SkyART
SkyART is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 2001 that provides free arts education, Social Emotional Learning programs, and licensed art therapy to youth ages 7–24 at two studio locations in South Chicago and Garfield Park. It operates entirely on donations and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What SkyART does
SkyART NFP is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by art therapist Sarah Ward, originally as the South Chicago Art Center. It provides free arts education, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and licensed art therapy programs to youth ages 7–24 living in Chicago's South Side (SkyART South at 3026 E. 91st St.) and West Side (SkyART West at 3450 W. Lake St.) neighborhoods. Its program portfolio consists of four interconnected pillars: SkyWAY (SEL-centered art for ages 7–13), Project 3rd Space / P3S (open studio, professional development, and youth art sales for ages 14–24), Project Impact (licensed-therapist art therapy for ages 7–24), and Schools & Community (external partnerships delivering programming in schools, parks, libraries, and community organizations). A specialized Just-Us program additionally serves incarcerated youth.
The organization operates with a roughly 20-person staff under Executive Director Devon VanHouten-Maldonado and a multi-person Board of Directors, and has no proprietary technology platform — program delivery is entirely in-person at the two studio locations and through partner sites. All programs are provided at no cost to participants; the model is a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit, with revenue drawn from individual donations (tiered from $25 to $500), corporate and foundation grants, and government grants. Most material recent capital is a $1.135M Illinois DCEO grant funding acquisition and renovation of an adjacent facility on the South Side to expand program capacity. SkyART does not operate a technology platform, sell a product, or generate commercial revenue; its "go-to-market" is community-led and event-driven, reaching youth through school and community partnerships and engaging donors through galas, Family Table dinners, Holiday Markets, open houses, and exhibitions. Earned media coverage includes the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, WBEZ, Block Club Chicago, and New City.
SkyART firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SkyART
- Legal name
- SkyART NFP
- Website
- https://skyart.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SkyART is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 2001 that provides free arts education, Social Emotional Learning programs, and licensed art therapy to youth ages 7–24 at two studio locations in South Chicago and Garfield Park. It operates entirely on donations and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SkyART industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Arts Education
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (624110)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
Keywords
Where SkyART is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SkyART business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: SkyART accepts one-time, weekly, and monthly donations from individuals. Donation tiers include $25 for art supplies, $75 for snacks, $150 for art therapy, $250 to sponsor an artist, and $500 for in-school programs.
- Government Grants: Funded through Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant for South Side facility acquisition and renovation project totaling $1.135M.
- Corporate and Foundation Grants: Nonprofit funding from foundations and corporate donors supporting youth arts education programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Programs - All youth ages 7-24 |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
SkyART product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SkyART is a Chicago-based nonprofit that delivers free arts education and mental health programs to youth ages 7-24 through four core offerings: SkyWAY (after-school SEL-centered art program for ages 7-13), Project 3rd Space (open-studio and professional development for teens/young adults 14-24), Project Impact (licensed art therapy for ages 7-24), and Schools & Community (in-school and partner-based program delivery). Programs run at two studio locations and through partnerships with schools and community organizations.
Product overview
SkyART is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of free art and mental health programs for Chicago's youth. The organization operates four interconnected programs: SkyWAY (a SEL-centered art program for ages 7-13), Project 3rd Space (a teen program for ages 14-24 that builds on SkyWAY's approach), Project Impact (art therapy and mental health services for ages 7-24 conducted by licensed therapists), and Schools & Community (external programming partnerships). All programs are free and grounded in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) principles, serving young people in South Chicago and Garfield Park communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SkyWAY: Signature Social Emotional Learning (SEL) centered pedagogy program for young artists aged 7-13.
- Project 3rd Space (P3S)
- Project Impact
- Just-Us
- Schools & Community
Products and services
- SkyWAY SkyART's signature after-school Social Emotional Learning (SEL) centered art program for young artists aged 7-13, with teaching artists leading lesson plans around connecting, seeing, creating, and reflecting across mediums including digital art and culinary art.
- Project 3rd Space (P3S) Program for teens and young adults ages 14-24 that builds on SkyWAY and provides open-studio time, professional development, and art sale opportunities so participants can explore identities and experiences through art.
- Project Impact Free art therapy and mental health program for youth ages 7-24, conducted by licensed therapists using different art mediums and modalities to help young artists process trauma and build self-esteem and self-regulation.
- Schools & Community External programming delivered through partnerships with schools and community-based organizations, bringing SkyART's SEL-centered art programs and art therapy to Chicago's South and West Side neighborhoods.
Companies that use SkyART
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SkyART technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SkyART partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Partner SchoolscoreSchools on Chicago's South and West Side that partner with SkyART to bring arts and SEL programming to students through classroom instruction, after-school programs, and art therapy services.
- Community-Based OrganizationscoreNonprofit partners including city parks, libraries, and other community organizations that collaborate with SkyART to deliver arts programming and create access to free SEL-centered arts programs in underserved neighborhoods.
- TXA TXA ClubminorCulinary collaboration with Chicago Tribune feature (April 2025) involving SkyART youth chefs.
- Artist Matt MorrisminorArtist collaborator on culinary program with SkyART youth featured in Chicago Tribune.
- Akira (Fashion Brand)minorFashion collaboration with South Chicago young artists resulting in capsule collection featured in New City (May 2022).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SkyART competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DreamYard Project: Bronx, NYC-based nonprofit providing arts education, social justice programming, and creative youth development to K-12 students. Comparable via shared arts-education nonprofit model targeting underserved youth in marginalized urban communities with SEL-aligned pedagogy and youth-artist development.
- Center for Arts-Inspired Learning: Cleveland-based nonprofit (formerly Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio) delivering arts education programs in schools and community settings across Northeast Ohio. Comparable through similar nonprofit structure delivering in-school and community-based arts programming to K-12 youth.
- Marwen: Chicago-based nonprofit providing free visual arts education and college/career programming to underserved youth in grades 6-12. Direct peer due to shared model of free, studio-based arts education for low-income Chicago youth with no tuition charged to participants.
- After School Matters: Chicago nonprofit offering free after-school and summer apprenticeship programs in arts, communications, science, sports, and technology for teens. Comparable through shared Chicago footprint, free teen programming, and arts-centered apprenticeship model similar to SkyART's Project 3rd Space.
- Changing Worlds: Chicago-based nonprofit providing arts integration programs, professional development, and youth arts programming across Chicago schools and communities. Direct peer given shared Chicago focus, school partnership model, and arts-education mission serving underserved youth populations.
Broad incumbents
- Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National network of affiliated nonprofits delivering arts education programming to K-12 students across the U.S. Comparable through shared arts-education mission and youth-focused programming, but operates as a broader umbrella rather than SkyART's local studio + therapy model.
- National Arts Club: Historic NYC nonprofit arts organization offering exhibitions, classes, and programming around visual arts. Loosely comparable through nonprofit arts-education mission, but primarily membership-based and not focused on free youth SEL or therapy programming like SkyART.
Emerging players
- AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation: Washington DC-area nonprofit focused on early childhood education and out-of-school-time programming for underserved children. Partial overlap through shared nonprofit education model serving low-income youth with structured programs, though focused on earlier ages than SkyART.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SkyART social profiles
Digital presenceSkyART financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SkyART leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles31 records
SkyART funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SkyART 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 SkyART
What does SkyART do?
SkyART is a Chicago-based nonprofit that delivers free arts education and mental health programs to youth ages 7-24 through four core offerings: SkyWAY (after-school SEL-centered art program for ages 7-13), Project 3rd Space (open-studio and professional development for teens/young adults 14-24), Project Impact (licensed art therapy for ages 7-24), and Schools & Community (in-school and partner-based program delivery). Programs run at two studio locations and through partnerships with schools and community organizations.
Is SkyART a public or private company?
SkyART is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SkyART founded?
SkyART was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SkyART based?
SkyART is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does SkyART make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are government Grants and corporate and Foundation Grants.
Who are SkyART's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DreamYard Project, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, Marwen, After School Matters and Changing Worlds. Broad incumbents are Young Audiences Arts for Learning and National Arts Club. AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation is listed as an emerging player.
Does SkyART have an API?
No public API is recorded for SkyART.
What industry is SkyART in?
SkyART's product category is Youth Arts Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.