COMMUNITY ARTS AND HERITAGE EDUCATION PROJECT

What COMMUNITY ARTS AND HERITAGE EDUCATION PROJECT does

The Community Arts and Heritage Education Project (CAHEP) is a registered Canadian charity founded in 2005 and headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that delivers inclusive, artist-led community arts and heritage programming to residents of Northwestern Ontario, with a focus on children, families, seniors, and Indigenous communities facing barriers to participation. Its core offerings are organized into three streams: Community Projects (signature free events such as the Teddy Bear Picnic, Culture Days, Art of the Mushroom, and Winter Fun Days delivered in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay and the Baggage Building Arts Centre), In-School Programs (Art Club and Days of Art placed inside Thunder Bay-area schools including Sherbrooke, St. James, Kingsway, and Algonquin), and Professional Development Workshops for artists and educators on grant writing, project design, and community engagement. Programs are led by a contracted network of approximately 28 professional artists across multiple disciplines and are free to participants, with all materials provided.

The organization is funded through a mix of individual donations (via the CanadaHelps platform), recurring grants from provincial and municipal bodies (Ontario Arts Council, City of Thunder Bay), and private foundations (Thunder Bay Community Foundation, John Andrews Foundation, Johansson Larson Foundation, Canadian Women's Foundation), supplemented by a small contracted services stream from professional development workshops. CAHEP's go-to-market is community-led rather than sales-driven: programming travels directly to schools, community centers, and public spaces, reducing participant friction and rental overhead. Governance is provided by a volunteer Board of Directors chaired by Robert Magnusson, with Christine Battle as Artistic Director; Veronica McGuire's presence on the board supports an explicit reconciliation and Indigenous engagement mandate tied to the territory of the Ojibway people of Fort William First Nation. According to its 2022-23 impact metrics, CAHEP reached 15,455 participants through 155 projects, 601 sessions, and 2,160 volunteer hours, while delivering 291 professional development opportunities.

CAHEP is not a technology company: it maintains no public API, no mobile app, and no proprietary software, and operates with a small team of approximately 7 staff supplemented by freelance artists and 2,160 annual volunteer hours. Distribution is local-regional (Northwestern Ontario), revenue is non-disclosed, and growth has been driven by deepening partnerships, expanding recurring event programming, and broadening the professional development service line rather than by product or geographic expansion outside the Thunder Bay catchment.

Name

COMMUNITY ARTS AND HERITAGE EDUCATION PROJECT

Legal name

Community Arts & Heritage Education Project

Website

https://cahep.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAHEP is a registered Canadian charity, founded in 2005 and based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that delivers free, artist-led community arts and heritage programming to children, families, seniors, and Indigenous communities in Northwestern Ontario through in-school, public event, and professional development offerings funded by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Education

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts & Media Arts Programs (Art Club, Photography, Film) (EDAJAJAF), Educational & Youth Community Events (School/Youth Festivals) (MPAGAEAM), Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Community arts programming
• Arts education services
• Heritage education programs
• Nonprofit arts organization
• Professional artist development

Headquarters

HQ city

Thunder Bay

HQ country

Canada

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: Individual donations from community members supporting accessible arts programming for children and families. Donations can be made through CanadaHelps platform.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: Funding from government bodies and private foundations including Ontario Arts Council, City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Community Foundation, John Andrews Foundation, and Johansson Larson Foundation. This represents the primary funding source for program delivery.
3. Professional Development Services: Contracted workshops and training sessions delivered to organizations, schools, and community groups seeking arts-based professional development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CAHEP delivers free, inclusive, artist-led arts and heritage programming to children, youth, families, seniors, and marginalized communities across Thunder Bay, Ontario. Programming is organized into three streams—Community Projects (public events such as the Teddy Bear Picnic, Art of the Mushroom, and Winter Fun Days), In-School Programs (Art Club and Days of Art workshops), and Professional Development for artists and educators—and is delivered directly at schools, community centers, and public spaces.

Product overview

CAHEP offers a unified suite of community arts and heritage education programs delivered through three main program streams: Community Projects (free arts programming in neighbourhood spaces), In-School Programs (Art Club and Days of Art in Thunder Bay schools), and Professional Development (workshops for artists and educators). The organization travels to various locales to deliver programming, reducing rental costs and maximizing budget for programming activity. Programs are led by professional contracted freelance artists and designed to be inclusive, culturally diverse, and accessible to participants from marginalized backgrounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Projects Free, multidisciplinary arts programming for children, youth, adults, Elders, and seniors offered in partnership with neighbourhood organizations and community groups. Includes signature events such as the Teddy Bear Picnic, Culture Days, Art of the Mushroom, and Winter Fun Days, transforming public spaces into hubs of creativity.
• Art Club Recurring in-school program placing local professional artists inside Thunder Bay schools on a bi-monthly schedule, offering students hands-on creative experiences across painting, printmaking, storytelling, and sculpture. Free to participating schools with all materials provided.
• Days of Art One-day creative workshops delivered across the city that transform classrooms and community rooms into studios for colour, storytelling, movement, and cultural exploration, reaching students city-wide.
• Professional Development Workshops Practical workshops for artists and arts workers covering grant writing, project planning, community engagement, and arts administration, providing real-world tools and peer networking opportunities. Available to participants as open-enrollment workshops and as contracted training for organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,455 participants reached in 2022-23 fiscal year through 155 projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• City of Thunder BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary municipal partner hosting Winter Fun Days and providing ongoing support for community arts programming. The City provides venues and programmatic support for free family arts activities.
• The Hive (Thunder Bay)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CAHEP for the Art of the Mushroom project, where artist Patty Guerrieri led participants in creating ceramic mushroom sculptures as part of Ontario Culture Days.
• Definitely Superior Art GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the Violets in the Snow event featuring Cassidy Houston, with proceeds supporting CAHEP and participating artists.
• Baggage Building Arts CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey venue partner for CAHEP events including Art of the Mushroom and Winter Fun Days indoor programming.
• Lakehead UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner; several CAHEP artists and staff are Lakehead University graduates. University provides some programming support.
• Sherbrooke Public SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing school partner hosting Art Club and Days of Art programming. Principal Leslie Hynnes has provided strong testimonials for CAHEP's work with students.
• Kingsway Public SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular school partner for Art Club and Days of Art programming with ongoing social media shout-outs and letters of support.
• St. James Public SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partner for arts programming including leadership and self-expression programs for students, with testimonial support from Angelina Tassone.
• Boys and Girls Club of Thunder BaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner providing youth programming access and community venue support.
• Fort William First NationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous community partner; CAHEP operates on the traditional territory of the Ojibway people of Fort William First Nation and is committed to reconciliation through arts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aanmitaagzi: Indigenous-led community arts organization based in Northern Ontario combining traditional knowledge with contemporary practice and direct community programming; closely parallels CAHEP's mandate on Indigenous reconciliation and intergenerational arts.
• ImagineNATIVE: Indigenous arts and culture organization running a leading festival plus year-round programming for Indigenous artists; comparable to CAHEP in cultural-heritage mandate and Indigenous community partnership model.
• Tangled Art + Disability: Toronto disability-arts organization delivering accessible programming with artists and communities; parallel to CAHEP's emphasis on accessibility and engaging marginalized populations through arts.
• Native Earth Performing Arts: Canada's longest-running Indigenous performing arts company, providing cultural programming, mentorship, and community engagement; comparable to CAHEP's cultural-heritage and intergenerational arts work.
• Shadowland Theatre: Ontario community-engaged theatre company creating site-specific performances with Indigenous communities and intergenerational audiences; highly comparable to CAHEP's outreach-driven heritage programming model.
• Mural Routes: Ontario nonprofit supporting community-engaged public art and mural programming; comparable to CAHEP's placemaking, community partnership model, and artist-engagement work.
• Community Arts Ontario: Provincial association of community-engaged arts organizations with comparable member-driven models of accessible programming; CAHEP fits the network's mission of supporting Ontario-wide community arts practice.

Broad incumbents

• Artscape: Ontario nonprofit operating creative spaces and broad community arts programming; operates at a larger scale across broader audiences but addresses the same mission of making arts central to community life.
• Culture Days: National coordinator of Canada's annual celebration of arts and culture, including signature events like Teddy Bear Picnic and Culture Days — explicitly named as programming lines that CAHEP also operates.

Regional players

• The Cultch (Vancouver East Cultural Centre): Vancouver venue presenting innovative arts programming with community engagement and audience-development focus; comparable to CAHEP's mission of making arts accessible across diverse communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CAHEPTBay
• Instagraminstagram.com/cahepthunderbay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-arts-and-heritage-education-project

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 COMMUNITY ARTS AND HERITAGE EDUCATION PROJECT