The Creative Center at University Settlement

What The Creative Center at University Settlement does

The Creative Center at University Settlement is a nonprofit arts-in-health organization founded in 1994 and headquartered at 184 Eldridge Street in New York City. It deploys arts programming — including visual arts, music, writing, and performance workshops — to combat social isolation among vulnerable populations, with particular emphasis on hospital patients, older adults, family caregivers, and community members facing illness or bereavement. The organization operates five core programs: the Hospital Artist-in-Residence program placing 8 staff artists across 30+ New York City hospital sites; the Art Workshop Program serving community participants; Creative Aging for older adults; a Training Institute; and consulting services for external replication. It serves more than 9,000 New Yorkers annually and has extended to 40 U.S. hospital partners through national replication.

The organization merged with the University Settlement Society of New York in 2011, integrating into one of New York's oldest continuously operating settlement houses and gaining access to shared back-office infrastructure. As a 7-person team, The Creative Center sustains its programming through diversified grant funding from institutional sources including the National Endowment for the Arts, the LIVESTRONG Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Daria and Michael King Philanthropic Fund, and The Hearthland Foundation. The revenue model is grant-driven and philanthropic rather than transactional: services are delivered at subsidized rates to healthcare institutions and community partners, with methodology licensing through the Training Institute and consulting representing a smaller auxiliary revenue stream.

The business model is best characterized as a hybrid direct-service-plus-methodology-licensing nonprofit: primary value is created through in-person artist deployment at hospital and community sites, with a secondary revenue line monetizing 30 years of programmatic IP through training and consulting engagements with external healthcare and cultural institutions. There is no disclosed pricing per seat, per site, or per engagement; unit economics are anchored in grant dollars per beneficiary served rather than commercial SaaS metrics. Customer segments are functionally split between (a) institutional funders (federal/state arts agencies, private foundations, corporate philanthropy) and (b) service-delivery partners (hospitals, community centers, aging-services organizations).

Name

The Creative Center at University Settlement

Legal name

The Creative Center at University Settlement

Website

https://thecreativecenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Creative Center at University Settlement is a New York-based nonprofit arts-in-health organization founded in 1994 that deploys 8 artists-in-residence across 30+ NYC hospital sites and 40 national partners to combat social isolation through creative programming serving 9,000+ beneficiaries annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts-in-Healthcare Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Senior Center Lifelong Learning Programs (EDAAAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA), Arts, Culture & Creative Learning for Seniors (Music, writing, crafts) (EDAAAMAI), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Arts in healthcare
• Artist in residence programs
• Creative aging services
• Arts therapy workshops
• Community arts programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

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. Hospital Residency Contracts: Contract-based pricing model with healthcare sites for Artist-in-Residence programs. Costs determined by scope of service including hours of on-site presence, supervision, program coordination, training, materials, and evaluation.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: Funding from organizations including National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, LIVESTRONG Foundation, and other philanthropic sources.
3. Fee-based Creative Aging Services: Direct services including art workshops, classes and training programs to older adult organizations and community centers, as well as residential facilities serving older adults.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, bequests, and volunteer support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Creative Center at University Settlement delivers free daily art workshops (in-person and online) and year-long professional Artist-in-Residence programs to people living with cancer, chronic illness, caregivers, and healthcare staff in hospitals across the New York City area. It supplements these programs with a fee-based Creative Aging service line for older adults, an annual Training Institute for arts-in-health practitioners, and consulting services for healthcare and community organizations seeking to implement arts-in-health programming.

Product overview

The Creative Center at University Settlement is a nonprofit arts in healthcare organization offering a suite of programs centered around art-making as a tool for emotional resilience and healing. The core offerings include the Art Workshop Program (free daily in-person and online workshops for people with cancer, chronic illness, and caregivers) and the Hospital Artist-in-Residence Program (placing professional artists in healthcare settings). These are complemented by the Training Institute (annual professional development program), Creative Aging services (fee-based programming for older adults), and Consulting Services for organizations seeking to implement arts-in-healthcare methods. The organization does not operate a technology platform but provides direct service programming through professional artists and partnerships with hospitals and community organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Workshop Program
• Hospital Artist-in-Residence Program
• Creative Aging
• Training Institute
• Consulting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of workshop participants reported feeling more connected to others in a meaningful way after completing a workshop series (2024 data)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University SettlementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2011, The Creative Center merged with University Settlement, the oldest settlement house in the United States. The Creative Center is now integrated throughout University Settlement's senior programming. This partnership expanded The Creative Center's reach and embedded it within a larger community organization serving more than 40,000 New Yorkers annually on the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rx Art: Nonprofit organization that places visual art and artists in hospitals to humanize clinical environments and support healing. Direct comparable to The Creative Center's Hospital Artist-in-Residence model, serving similar patient populations in healthcare settings.
• Lifetime Arts: Nonprofit that trains organizations and artists to deliver creative aging programs for older adults. Closely comparable to The Creative Center's Creative Aging program and Training Institute in serving senior-serving organizations.
• Foundation for Art and Healing: Nonprofit that uses creative expression to support mental health and well-being. Comparable arts-in-health mission targeting similar psychosocial outcomes for individuals navigating health challenges.
• Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network: National Endowment for the Arts initiative delivering clinical arts interventions to military and veteran populations. Comparable trauma-informed, evidence-based arts-in-healthcare model with training and residency components.
• Musicians on Call: Nonprofit delivering live music programs to hospital patients, families, and staff. Comparable hospital-bedside arts-in-health delivery model serving similar populations (cancer, chronic illness), though focused on music rather than visual arts.
• Institute for Music and Neurologic Function: Nonprofit advancing research and clinical application of music therapy for neurological conditions. Comparable hospital-based arts therapy program with strong clinical and training infrastructure serving patient populations similar to The Creative Center's.
• Hospital Audiences Inc. (HAI): NYC-based nonprofit providing arts programming and entertainment to people in hospitals, correctional facilities, and social service settings. Closely mirrors The Creative Center's NYC hospital-residency model and community-arts-in-health approach.

Others

• Center for the Arts in Healthcare Research and Education: University of Florida-based research and training center advancing arts-in-healthcare practice and education. Comparable arts-in-health training and curriculum focus, complementary rather than competing.
• Arts + Mind Lab: Johns Hopkins-affiliated research initiative studying the impact of arts on brain, health, and well-being. Comparable evidence-building focus that supports the broader arts-in-health field in which The Creative Center operates.
• National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH): Industry membership organization advancing arts-in-health practice through advocacy, research, and convening. Ecosystem peer that elevates the field The Creative Center operates in, rather than direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creative-center-at-university-settlement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Creative Center at University Settlement