What Overture with the Arts does

Overture with the Arts (OWTA) is a Montreal-based registered non-profit organization founded in 2009 by Akilah Newton to deliver accessible performing arts, visual arts, and media arts education to English-speaking Black, racialized, and marginalized youth in Greater Montreal. The organization runs a portfolio of free and low-cost programs including the Unity Program (free cultural-identity arts programming for ages 5–12), Summer Camp and March Break Camp ($90–$120/week per child at Pierrefonds Cultural Centre), School Tours offering DEI presentations such as Tracking Black Canada and Unpacking the N-Word delivered in-person and virtually across Canada, and community events including Island Fête, Winter Wonderland, Black History Month Caribbean Luncheon, and Beyond February Day. It also produces the Beyond February Podcast celebrating Black Canadian history and sells Unity Chocolate Bars ($12) hand-tempered by a BIPOC chocolatier as a fundraising merchandise line. There is no underlying technology platform; programs are delivered through traditional in-person and virtual edutainment methodologies combining video, music, slam poetry, hip hop, stand-up comedy, and interactive audience participation, with content published on a Squarespace website.

The organization is governed by a volunteer Board (President Heather Dawn Lewis, Treasurer Andrei Melnikov, Secretary Alexis Maniatis, Member Nermeen Elkady) and staffed by approximately six core personnel including a Founder & Executive Director, Grants and Sponsorship Manager, Community Engagement & Events Manager, Educational School Tour Manager, Cultural and Creative Programs Manager, and Graphic Designer, plus a Graphic Designer, seasonal Summer Camp Artistic Directors, and rotating camp counselors and facilitators. Revenue is assembled from five streams: donations and fundraising (via Zeffy and PayPal), annual membership subscriptions ($15–$30/yr across three tiers), grants and corporate sponsorships (Government of Canada, Government of Quebec, TD, CN, BMO, Baylis Medical, PME Montreal, Gloria Baylis Foundation, Brian Bronfman Foundation, Kiwanis), camp registration fees, and merchandise sales. The cumulative impact since inception is reported as 95,000+ youth reached, 700+ activities delivered, and $1,800,000+ funds raised. OWTA has received recognition including the Montreal Community Cares Award in the Community Organization category and recognition from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and founder Akilah Newton was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.

Name

Overture with the Arts

Legal name

Overture with the Arts

Website

https://owta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Overture with the Arts (OWTA) is a Montreal-based non-profit founded in 2009 that delivers free and low-cost performing arts education, DEI school presentations, and community programs to English-speaking Black, racialized, and marginalized youth ages 5–12.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: OWTA relies heavily on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization promotes donation links through Zeffy and PayPal platforms. Fundraising events like raffles and baked goods sales supplement donations.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership tiers providing benefits including early bird pricing, event discounts, recognition, and exclusive content. Tiers include General ($30/year), Artist ($20/year), and Student/Low Income ($15/year).
3. Merchandise Sales - Unity Chocolate Bars: Sale of Unity Chocolate Bars at $12 each, with proceeds supporting free arts programs. Bars are hand-tempered in Montreal by a BIPOC chocolatier and come in vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and halal options.
4. Grants and Sponsorship: Funding from government bodies (Canada, Quebec), corporate sponsors (TD, CN, Baylis Medical, PME, BMO), and foundations (Gloria Baylis Foundation, Brian Bronfman Foundation, Kiwanis).
5. Summer Camp Registration: Priority registration at $100/week per child, regular price $120/week. Includes weekly pizza lunch on Fridays. Daycare services available at additional cost ($30 morning, afternoon rates not specified).
6. March Break Camp Registration: Priority registration at $90/child for full week or $25/day. Price increases to $100/child as of January 12. Daycare available at $25/child per week.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Overture with the Arts provides accessible, subsidized, and free arts education programs — including Summer Camp, March Break Camp, Unity Program (ages 5-12), School Tours with DEI presentations, Beyond February Podcast, Teen Songwriting Competition, and Supplies for Success — alongside community cultural events and merchandise, primarily serving English-speaking Black, racialized, and marginalized youth in Montreal.

Product overview

Overture with the Arts (OWTA) is a Montreal-based non-profit organization providing accessible arts education through a portfolio of free and low-cost programs. The organization operates as a single unified mission-driven entity offering multiple program categories: (1) Youth Camps including Summer Camp and March Break Camp for ages 5-12 featuring musical theatre, acting, singing, and creative activities; (2) the Unity Program providing free cultural arts programming for youth ages 5-12; (3) School Tours offering DEI presentations and Black History Month programming in schools; (4) Events including Island Fête, Winter Wonderland, Black History Month Caribbean Luncheon, and Beyond February Day; (5) the Beyond February Podcast celebrating Black Canadian history and culture; (6) a Membership Program with tiered benefits; (7) Unity Chocolate Bars as a fundraising merchandise item; and (8) community initiatives like Supplies for Success. Since 2009, these programs have reached over 85,000 students, focusing on breaking down financial barriers to arts education for English-speaking Black, racialized, and marginalized youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beyond February Podcast: A podcast series celebrating the history and culture of Black Canadians and Quebecers, well beyond the confines of a single month.
• Unity Chocolate Bars

Products and services

• Summer Camp Recurring arts-focused summer day camp for English-speaking Black, racialized, and marginalized youth in Montreal, co-led by two Artistic Directors and grounded in OWTA's edutainment methodology combining performing, visual, and media arts.
• March Break Camp Seasonal arts program delivered during the school March Break, providing arts enrichment to youth during the break period, consistent with OWTA's overall programming approach.
• Unity Program Year-round arts education program for children ages 5-12, designed for English-speaking Black, racialized, and marginalized youth in Montreal as a recurring complement to seasonal camps.
• School Tour / DEI Presentations Bookable on-site DEI presentations and arts workshops delivered to schools and educational institutions in the Montreal area, supporting equity and inclusion curriculum objectives.
• Beyond February Podcast Recurring podcast produced by OWTA that extends the organization's cultural and educational programming into audio content year-round.
• Teen Songwriting Competition Competition-based program engaging teens in songwriting as a creative-arts development opportunity within OWTA's broader programming mix.
• Supplies for Success Free program that distributes supplies to support youth participants' success in OWTA programming, addressing material barriers to participation.
• Membership Program Tiered membership program for individual supporters providing recurring financial support to OWTA in exchange for membership benefits.
• Unity Chocolate Bars Branded OWTA merchandise product sold as a fundraising channel that doubles as community-facing branding for the organization.
• Island Fête Community cultural event organized by OWTA as part of its recurring event calendar.
• Winter Wonderland Seasonal community cultural event organized by OWTA as part of its recurring event calendar.
• Black History Month Caribbean Luncheon Annual Black History Month Caribbean-themed community luncheon organized by OWTA as part of its recurring cultural event programming.
• Beyond February Day Free community event organized by OWTA to extend its cultural and DEI programming beyond the calendar month of February.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95,000+ youth reached through programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Tasty TouchmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTasty Touch catered the Black History Month Caribbean Luncheon, providing authentic Caribbean meal. BIPOC-owned business featured at OWTA events.
• Groupe 3737majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBIPOC-focused organization sponsor and partner. Logo appears on Partners page.
• Pierrefonds-RoxborocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership providing venue access (Pierrefonds Cultural Centre) for programs and events. Logo appears on Partners page.
• Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool board partnership for delivering programs to schools. Logo appears on Partners page.
• Community Learning CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity education partner indicated on Partners page.
• Kalabanté ProductionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCircus performance company providing entertainment at Black History Month Caribbean Luncheon.
• Miss Trish (Event Host)minorOthersCommunity host for Black History Month Caribbean Luncheon and Beyond February Day events.
• Omari NewtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning presenter delivering DEI school presentations including Tracking Black Canada. Professional actor, writer, director, TED Talk speaker, and educator.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• YWCA Montreal: Montreal-based community organization serving marginalized women and youth, including arts and cultural programming. Comparable mission serving marginalized communities in the same geography.
• The 519 (Toronto): Toronto community center serving LGBTQ+ and marginalized communities with arts, culture, and education programming. Comparable community-arts model for marginalized populations in a different Canadian city.
• Studio 303 (Montreal): Montreal performing arts centre supporting multidisciplinary live art, with community programming and accessible workshops. Comparable Montreal-based community performing arts programming model.

Broad incumbents

• National Arts Centre (Canada): Canada's national performing arts presenter with national education and youth programs. Broader incumbent in the same national arts ecosystem, with overlapping educational programming for youth.

Direct peers

• Black Theatre Workshop: Montreal-based Black theatre company producing work by and for the Black community. Most direct peer given overlapping racial-equity arts mission and shared Montreal base serving similar audiences.
• Young People's Theatre: Toronto-based professional theatre for young audiences offering school-tour programming, camps, and education. Comparable youth arts education and school-tour distribution model.
• Geordie Productions: Montreal youth theatre producing shows for young audiences and running performing-arts training programs for children. Comparable youth performing-arts education model in the same metro area.
• MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels): Montreal-based nonprofit presenting intercultural performing arts and supporting artists from diverse backgrounds. Directly comparable mission serving marginalized communities through the arts in the same geography.
• ArtStarts in Schools: Vancouver-based nonprofit that invests in arts experiences for kids. Comparable mission of accessible youth arts education, school-based delivery, and donor-funded program model.

Emerging players

• Dandelion Arts Foundation: Canadian nonprofit funding community-based arts and culture initiatives. Comparable donor-funded nonprofit model supporting community arts access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/overture-with-the-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Overture with the Arts