Wa Na Wari
Wa Na Wari is a Black-led nonprofit arts space in Seattle's Central District that runs free gallery exhibitions, artist residencies, community meals, oral history training, food justice programs, and homeowner organizing for Black residents, artists, and BIPOC youth, funded by donations and foundation grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Wa Na Wari does
Wa Na Wari is a Black-led nonprofit arts and community space founded in 2019 and operating from a five-generation family home at 911 24th Ave in Seattle's Central District. The organization creates space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection, serving Black residents, Black artists, BIPOC youth ages 18-25, Black homeowners, and BIPOC chefs in the Pacific Northwest. Programming is delivered through an integrated portfolio: a gallery and exhibition space, an Artist Residency Program (six inaugural recipients received a one-month residency and $2,000 stipend each in 2021-2022), the Love Offering community meal program providing free African diasporic and Native American-inspired cuisine twice weekly, the BLOOM Food Justice Series for urban farming and food sovereignty training, the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute for oral history and archival work (with $10,000 stipends paid to cohort members over two years), and the CACE 21 community organizing initiative addressing land use policy and homeownership preservation.
The organization is funded primarily through donations and grants from foundations and public agencies, with no paid admission for most programs and no disclosed revenue. Wa Na Wari does not have its own 501c3 status; donations are processed through fiscal sponsor Northwest Film Forum, which makes contributions tax-deductible. Foundation support includes Inatai Foundation, Seattle Foundation, Social Justice Fund, and Mellon Foundation. Strategic partners include Seattle Public Library, YES Farm, EarthCorps, Black Farmers Collective, The Black Heritage Society of Washington State, The Shelf Life Community Story Project, University of Washington Special Collections, Northwest African American Museum, and Dry Bones Poetry Society. The organization has featured 60+ artists through exhibitions and residencies since inception, runs the annual Walk the Block neighborhood arts festival and Black Graduation art fair, and employs 12 people. There is no evidence of venture capital, private equity, or public-market participation; the operating model is grant- and donation-funded nonprofit with no AI or proprietary technology stack.
Wa Na Wari firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wa Na Wari
- Legal name
- Wa Na Wari
- Website
- https://wanawari.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wa Na Wari is a Black-led nonprofit arts space in Seattle's Central District that runs free gallery exhibitions, artist residencies, community meals, oral history training, food justice programs, and homeowner organizing for Black residents, artists, and BIPOC youth, funded by donations and foundation grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Wa Na Wari is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wa Na Wari business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Wa Na Wari operates as a nonprofit organization accepting donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of creating space for Black ownership, art, and community preservation in Seattle's Central District. Donations are tax-deductible through fiscal sponsor Northwest Film Forum.
- Grants and Foundation Support: The organization receives grant funding from foundations and public agencies to support programming including CACE 21 organizing, BLOOM Food Justice Series, and the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free Community Access |
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Wa Na Wari product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wa Na Wari is a Black-led nonprofit arts space in Seattle's Central District that operates a 5-generation family home as a free community hub, offering gallery art exhibitions, an artist residency program with stipends, twice-weekly community meals (Love Offering), urban farming and food justice training (BLOOM), oral history documentation (Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute), and community organizing against displacement (CACE 21). Programs are funded through donations, grants, and foundation support and are provided free of charge to community members.
Product overview
Wa Na Wari is a Black-led community arts space in Seattle's Central District offering a single integrated model of programming centered on the Wa Na Wari house. The organization provides physical gallery/exhibition space, the Artist Residency Program, Love Offering community meal program, BLOOM Food Justice Series (urban farming/gardening), Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute (oral history training), CACE 21 community organizing initiative, annual Black Graduation art fair, Walk the Block neighborhood arts festival, and various events/workshops. These programs collectively create space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and community connection.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CACE 21: Central Area Cultural EcoSystem, 21st Century - a community organizing initiative seeking to build community power among Black Central District homeowners and cultural workers to advocate for land use policies.
- Love Offering
- Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
- BLOOM Food Justice Series
- Walk the Block
Products and services
- Art Exhibitions Rotating gallery exhibitions showcasing Black visual artists in the Wa Na Wari house; free to view during drop-in hours and events, targeting community members and arts audiences.
- Artist Residency Program One-month artist residency with $2,000 stipend for selected Black visual artists, providing space, resources, and community connection in the Wa Na Wari house.
- Love Offering Community Meal Program Free community meals served twice weekly featuring African diasporic and Native American-inspired cuisine prepared by Black/Indigenous chefs; promotes economic stability for BIPOC chefs and increases access to nourishing meals.
- BLOOM Food Justice Series Training program for BIPOC youth ages 18-25 covering Indigenous knowledge systems, Black Liberation, urban farming practices, and food justice at the Wa Na Wari Giving Garden.
- Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute (Oral History Program) Community history training program teaching oral history techniques, archival research, and public art activation; cohort members receive a $10,000 stipend over two years and produce oral history documentation of Black community stories.
- CACE 21 Community Organizing Initiative Community organizing initiative (Central Area Cultural EcoSystem, 21st Century) that builds power among Black Central District homeowners and cultural workers to advocate for housing and land use policies.
- Black Graduation Annual Art Fair Two-day annual art fair and cultural gathering celebrating Black artists across the diaspora, presented in partnership with Northwest African American Museum.
- Walk the Block Neighborhood Arts Festival Annual neighborhood arts festival celebrating Black art and creativity in Seattle's Central District.
- Events and Workshops Recurring community events and workshops including artist talks, silent disco, Juneteenth celebrations, and select ticketed experiences such as VIP openings and Cinematheque Soundtrack.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60+ artists featured in exhibitions since 2019
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Wa Na Wari
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Wa Na Wari technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wa Na Wari partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Northwest Film ForumcoreNorthwest Film Forum serves as Wa Na Wari's fiscal sponsor, providing 501c3 status that makes donations tax-deductible for donors.
- Seattle Public LibrarycoreSeattle Public Library is a partner in the BLOOM Food Justice Series, providing virtual programming support and YouTube channel access. Also a project partner for the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute.
- YES FarmminorYES Farm is a BLOOM Food Justice Series partner, contributing to urban farming education and food sovereignty programming.
- EarthCorpsminorEarthCorps partners with Wa Na Wari on the BLOOM Food Justice Series, providing environmental education and hands-on training components.
- Black Farmers CollectiveminorBlack Farmers Collective collaborates on the BLOOM Food Justice Series, contributing expertise in urban farming and food justice.
- The Black Heritage Society of Washington StatecoreProject partner for the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute, contributing oral history expertise and preservation support for Black community stories.
- The Shelf Life Community Story ProjectcoreCo-founded by Wa Na Wari co-founder Jill Freidberg, this project is a key partner in the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute, providing archival and storytelling expertise.
- University of Washington Special CollectionscoreProject partner providing archival resources and institutional support for the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute.
- Northwest African American MuseumcorePartner in presenting Black Graduation 2026, a two-day art fair and cultural gathering celebrating Black artists across the diaspora.
- Dry Bones Poetry SocietyminorCollaborating with Wa Na Wari on a monthly workshop series exploring the intersection of spirituality and creative writing.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wa Na Wari competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD): San Francisco-based museum dedicated to African diaspora art, history, and culture — comparable in combining art exhibitions with cultural preservation programming and serving a historically displaced Black community.
- The Studio Museum in Harlem: Preeminent Black-led arts institution operating an artist-in-residence program, exhibitions, and community programming — directly comparable to Wa Na Wari but at significantly larger national scale, setting the benchmark for what replication could become.
- El Museo del Barrio: New York-based cultural institution serving a historically displaced community through art, education, and cultural preservation — comparable in combining gallery exhibitions, community programming, and a preservation-first mission rooted in a specific neighborhood.
- Souls Grown Deep Foundation: Nonprofit dedicated to promoting and preserving the work of Black artists from the American South — directly comparable mission of cultural preservation, artist support, and community-rooted art programming at national scale.
- Artspace: National nonprofit developer of affordable space for artists and arts organizations; comparable in providing physical infrastructure and residencies for artists, with an explicit anti-displacement lens that overlaps Wa Na Wari's CACE 21 work.
Regional players
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD): Community-anchored contemporary art space in a U.S. urban neighborhood providing free/low-cost exhibitions and public programming — comparable programming model and operating philosophy to Wa Na Wari as a free community arts space.
Emerging players
- Black Artists + Designers in Action (BADASS): Member-based collective elevating Black designers and artists through curated programming and visibility — comparable in mission-driven advocacy for Black creative practitioners at smaller scale and through community-driven models.
- BlackSpace: Black-led urban planning and design collective advancing Black spatial justice through cultural preservation and organizing — directly adjacent to Wa Na Wari's CACE 21 anti-displacement and cultural-ecosystem work.
Direct peers
- Northwest African American Museum: Seattle-based Black cultural institution operating a museum, exhibitions, and public programming for the African American community — direct peer to Wa Na Wari with overlapping audiences and an active co-presenting partnership on Black Graduation 2026.
- The Black Heritage Society of Washington State: Washington-state nonprofit focused on preserving Black history and heritage; project partner on the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute and a directly comparable mission in archival preservation of Black community memory.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wa Na Wari social profiles
Digital presenceWa Na Wari financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wa Na Wari leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Wa Na Wari funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wa Na Wari 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 Wa Na Wari
What does Wa Na Wari do?
Wa Na Wari is a Black-led nonprofit arts space in Seattle's Central District that operates a 5-generation family home as a free community hub, offering gallery art exhibitions, an artist residency program with stipends, twice-weekly community meals (Love Offering), urban farming and food justice training (BLOOM), oral history documentation (Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute), and community organizing against displacement (CACE 21). Programs are funded through donations, grants, and foundation support and are provided free of charge to community members.
Is Wa Na Wari a public or private company?
Wa Na Wari is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Wa Na Wari founded?
Wa Na Wari was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wa Na Wari based?
Wa Na Wari is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wa Na Wari make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are grants and Foundation Support.
Who are Wa Na Wari's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), The Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Artspace. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Black Artists + Designers in Action (BADASS) and BlackSpace. Direct peers are Northwest African American Museum and The Black Heritage Society of Washington State.
Does Wa Na Wari have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wa Na Wari.