The Possibility Project
The Possibility Project is a New York City 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers youth ages 13-24 through year-long performing arts programs, producing original Off-Broadway musicals and podcast musicals. It serves approximately 110-140 youth annually across three core programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Possibility Project does
The Possibility Project is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses year-long performing arts programs to empower young people ages 13-24. The organization operates three core programs—the Saturday Program (ages 13-19), the Foster Care Program (ages 15-21), and the Youth Justice Program (ages 15-24)—which collectively serve approximately 110-140 youth annually recruited from all five NYC boroughs. An After-School Program is currently on hiatus. Each program culminates in an original musical theater production written and performed by participants, drawing subject matter from their lived experiences. Reported participant outcomes include a 99% high school graduation rate and 92% college enrollment among 12th-grade participants.
Programs are structured as year-long commitments and develop performing arts skills including acting, dance, voice, and playwriting, alongside leadership capabilities and cross-cultural understanding. The organization has produced more than a dozen original stage musicals performed Off-Broadway at venues including Riverside Theatre, Sheen Center, and Royal Family Performing Arts Space. The Possibility Project has also extended its content into digital formats through podcast musicals distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts—including the May 2021 release "WHY LOVE," which involved 74 teen participants and was later named an Anthem Awards finalist in 2022. A music video titled "I Need Hope" was selected for 16 film festivals in 2021.
The Possibility Project operates with a small paid staff of six full-time employees supplemented by approximately 16 volunteer artists, headquartered at 377 Fifth Avenue, 6th Floor in New York City. Programs are free to participants, with revenue generated entirely through individual donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and the annual MISSION: POSSIBLE ten-day fundraising campaign—which raised $52,854 in 2020 and $54,515 in 2021, with a $50,000 goal set for 2025. Named institutional supporters include Macy's Downtown Brooklyn and the New York State Council on the Arts. The organization maintains referral partnerships with hundreds of NYC public schools, dozens of foster care agencies, and youth justice organizations.
The Possibility Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Possibility Project
- Legal name
- The Possibility Project
- Website
- https://the-possibility-project.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Possibility Project is a New York City 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers youth ages 13-24 through year-long performing arts programs, producing original Off-Broadway musicals and podcast musicals. It serves approximately 110-140 youth annually across three core programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Possibility Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development Services
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE)
Keywords
Where The Possibility Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Possibility Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: The organization raises funds through annual MISSION: POSSIBLE fundraising campaigns targeting individual donors. Recent campaigns raised $54,515 (2020) and $52,854 (2021) in ten-day periods.
- Corporate and Foundation Sponsorships: Partnerships with foundations and corporations who sponsor shows and programs. Examples include Macy's Downtown Brooklyn and New York State Council on the Arts supporting podcast musical productions.
- Program Services (Free to Participants): All youth programs are provided free of charge to participants, supported entirely by donations and grants rather than participant fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free youth programs - all participants attend at no cost |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Possibility Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Possibility Project runs free, year-long performing arts programs for NYC youth ages 13-24 in which participants write, produce, and perform original musicals based on their own life stories and community issues. Its three active core programs — the Saturday Program (general youth, ages 13-19), the Foster Care Program (ages 15-21), and the Youth Justice Program (ages 15-24) — each culminate in ticketed Off-Broadway stage productions and, in some cases, podcast musical dramas distributed through major audio platforms.
Product overview
The Possibility Project operates multiple youth performing arts empowerment programs that enable young people to write, produce, and perform original musical theater productions. The core offerings consist of four programs—Saturday Program (ages 13-19), Foster Care Program (ages 15-20), Youth Justice Program (ages 15-21), and After School Program (ages 13-19, currently on hiatus). Each program guides participants through a year-long creative process where they develop original musical theater performances from their life stories and execute community action projects. The primary outputs are live stage productions performed Off-Broadway at NYC venues (Riverside Theatre, Sheen Center, Royal Family Performing Arts Space) and podcast musical dramas distributed through major audio platforms. The programs also generate digital content including music videos and web series.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Saturday Program A year-long free performing arts program for NYC teens ages 13-19. Participants meet on Saturdays from October through June to write, produce, and perform original musicals drawn from their own life stories, alongside a community action project. The program accepts 70-80 teens annually from across NYC's five boroughs through non-competitive auditions.
- Foster Care Program A free performing arts program for 20-30 NYC teens ages 15-21 currently in or recently exited foster care. Participants meet twice weekly to create original performances addressing issues faced by foster youth, culminating in a four-night Off-Broadway run. Recruitment is conducted through dozens of partner foster care agencies across NYC.
- Youth Justice Program A free performing arts program for 20-30 NYC teenagers ages 15-24 who are or have recently been involved in the juvenile justice system. Participants meet twice weekly to create original performances from their experiences, culminating in Off-Broadway shows. Recruitment is conducted through partner youth justice organizations.
- After School Program An after-school performing arts program for NYC youth ages 13-19 meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from October through May. Accepts 50-60 teens from across the five boroughs and produces an original musical. The program is currently on hiatus.
- Original Musical Productions Annual original stage musicals written and performed by program participants addressing youth-relevant social issues. Productions are staged at Off-Broadway venues including The Riverside Theatre, the Frank Shiner Theatre at The Sheen Center, and Royal Family Performing Arts Space. The catalog includes shows such as 'Home Street Home', 'ReSign', 'AT EASE', 'YOU HEARD?', 'THIS TIME MATTERS', 'Unfiltered', 'Word to the Wise', 'Live. Record. Repeat.', and 'Uproute'.
- Podcast Musical Dramas Original podcast musical dramas written and performed by NYC youth participants. The catalog includes 'Why Love' (5-episode podcast musical by 74 teenagers), 'Long Time No See' (5-episode podcast by 40 youth), and 'Nobody Knows But Us' (5-episode podcast by foster care youth). Distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% of 12th graders graduate high school or attain GED; 92% go on to college
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Possibility Project
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Possibility Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Possibility Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- NYC SchoolscoreThe organization recruits youth participants from hundreds of schools across all five boroughs of NYC. Schools provide referral pathways and space for some program activities.
- Foster Care AgenciescorePartnership with dozens of NYC foster care agencies to recruit youth for the Foster Care Program. Agencies serve as referral partners and may host auditions at their sites.
- Youth Justice OrganizationscorePartnership with youth justice organizations to recruit court-involved youth for the Youth Justice Program. Organizations provide referrals and support services.
- Royal Family Performing Arts SpacecorePerformance venue partner hosting original productions including ReSign at 145 W. 46th Street, Manhattan.
- The Sheen Center for Thought & CulturecoreVenue partner hosting performances including AT EASE and Home Street Home at Frank Shiner Theatre, 18 Bleecker Street, Manhattan.
- The Riverside TheatrecoreVenue partner hosting performances including THIS TIME MATTERS and YOU HEARD? at 91 Claremont Avenue, Manhattan near Columbia University.
- East Side Community High SchoolsupportingSchool partner providing rehearsal space for Saturday Program at 420 E. 12th Street in the East Village.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Possibility Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- The Door - A Center of Alternatives: NYC youth development organization serving teens and young adults (ages 12–21) with arts, education, and career programs including performing arts — comparable youth-development wraparound services with an arts component.
Broad incumbents
- Atlantic Theater Company: Off-Broadway NYC theater company with an established education program serving youth from underserved NYC communities — shares TPP's Off-Broadway staging footprint and youth-development emphasis.
- Roundabout Theatre Company: Major NYC nonprofit theater company with a robust education program serving NYC public school students — operates at much larger scale but shares the Off-Broadway/Broadway venue ecosystem and youth-arts education mission.
- New Victory Theater: NYC's largest performing arts theater dedicated exclusively to kids and families, with extensive education programs serving NYC public schools — a larger, more established youth-arts organization with overlapping programming and geography.
Direct peers
- Young Playwrights Inc. NYC-based theater education organization where young people write original plays that are then developed and produced professionally — closely parallel to TPP's model of youth-authored original work culminating in public performance.
- Epic Theatre Ensemble: NYC theater company that creates original work with and for young people from underserved communities, pairing professional actors with youth ensembles — closely aligned with TPP's youth-driven original production approach and social-justice thematic focus.
- People's Theatre Project: NYC-based nonprofit that uses theater to empower immigrant youth and communities of color, producing original multilingual works and serving a comparable youth demographic via partner-school recruitment — a direct operational analog to TPP's youth-led original musical model.
- Theatre of the Oppressed NYC: NYC nonprofit using theater techniques rooted in social-justice and liberation pedagogy to empower marginalized communities, including youth — comparable in mission-driven original performance programming and NYC base.
- 52nd Street Project: NYC nonprofit pairing professional theater artists with youth from underserved neighborhoods through mentorship-driven play creation and performance — directly comparable in structure, NYC geography, and youth-arts-empowerment mission.
Regional players
- CityParks Foundation: NYC nonprofit providing free performing arts programming for young people in underserved neighborhoods, including theater and music across the five boroughs — comparable in mission, free-to-participant model, and NYC geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Possibility Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Possibility Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Possibility Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Possibility Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Possibility Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Possibility Project
What does The Possibility Project do?
The Possibility Project runs free, year-long performing arts programs for NYC youth ages 13-24 in which participants write, produce, and perform original musicals based on their own life stories and community issues. Its three active core programs — the Saturday Program (general youth, ages 13-19), the Foster Care Program (ages 15-21), and the Youth Justice Program (ages 15-24) — each culminate in ticketed Off-Broadway stage productions and, in some cases, podcast musical dramas distributed through major audio platforms.
Is The Possibility Project a public or private company?
The Possibility Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Possibility Project founded?
The Possibility Project was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Possibility Project based?
The Possibility Project is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Possibility Project make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Sponsorships and program Services (Free to Participants).
Who are The Possibility Project's main competitors?
The Door - A Center of Alternatives is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Atlantic Theater Company, Roundabout Theatre Company and New Victory Theater. Direct peers are Young Playwrights Inc., Epic Theatre Ensemble, People's Theatre Project, Theatre of the Oppressed NYC and 52nd Street Project. CityParks Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does The Possibility Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Possibility Project.
What industry is The Possibility Project in?
The Possibility Project's product category is Youth Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAG, Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe), with a secondary code of EDAJAJAE, Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater). Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 7900.