Summer of the Arts

What Summer of the Arts does

Summer of the Arts is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered at 319 E. 1st Street in Iowa City, Iowa. The organization provides free arts and cultural programming to the Iowa City area through a portfolio of seven annual event series and festivals, including the Friday Night Concert Series at the Ped Mall Stage, the Iowa Arts Festival, the Iowa City Jazz Festival, Drive-In Movies at the Hangar at the Iowa City Municipal Airport, Rhythms at Riverfront Crossings, Music on the Move (mobile park concerts), and the Holiday Thieves Market. The organization employs approximately 14 people and is funded through corporate sponsorships, individual donations processed via DonorSnap, Eat for the Arts restaurant percentage-day fundraisers, and special campaigns such as the Roots & Rhythms tree-planting initiative.

The business model is donor- and sponsor-supported, with no ticket revenue from core programming. Marketing and audience development are executed through email newsletters (Constant Contact), social media, a public events calendar with Google and iCalendar export, local media partnerships (KCCK, Iowa's News Now CBS 2 Fox 28, 99 Plus KFMH, OnMedia), and a volunteer network. Distribution occurs across public park venues including Riverfront Crossings Park, Court Hill Park, College Green Park, and Fairmeadows Park, with no commercial product sales channel.

The organization is operationally embedded in the Iowa City civic ecosystem, with strategic partnerships including the City of Iowa City, Iowa City Parks & Recreation, and Sustainable Landscape Solutions, alongside corporate sponsors across banking, automotive, energy, healthcare, IT, and media sectors. As of 2025–2026, the organization is marking its 20th anniversary with the Roots & Rhythms infrastructure campaign to plant 20 trees at Riverfront Crossings Park.

Name

Summer of the Arts

Legal name

Summer of the Arts

Website

https://summerofthearts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Summer of the Arts is a 14-employee Iowa City nonprofit, founded in 2005, that delivers free arts and cultural programming to the community through seven annual event series and festivals, funded by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts & Cultural Programming

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Community arts programming
• Free cultural events
• Outdoor concert series
• Arts festival organization
• Nonprofit event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Iowa City

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Local and regional businesses sponsor specific events and programs, providing financial support in exchange for brand visibility at events.
2. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting free community arts programming. The nonprofit accepts online donations through DonorSnap platform.
3. Eat for the Arts Fundraisers: Partnership with local restaurants where 10% of total sales on specific days are donated to Summer of the Arts. Examples include Field Day Brewing Co. and Red's Ale House.
4. Tree Planting Fundraiser: Special fundraising campaign for infrastructure improvements - planting 20 trees at Riverfront Crossings Park for shade during concerts, partnering with City of Iowa City and Sustainable Landscape Solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Summer of the Arts is an Iowa City-based nonprofit that organizes and delivers free arts and cultural programming to the community. It runs a portfolio of recurring event series and festivals, including outdoor concerts, jazz and arts festivals, drive-in movies, mobile park concerts, and a holiday market, held across public parks, downtown stages, and partner venues in the Iowa City area. Supporting programs include restaurant fundraiser partnerships and a tree-planting community initiative.

Product overview

Summer of the Arts is a nonprofit arts organization in Iowa City that provides free arts and cultural programming to the community. The organization operates a portfolio of event series and festivals including the Friday Night Concert Series (outdoor concerts at Ped Mall Stage), Iowa Arts Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, Drive-In Movies at the Hangar, Rhythms at Riverfront Crossings, Music on the Move (mobile park concerts), and Holiday Thieves Market. Supporting programs include Eat for the Arts (restaurant fundraiser partnerships) and the Roots & Rhythms tree planting initiative. All core programming is free and open to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friday Night Concert Series Free outdoor concert series held May through September at the Ped Mall Stage in Iowa City, featuring local and regional musical acts across various genres. Open to the general public.
• Iowa Arts Festival Annual free arts festival celebrating visual arts, performing arts, and cultural programming in the Iowa City area, held in early June. Open to the general public.
• Iowa City Jazz Festival Annual jazz music festival held over multiple days in early July, showcasing local and national jazz artists and ensembles. Open to the general public.
• Drive-In Movies at the Hangar Free outdoor movie screening series held at the Iowa City Municipal Airport featuring family-friendly films, running from late May through mid-August. Open to the general public.
• Rhythms at Riverfront Crossings Outdoor concert series at Riverfront Crossings Park featuring live music performances, running from late May through late August. Open to the general public.
• Music on the Move Mobile concert series bringing live music performances to various parks and public spaces throughout the Iowa City area during summer months. Open to the general public.
• Holiday Thieves Market Holiday-themed market event held in early December featuring artisans, vendors, and seasonal entertainment. Open to the general public.
• Eat for the Arts Restaurant partnership fundraiser program where local dining establishments donate a percentage of total sales on event days to support Summer of the Arts free programming. Examples include Field Day Brewing Co. and Red's Ale House.
• Roots & Rhythms Tree Planting Initiative Tree planting fundraiser celebrating 20 years of the nonprofit, partnering with the City of Iowa City and Sustainable Landscape Solutions to plant 20 trees at Riverfront Crossings Park for shade during concerts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple free event series providing entertainment to the Iowa City community annually

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Iowa CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity partnership for hosting events in public parks and infrastructure support. Partnering on the Roots & Rhythms tree planting initiative to improve Riverfront Crossings Park with 20 new trees in spring 2026.
• Iowa City Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on park events and the Roots & Rhythms tree planting initiative at Riverfront Crossings Park.
• Sustainable Landscape SolutionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for executing the tree planting initiative - providing expertise for planting 20 trees at Riverfront Crossings Park.
• Field Day Brewing Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEat for the Arts fundraising partnership where 10% of total sales on event days are donated to Summer of the Arts.
• Red's Ale HouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEat for the Arts fundraising partnership where 10% of total sales on event days are donated to Summer of the Arts.
• Green State Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• McGrath Toyota of Iowa CityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• MidAmerican Energy FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• MidwestOne BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• Hills BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• Keystone ITminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• University of Iowa Health CareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• KCCKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal jazz radio station partner and sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.
• Iowa's News Now CBS 2 Fox 28minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal television station media sponsor of Summer of the Arts events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Bandsintown (and similar live event platforms): Live-music event discovery and ticketing platform. Comparable as an ecosystem participant in the free community concert space, where Summer of the Arts competes for audience attention.

Broad incumbents

• National Performance Network: National network supporting performing arts presenters and community-based programming. Comparable in producing live performances for community audiences and working through local partnerships and sponsors.
• Levitt Foundation: National nonprofit that funds free outdoor concerts across dozens of U.S. communities. Directly comparable to Summer of the Arts' mission of free community concert programming and similar reliance on municipal and foundation partnerships.
• Kaufmann Foundation (and similar Kansas City performing arts series): Foundation presenting free outdoor performing arts programs in the Midwest. Comparable free community concert and performing arts programming funded through institutional and corporate sponsorships.
• Iowa Arts Council: State-level arts funding and program organization that supports similar community arts programming across Iowa. Comparable as a funder/convener of community arts events and a likely partner or grant source for Summer of the Arts.
• Arts Midwest: Regional nonprofit that supports arts programming across the Midwest, including community festivals and concert series. Comparable mission of expanding access to arts, sponsor-driven model, and institutional funding relationships.

Regional players

• Des Moines Arts Festival: Major Iowa multidisciplinary arts festival in a neighboring city. Comparable as a free/affordable arts festival model operating in Iowa with similar visual and performing arts programming, sponsor-driven revenue mix, and municipal partnerships.
• Quad Cities Arts: Regional nonprofit arts council serving the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities region with festivals, concerts, and community programming. Comparable mission, regional Midwest focus, and community festival/event production model.
• Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival: Iowa-based community festival series featuring concerts and family events. Comparable portfolio of free community programming, similar reliance on corporate sponsors, and overlapping geographic market in eastern Iowa.

Emerging players

• Michigan Legacy Art Park: Community-focused nonprofit arts organization in the Midwest producing free outdoor cultural programming. Comparable as a small nonprofit running outdoor arts events with municipal partnerships and donor-supported revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/summer-of-the-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Summer of the Arts