Yes Arts

What Yes Arts does

Yes Arts is a nonprofit arts organization headquartered in Frankfort, Kentucky, founded in 2016 (originally as Hands Healing HeArts) and rebranded in 2019. Its mission is to mobilize community and the arts to disrupt the cycle of addiction, operating three interconnected program pillars: YAY (Yes Arts Youth), a trauma-informed prevention program for children at risk; the ART (Achieving Recovery Together) program, providing therapeutic arts services for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder; and Community Programs, including three professional galleries, outreach initiatives, and a roster of more than 75 teaching artists. The organization was catalyzed by the February 2015 overdose death of co-founder Doris Thurber's daughter Maya.

The organization is funded primarily through donations, federal grants (SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Justice COPS), and program enrollment fees managed via the third-party Sawyer platform. Pricing is heavily subsidized: CommunityART support groups are offered free of charge, scholarships are available based on need, and gallery fundraising events such as heARTworks supplement revenue alongside merchandise sales through partner vendor Double J Design Co. There is no proprietary technology platform, and the website is operated on Squarespace. Enrollment and program management are handled in the Sawyer self-serve platform, which manages secure health information, check-in/out, and rosters for classes, workshops, camps, drop-ins, and gift cards.

Yes Arts serves three primary customer segments: youth and families (the largest persona), individuals in recovery (including Franklin County Drug Court participants), and broader community members engaging through galleries and outreach. Distribution is regional within Kentucky, anchored at the Yes Arts Center at City Hall (317 W 2nd Street, Frankfort), with marketing conducted via organic social (Facebook), email newsletter, website content, and earned media coverage including the New York Times, Kentucky Arts Council, State Journal, Common Good, Lane Report, WUKY, and KET. The organization is led by Executive Director Elle Travis under a board chaired by Maria Bartholomew.

Name

Yes Arts

Legal name

Yes Arts

Website

https://yesarts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yes Arts is a Frankfort, Kentucky nonprofit that uses therapeutic arts and community programs to prevent youth substance abuse and support people in recovery, serving youth, Drug Court participants, and broader Franklin County residents through its YAY, ART, and Community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts & Therapeutic Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts therapy services
• Youth prevention programs
• Substance abuse recovery
• Community arts programs
• Trauma-informed care

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfort

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Financial Contributions: Individual and organizational donations from banks, churches, schools, and other supporters
2. Program Enrollment Fees: Fees for youth programs, classes, workshops, camps, and therapeutic services managed through Sawyer enrollment software
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of Yes Arts merchandise and art prints through e-commerce storefront and partner vendor Double J Design Co
4. Donations and Grants: Grant funding from organizations including SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Justice COPS Grant
5. Gallery Sales and Events: Revenue from art gallery exhibitions, fundraising events like heARTworks, and art sales featuring local and regional artists

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yes Arts is a nonprofit arts organization that delivers therapeutic arts services, youth substance-abuse prevention programming, and community engagement through professional galleries. Its three program pillars are YAY (Yes Arts Youth) for at-risk children, ART (Achieving Recovery Together) for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder, and Community Programs featuring rotating professional artist exhibits, mural collaborations, and outreach events. Services are delivered in person at the Yes Arts Center at City Hall in Frankfort, Kentucky, and supplemented by an online shop and digital enrollment.

Product overview

Yes Arts is a nonprofit arts organization operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization provides three interconnected program pillars: YAY (Yes Arts Youth) for youth prevention, ART (Achieving Recovery Together) for recovery services, and Community Programs including professional galleries and outreach. Programs are managed through SAWYER enrollment software and include merchandise sales through a partner vendor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ART Program (Achieving Recovery Together): Therapeutic arts services for people in recovery from substance use disorder, offered in partnership with Franklin County Drug Court and other local nonprofit partners.
• YAY (Yes Arts Youth)

Products and services

• YAY (Yes Arts Youth) A youth prevention program providing arts instruction, mentorship, and trauma-informed support for children of all ages and abilities to reduce the risk of falling into the cycle of addiction and to mitigate harm due to generational trauma. Program Leaders and Youth Mentors are trained on trauma-informed care, implicit bias, neurodiversity, child abuse, and ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) risk and protective factors.
• ART (Achieving Recovery Together) Program Therapeutic arts services for people in recovery from substance use disorder, offered in partnership with Franklin County Drug Court, Fresh Start Frankfort, and other local nonprofit partners. Features individual and group art therapy, peer support, and CommunityART support groups (free for people in recovery).
• Community Programs Creative Connections programs, Transitional Employment Mentorship Program (TEMP), collaborative mural installations (including ART COLLAB), outreach programs, teaching artist roster, and the Black Women Artists of Frankfort network.
• Professional Galleries Three public galleries at the Yes Arts Center at City Hall featuring rotating professional artist exhibits, accessible through gallery receptions and by appointment.
• Yes Arts Shop (Merchandise) Online storefront selling Yes Arts merchandise, custom branded apparel, and art prints supporting the organization's programs.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.

• Frankfort Police DepartmentnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner in ART COLLAB murals project funded by U.S. Department of Justice COPS Grant. The 7 murals were collaborations between Yes Arts, Franklin County Drug Court participants, and Frankfort Police Department to foster positive shift in perception and understanding.
• Franklin County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in Just Say Yes coalition (formerly Icelandic Prevention Model) for youth substance abuse prevention. In 2021, JSY partners moved the initiative to the health department including YES Card program, Franklin County Youth Survey, and Parent/Youth Cafes.
• Franklin County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in Just Say Yes coalition for youth substance abuse prevention alongside Franklin County Health Department and Yes Arts
• Franklin County Drug CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Core partnership for ART (Achieving Recovery Together) Program providing therapeutic arts services for people in recovery from substance use disorder. Started as Hands Healing HeArts weekly program within Franklin County Drug Court in 2016.
• Fresh Start FrankfortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for ART program serving people in recovery from substance use disorder
• Frankfort Area Chamber of CommercenotableGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted ribbon-cutting ceremony for ART COLLAB murals and Business After Hours gathering
• SawyercoreTechnology or IntegrationEnrollment management software platform for classes, workshops, camps, appointments, and gift cards. Provides secure health information management, check-in/out processes, and roster management.
• Double J Design CominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner vendor for Yes Arts custom merchandise line through their e-commerce platform
• Black Women Artists of FrankfortnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner for community engagement and artistic collaboration

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Phoenix House: Large national nonprofit providing substance use disorder treatment and recovery services, with arts and therapeutic programming. Comparable to Yes Arts' ART Program as a recovery services provider, though at much larger scale.
• Americans for the Arts: National service organization supporting the arts sector through advocacy, research, and grants. Comparable to Yes Arts as a broader arts-nonprofit ecosystem peer and a potential partner for state-level policy and funding.
• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network providing arts-in-education programming to millions of K-12 students. Comparable at a broader scale to Yes Arts' youth-focused arts instruction and teaching-artist delivery model.
• National Arts Strategies: Nonprofit that supports arts and culture leaders and organizations through leadership programs and capacity building. Comparable to Yes Arts as an arts-nonprofit support ecosystem, though operating at a sector-wide rather than direct-service level.

Direct peers

• Harmony Project: Los Angeles nonprofit providing sustained music and arts instruction to at-risk youth, with a focus on dropout and substance-abuse prevention. Directly comparable to Yes Arts' YAY youth prevention model and use of trained teaching artists.
• DreamYard Project: Bronx-based nonprofit combining arts education, youth development, and community engagement for underserved young people. Closely aligned with Yes Arts in mission, target population, and integration of arts instruction with social outcomes.
• P.S. Arts: California nonprofit providing arts education to underserved public-school students through teaching artists. Comparable to Yes Arts' youth arts instruction model and use of a contracted teaching-artist roster.
• Mariposa DR Foundation: Arts and empowerment nonprofit that uses creative expression to support vulnerable girls and young women. Comparable to Yes Arts in using arts as a vehicle for trauma-informed, community-based interventions.
• Midori & Friends: New York-based nonprofit delivering music education programs to underserved public-school youth. Closely comparable to Yes Arts' youth arts-instruction model and reliance on a network of teaching artists.
• A Blade of Grass: National nonprofit that funds and amplifies art-based projects addressing social issues, including health, recovery, and justice. Closely comparable to Yes Arts in combining arts practice with measurable social-impact outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YesArtsKY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yes-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Yes Arts