The Manton Avenue Project

What The Manton Avenue Project does

The Manton Avenue Project (MAP) is a Providence, Rhode Island-based nonprofit founded in 2004 that delivers a year-round out-of-school-time playwriting and performance program for children and adolescents aged 8-18 in the Olneyville neighborhood. The organization operates a single clubhouse at 55 Putnam Street and runs a laddered program sequence — Playmaking (3rd grade), Play-it-Again (4th grade), Tag Team (5th grade), MAP in the Middle, MAP Mondays, Fun Fridays, and MAP Summer Camp — all delivered free of charge and culminating in four annual play festivals staged at partner venue Wilbury Theatre. The model is grounded in the nationally recognized Creative Youth Development (CYD) framework, pairing youth with professional adult artists to produce original theatrical works.

MAP does not operate a technology platform or product layer; its core capability is a creative pedagogy executed in-person by a small paid staff and a network of more than 500 volunteer adult artists. The organization has produced over 1,000 original plays written by over 200 Olneyville children since inception, with an annual reach of approximately 70 youth and ten new 3rd graders admitted each year. Governance is provided by a community board, with Victoria Rodriguez serving as Executive Director following a recent leadership transition from former Artistic Director Meg Sullivan.

Revenue is sourced exclusively from philanthropic channels: individual donations, business and foundation grants (including the Garek Trust which funded the summer program expansion), and community giving platforms such as Mightycause and 401Gives. Programs are tuition-free by mission. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no proprietary technology, intellectual property licensing, or commercial revenue streams, and its operational footprint is single-site in Providence, RI.

Name

The Manton Avenue Project

Legal name

The Manton Avenue Project

Website

https://mantonavenueproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Manton Avenue Project is a Providence, Rhode Island nonprofit founded in 2004 that provides free, year-round out-of-school-time playwriting and performance programs for children aged 8-18 in the Olneyville neighborhood, producing four annual play festivals at Wilbury Theatre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education & Community Theater Programs

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI), Creative Arts, Music & Movement Content (EDAGACAG)

Keywords

• Youth arts education
• Creative youth development
• Playwriting program
• Community theater
• Out-of-school programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

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. Individual Donations: MAP relies on donations from individuals who support the organization's mission of providing free out-of-school-time playwriting and performance programs to children in Olneyville.
2. Business and Foundation Grants: The organization receives support from private and public foundations, as well as businesses, to fund operations and expand programs (mentioning the Garek Trust for summer program expansion).
3. Community Platform Donations: Collects donations through community giving platforms such as Mightycause and 401Gives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Manton Avenue Project delivers a year-round, tuition-free out-of-school-time playwriting and performance program for children ages 8-18 in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, RI. Programs include Playmaking (3rd grade), Play-it-Again (4th grade), Tag Team (5th grade), MAP in the Middle, MAP Mondays, Fun Fridays, and MAP Summer Camp, with youth-authored plays professionally produced at four annual festivals and additional community performances at Wilbury Theatre. All offerings are provided at no cost to participants and are supported by a network of more than 500 volunteer adult artists.

Product overview

The Manton Avenue Project is a year-round out-of-school-time (OST) playwriting and performance program that operates as a single, unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of youth development programs including Playmaking for 3rd graders, Play-it-Again for 4th graders, Tag Team for 5th Graders, MAP in the Middle, MAP Mondays, Fun Fridays, and a MAP Summer Camp. These programs are delivered at the Olneyville neighborhood clubhouse and culminate in four annual play festivals of youth-written plays, along with other community performances. All programs are tuition-free and focus on Creative Youth Development (CYD), supporting young people's stories, ideas, and dreams through creative expression.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Playmaking for 3rd Graders

Quantifiable outcome

• Cultivates resilience and improves self-efficacy in participating youth
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• William D'Abate Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Longstanding educational partnership for recruiting students and coordinating school-based activities. MAP serves students from this school as part of its elementary program offerings (Playmaking, Play-it-Again, Tag Team).
• Olneyville Housing Corporation / ONE Neighborhood BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Community housing organization partnership supporting MAP's presence in the Olneyville neighborhood. The housing corporation provides community connections and neighborhood support for the youth program.
• Central Providence Health Equity ZonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth equity partnership supporting the wellbeing of youth in the Central Providence area, aligned with MAP's mission of supporting youth development through creative expression.
• Providence Youth Arts CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-organizational collaboration focused on youth arts development in Providence, working with MAP to expand creative opportunities for young people.
• Brown/Trinity MFA ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity theater program partnership providing graduate students as volunteer artists and mentors, connecting professional theater training with community youth programming.
• Mentor RIsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide mentoring organization partnership supporting youth mentorship connections within the MAP program.
• Rhode Island Council on the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState arts council providing funding, advocacy, and programmatic support for MAP's creative youth development work in Rhode Island.
• Rhode Island Council for the HumanitiessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanities council partnership supporting the educational and storytelling aspects of youth-written plays and their connection to community narratives.
• Wilbury TheatresupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerformance venue partner where MAP produces its annual play festivals including AI Takedown Play (April), Outer Space Play (May), and Summer Camp productions (August).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nashville Children's Theatre: Professional theater producing plays for young audiences with associated education/outreach programs. Comparable on the youth-theater delivery axis, though it is a professionally produced repertory model rather than youth-authored.
• Atlantic Theater Company / Atlantic Acting School: NYC theater with a school component serving youth and adult learners in acting and playwriting. Operates in a similar creative-arts-education space, though it is a larger institution with a broader programmatic portfolio.
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Young Adults Program): Major Chicago theater with a long-running education and young-audience program. Comparable in delivering youth theater experiences, though broader in mission and with a larger production infrastructure than MAP.

Direct peers

• Community Word Project: NYC arts-in-education nonprofit that partners with professional artists to deliver creative writing and performance residencies in underserved schools. Operates a similar artist-youth pairing model focused on amplifying student voice.
• Epic Theatre Ensemble: NYC-based nonprofit that creates original theater with and for young people, pairing professional artists with youth from underserved communities. Highly comparable to MAP's model of youth-written original plays staged for public audiences.
• Writopia Lab: Nonprofit running writing workshops and creative-development programs for youth, including underserved populations. Comparable to MAP's playwriting-led creative youth development orientation and youth-authored original work.
• Urban Arts Partnership: NYC nonprofit delivering arts education programs including creative writing, theater, and film to public school students. Closely comparable in mission, target population, and per-student creative output model.
• 826 National: Network of youth writing and creative-development nonprofits serving students ages 6-18 with free after-school writing programs. Shares MAP's creative youth development orientation, free program model, and focus on amplifying marginalized youth voices.

Regional players

• Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Education Programs: Providence, RI-based performing arts venue running education and community engagement programs. Regional peer given shared Providence geography and shared focus on arts education, though PPAC is broader and venue-driven rather than program-driven.

Others

• The Literacy Center: Aggregator of literacy/education nonprofits; included as an ecosystem reference point rather than a direct service competitor. The connection to MAP is thematic (youth creative expression) rather than operational.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-manton-avenue-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Manton Avenue Project