Business and Arts NL

What Business and Arts NL does

Business & Arts NL is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered at the Emera Innovation Exchange in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization operates as the primary intermediary connecting the province's arts sector with its business community and municipal governments, delivering professional development programming (Business Workshops for Artists, Grow to Lead mentorship, Narrative Marketing), volunteer matching (Business Volunteers for the Arts), impact measurement support (Dimensions of Impact), and curated community commerce (Local Holiday Gift Guide). It also runs signature public-facing initiatives including the Explore Art NL mobile app indexing over 100 public artworks and the Quidi Vidi Art Search public art installations.

Name

Business and Arts NL

Legal name

Business & Arts NL

Website

https://businessandartsnl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Business & Arts NL is a St. John's-based non-profit founded in 2014 that serves as the intermediary connecting Newfoundland and Labrador artists and arts organizations with businesses and municipalities through workshops, mentorship, brokering services, and public art programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and culture sector development services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Arts business development
• Creative sector support
• Public art commissions
• Arts professional development
• Nonprofit arts services

Headquarters

HQ city

St. John's

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from businesses, arts organizations, and municipalities. Membership tiers include business memberships and municipality memberships with population-based pricing.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations through Engaging Community and Arts NL (ECANL), their charitable sister organization. Includes monthly recurring donations and one-time gifts supporting workshops and resources for artists.
3. Brokering and Facilitation Services: Premium brokering services for municipalities and organizations seeking to engage artists for public art projects, cultural events, and community initiatives. Additional fees may apply for dedicated attention on unique project requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Business & Arts NL is a non-profit intermediary organization that connects Newfoundland and Labrador's arts sector with the business community and municipalities through professional development workshops (Business Workshops for Artists, Grow to Lead, Narrative Marketing), volunteer matching (Business Volunteers for the Arts), brokering and facilitation services for public art commissions, a mobile public art app (Explore Art NL), community art initiatives (Quidi Vidi Art Search, Public Piano Program), impact measurement (Dimensions of Impact), and tiered membership programs for arts organizations, businesses, and municipalities.

Product overview

Business & Arts NL operates as a platform of interconnected programs and services rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include professional development programs (Business Workshops for Artists, Grow to Lead, Narrative Marketing), volunteer matching (Business Volunteers for the Arts), impact measurement (Dimensions of Impact), and community-building initiatives (Local Holiday Gift Guide). Supporting infrastructure includes the Explore Art NL public art app and Quidi Vidi Art Search public art commissions. The charitable arm ECANL funds programming while the Spotlight Blog serves as a content platform documenting partnerships. Brokering services facilitate connections between the business and arts communities, creating a closed loop where programs train artists, services connect them to opportunities, and content showcases outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Explore Art NL: Public art application featuring over 100 works of public art across Newfoundland and Labrador
• Engaging Community and Arts NL (ECANL)

Products and services

• Business Workshops for Artists (BWA) Professional development workshop series helping Newfoundland and Labrador artists and arts organizations build business skills in budgeting, branding, grant writing, social media marketing, copyright, and tax preparation. Delivered free to artists since 2017, reaching 1,830+ artists and arts administrators across 75+ workshops.
• Grow to Lead Mentorship program pairing emerging arts leaders with experienced mentors to develop leadership capacity and advance careers in the arts sector. Targeted at arts professionals in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Narrative Marketing Program helping artists and arts organizations develop storytelling and marketing skills to effectively communicate their work and build audiences. Includes a public Creative Directory of NL artists and arts organizations.
• Business Volunteers for the Arts Volunteer matching program connecting business professionals with arts organizations that need governance and management expertise. Aims to strengthen NL arts organizations by pairing them with experienced volunteers.
• Dimensions of Impact Program helping arts organizations measure and communicate their social, economic, and cultural impact to stakeholders and funders. Builds capacity for outcomes measurement across the NL arts sector.
• Local Holiday Gift Guide Annual curated guide featuring Newfoundland and Labrador artists and their handmade goods, helping customers shop local. Featured 89 NL artists and reached 1,700+ customers.
• Explore Art NL Mobile App Mobile application featuring over 100 works of public art across Newfoundland and Labrador. Engages users in discovering and exploring public art installations throughout the province, operated as a sub-brand of Business & Arts NL.
• Quidi Vidi Art Search Public art initiative featuring five commissioned works by local artists in and around Quidi Vidi Village, supported by ACOA's Rediscover Main Streets initiative. Celebrates different aspects of the village and Newfoundland and Labrador culture.
• Public Piano Program (#ComePlayWithMeNL) Program placing artist-painted pianos in public spaces from 2014 through 2024, enabling community members to create music together and fostering cultural engagement. Pianos are sponsored by local businesses.
• Brokering Services Premium facilitation service connecting NL businesses and municipalities with artists for commissions, gigs, public art projects, and cultural events. Includes direct brokering for public and private sector clients seeking to engage artists, with additional fees for dedicated facilitation of unique project requirements.
• Membership Programs Annual membership tiers for arts organizations, businesses, and municipalities providing access to events, networking opportunities, exclusive content, and programming discounts. Municipality memberships are publicly priced at $125 annually for populations under 10,000 and $250 annually for populations of 10,000 or more.
• Our Creative Home Municipal Artist Residency and Mural Program Pilot program supporting artists and arts organizations through municipal artist residencies and murals. Connects municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador with artists for public art projects, expanding the organization's brokering capacity into smaller communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1,412,760 in commissions, gigs, and sponsorships leveraged between business and arts
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• MINI St. John'sflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2023Annual Art Car partnership displaying local artists' work on MINI vehicles, promoting both the artist and MINI's community engagement. Marcus Gosse's 2023 design 'Whale Family' featured on the MINI Countryman.
• Auto Trim & SignsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2023Local business that wrapped the Art Car design around the MINI Countryman, collaborating with artists to ensure proper fit and execution.
• Quidi Vidi Village Artisan StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023Community partner for the Quidi Vidi Art Search, hosting Robert Hengeveld's 'Altogether Knotty' sculpture as part of five public art installations in the village.
• The Wharf (Quidi Vidi)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023Community partner hosting Ian Gillies and Marc Fiset's 'The Fishery' sculpture, a 19-foot steel fish commenting on the province's fishing heritage.
• Quidi Vidi BrewerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023Community partner for Quidi Vidi Art Search hosting Vessela Brakalova's 'Iceberg in a Bottle' artwork.
• The Inn By Mallard CottagecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023Community partner hosting Kevin-Barry Martin's 'Moratorium Cod Drying' piece as part of the Quidi Vidi Art Search public art initiative.
• City of St. John'sflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023Key municipal partner for Quidi Vidi Art Search, with Mayor Danny Breen acknowledging the importance of public art to cultural and economic vitality.
• St. John's International AirportflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023High-profile art installations at the airport showcasing local artists including Vince Jones and Molly Margaret, creating welcoming public art for visitors arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Genesis CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting cultural programming and artist residencies, contributing to the organization's mission of connecting the arts and business communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Horizon MaritimeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon Maritime's Indigenous Artist Residency program represents a novel partnership between arts and business, demonstrating how companies can support Indigenous artists and cultural expression.
• Memorial UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership including public piano program, internship opportunities for joint B.Mus./B.Comm. students, and collaboration on creative projects.
• CBCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBC's national Library Partnerships Program funding the Newcomer Artist in Residence at Conception Bay South Public Library, demonstrating cross-sector collaboration for community integration through art.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Public LibrariescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the Newcomer Artist in Residence program, providing space for artists like Hanna Furs to engage with the community through workshops and open studios.
• Modern PavingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssisted with transporting and placing stones for Julie Lewis's 'The Sugarloaf' public art piece at Quidi Vidi.
• Benjamin Moore Paint ShopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDon Traverse provided paint and expertise for Julie Lewis's public art project, including guidance on anti-graffiti coating.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Creative BC: British Columbia's crown agency supporting the province's creative sector with funding, services, and advocacy. Closest provincial-scale structural analog to Business & Arts NL, though it operates with broader scope and public funding.
• Calgary Arts Development Authority: Municipal arts development body funding and supporting Calgary's arts sector. Comparable community cultural development function to Business & Arts NL, though anchored at city rather than province scale.
• Creative Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan's crown agency supporting creative industries through investment, programs, and partnerships. Functions as a provincial arts and culture service/support organization analogous to Business & Arts NL's role in NL.
• ArtsNL (Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council): Provincial arts funding council for NL, providing grants to artists and arts organizations. Geographic overlap and audience overlap with Business & Arts NL, though ArtsNL is a funder/grantmaker while BANL is a broker/capacity-builder.

Others

• Cultural Human Resources Council (CulturalHR): National nonprofit focused on workforce and skills development in Canada's cultural sector. Adjacent to Business & Arts NL's Business Workshops for Artists program, providing professional development infrastructure for the same audience.

Broad incumbents

• Toronto Arts Council: Municipal-level arts funding and capacity-building body in Canada's largest city. Comparable arts-sector intermediation role, though it focuses on grantmaking rather than brokering business-arts partnerships.
• Ontario Arts Council: Provincial arts funder that distributes grants to Ontario-based artists and organizations. Similar mandate of sustaining a provincial creative economy, though with a primarily grantmaking rather than brokering model.

Direct peers

• Business for the Arts (now merged into Charitable Impact): National Canadian nonprofit historically dedicated to strengthening the relationship between business and the arts through programs like the Business/Arts Smarts workshops. Highly comparable mission to Business & Arts NL, just at a national rather than provincial scale.
• Artscape: Toronto-based nonprofit that develops creative real estate, arts programming, and community cultural development. Closest functional peer — operates as an intermediary making space, partnerships, and capacity available to artists and arts organizations, just as Business & Arts NL brokers NL-wide connections.

Emerging players

• Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) — Arts & Industry Programs: Beyond its festival function, VIFF runs industry programs that connect creators with business opportunities, partially overlapping BANL's brokering role. Different scale and primary product, but adjacent business-arts intermediation activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/businessandartsnl
• Facebookfacebook.com/BusinessandArtsNL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/business-and-arts-nl
• Instagraminstagram.com/businessandartsnl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/businessandartsnl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Business and Arts NL