates a long-term, community-led model (4-5 year partnerships) that pairs young emerging leaders and First Nations Elders with disadvantaged communities — including children, young people, refugees, older people, young Aboriginal mothers, and regional/remote populations across NSW, VIC, QLD, NT, and WA — to co-create multi-arts projects spanning filmmaking, audio/podcast production, photography, sculpture, stop-motion animation, scriptwriting, performance, illustration, and projection mapping.
The organization delivers a portfolio of programs including current multi-year initiatives (Steep, Flow, Sound Portraits, the Balding is Easier than Being Bald exhibition), ongoing programs (Sea of Bellies, GRIT podcast), and award-winning feature films (Rites of Passage — 2013 Warsaw Film Festival Special Jury Prize; Protection). Its wholly-owned subsidiary BE Studios operates as a social enterprise creative agency providing professional film-making and audio production services to external clients, with revenue supporting employment and skills pathways for young people with lived experience of hardship. A Theory of Change governance model integrates throughout the organization, and impact measurement is conducted via a long-standing partnership with the Cultural Development Network across five outcome domains.
Beyond Empathy is funded primarily through a diversified mix of grants from government arts funding bodies (Australia Council for the Arts, DLGSC WA, Resilience NSW, Bushfire Community Resilience and Recovery Fund), corporate philanthropy and foundations (Westpac Foundation), individual donations via give.be.org.au, and earned revenue from BE Studios. Following a 17-year founder tenure, leadership transitioned in 2019 to Alice McClintock as CEO/Executive Director, alongside a Board chaired by Rebekah Hatfield and a roster of participants-turned-staff that operationalizes the organization's pipeline of emerging community leaders.
Beyond Empathy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Beyond Empathy
- Legal name
- Beyond Empathy
- Website
- https://be.org.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Beyond Empathy is an Australian non-profit arts and community cultural development organization founded in 2005 that runs long-term, community-led multi-arts programs (film, audio, photography, sculpture, animation) with disadvantaged communities across NSW, VIC, QLD, NT and WA, including a social enterprise creative agency (BE Studios).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Beyond Empathy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts & Cultural Development
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Sound Recording Studios (51224)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
Keywords
Where Beyond Empathy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milton
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices4 records
Markets served
Beyond Empathy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel
Revenue model
- Grants and Government Funding: Primary funding from government arts funding bodies including Australia Council for the Arts, Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries (WA), Resilience NSW, and Bushfire Community Resilience and Recovery Fund.
- Social Enterprise (BE Studios): BE Studios is a social enterprise creative agency providing film making and audio production services, providing creative industry employment and skills development opportunities.
- Donations and Philanthropy: Accepts donations through give.be.org.au for investing in young people leading cultural change.
- Partnership Funding: Funding support from corporate philanthropy, foundations including Westpac Foundation, and community organizations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Beyond Empathy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Beyond Empathy runs long-term (4–5 year) community-led arts and cultural development programs with disadvantaged communities across Australia, producing film, podcast, animation, photography, sculpture, performance, and exhibition outputs. Its BE Studios social enterprise supplies filmmaking and audio production services to communities, artists and organisations while providing employment and mentorship to young people with lived experience of hardship. The organization is funded through government arts grants, philanthropy, donations, and earned social-enterprise income.
Product overview
Beyond Empathy is an award-winning arts and community cultural development organization that operates as a unified portfolio of creative programs and social enterprise. The core offering includes community-led arts projects spanning film production, podcast creation, exhibitions, and multidisciplinary creative initiatives. BE Studios serves as the social enterprise arm providing professional filmmaking and audio production services. The organization runs current multi-year projects including Steep (youth-led countermapping), Flow (multidisciplinary community arts), and Sound Portraits, alongside completed feature films (Protection, Rites of Passage) and ongoing programs like Sea of Bellies. Programs are delivered through regional teams in Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Sapphire Coast, with emerging leader development integrated throughout.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BE Studios: Social enterprise creative agency providing film making and audio production services. Provides creative industry employment, experience, mentorship, and skills development opportunities to young people who have lived through sustained hardship.
Products and services
- BE Studios Social Enterprise
Quantifiable outcome
- Three-fold social return on investment demonstrated by Rites of Passage
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Beyond Empathy
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Beyond Empathy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Beyond Empathy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cultural Development NetworkcorePartnership to measure social and cultural outcomes of work. Led by communities and emerging leaders, participants evaluate peers and prioritise long-term outcomes over outputs. Evaluates against five measurable outcomes: cultural, social, economic, environmental and governance.
- Southern Youth and Family ServicescoreLocal partner in Shoalhaven collaborating on GRIT project supporting young people affected by bushfires.
- Southern Cross HousingminorCommunity support partner for GRIT project providing housing support services.
- Shoalhaven City CouncilcoreLocal government partner supporting GRIT project and other community arts initiatives in Shoalhaven region.
- CareSouthminorCommunity support organization providing services for GRIT project participants.
- Culunghutti Aboriginal Child and Family CentreminorAboriginal community organization supporting GRIT project in Shoalhaven.
- Shoalhaven Neighbourhood ServicesminorLocal community services organization supporting GRIT project.
- Shoalhaven Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network (SSPAN)minorLocal network supporting mental health aspects of GRIT project.
- Novo Education SpaceminorEducation partner supporting GRIT project workshops and activities.
- Outdoor RawminorOutdoor education and activity provider supporting GRIT project.
- Culburra Surf SchoolminorLocal surf school providing activities for GRIT project participants.
- Didgeridoo AcademyminorCultural education provider supporting GRIT project with traditional music and culture.
- Kemps MMA and BJJminorLocal sports gym supporting GRIT project through fitness activities.
- Shoalhaven Regional GallerycoreHosting 'Balding is Easier than Being Bald' exhibition featuring work from 2,781+ young people with 175 participants and 19 emerging arts leaders.
- Moree Plains Regional GalleryminorRegional gallery in NSW that has exhibited Sea of Bellies artwork.
- Barnardos AustraliacoreChild and family services organization working in partnership with BE, noting BE's strengths-based approach built on trust and integrity supporting vulnerable children and families.
- Social Ventures AustraliaminorPreviously worked with BE on social impact measurement and evaluation over the past 20 years.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Beyond Empathy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Merrigong Theatre Company: Illawarra/Shoalhaven-based professional theatre company producing work in the same regional footprint as Beyond Empathy. Comparable regional NSW presence and shared staff/board connections, though primarily a presenting theatre rather than a community-led arts development organization.
- PACT Centre for Emerging Artists: NSW-based center supporting early-career artists with creative development and presentation programs. Comparable mission of nurturing emerging creative practitioners, though focused on individual artist development rather than community-led storytelling.
Others
- Big Issue Invest Australia: Social enterprise and impact investment arm supporting community enterprises in Australia. Relevant peer as a social-impact funding and capacity-building intermediary adjacent to BE's BE Studios social enterprise model.
- Create NSW: NSW Government arts funding and policy body that supports organizations like Beyond Empathy through grants. Comparable as a stakeholder/funder in the same ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
Direct peers
- Big hART: Australian national arts and social change company working with communities to produce high-profile artistic projects with marginalized groups. Closely comparable to Beyond Empathy in mission, scale, community-led model and use of film/performance to drive social outcomes; founder Phillip Crawford previously collaborated with Big hART.
- PYT Fairfield: Australian community arts organization creating performance and creative work with culturally diverse communities, including refugees. Comparable target population and use of arts as a vehicle for community voice and inclusion.
- CuriousWorks: Western Sydney community arts organization producing multimedia work with marginalised communities. Comparable to Beyond Empathy in using film, audio and digital media for community cultural development and First Nations storytelling.
- Shopfront Arts Co-op: Sydney-based youth arts and cultural development organization delivering community-led creative programs with young people from diverse backgrounds. Directly comparable in target demographic, arts-led social outcomes model and Australian nonprofit structure.
- Multicultural Arts Victoria: Victorian nonprofit championing cultural diversity through arts programming with refugee and migrant communities. Comparable to BE on community-led, culturally diverse creative production and social-cohesion outcomes.
Broad incumbents
- Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP): Australia's flagship youth theatre producing theatrical work with and for young people. Overlaps with BE on arts-for-young-people mission and shares staff connections (BE Operations Manager Taryn Zentrich previously worked at ATYP), but is a larger, venue-based incumbent with broader remit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Beyond Empathy social profiles
Digital presenceBeyond Empathy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Beyond Empathy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Beyond Empathy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles24 records
Beyond Empathy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Beyond Empathy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Beyond Empathy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Beyond Empathy
What does Beyond Empathy do?
Beyond Empathy runs long-term (4–5 year) community-led arts and cultural development programs with disadvantaged communities across Australia, producing film, podcast, animation, photography, sculpture, performance, and exhibition outputs. Its BE Studios social enterprise supplies filmmaking and audio production services to communities, artists and organisations while providing employment and mentorship to young people with lived experience of hardship. The organization is funded through government arts grants, philanthropy, donations, and earned social-enterprise income.
Is Beyond Empathy a public or private company?
Beyond Empathy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Beyond Empathy founded?
Beyond Empathy was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Beyond Empathy based?
Beyond Empathy is headquartered in Milton, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Beyond Empathy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Grants and Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are social Enterprise (BE Studios), donations and Philanthropy and partnership Funding.
Who are Beyond Empathy's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Merrigong Theatre Company and PACT Centre for Emerging Artists. Others are Big Issue Invest Australia and Create NSW. Direct peers are Big hART, PYT Fairfield, CuriousWorks, Shopfront Arts Co-op and Multicultural Arts Victoria. Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Beyond Empathy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Beyond Empathy.
What industry is Beyond Empathy in?
Beyond Empathy's product category is Community Arts & Cultural Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAO, Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs. Its NAICS code is 5121 and its SIC code is 7812.