Butterfly Noir

What Butterfly Noir does

Butterfly Noir Inc. is a U.S. 501c3 non-profit arts organization founded in 2005 by Brandi Webb and headquartered in West New York, New York. Its mission is to close the opportunity gap for emerging Black artists historically underrepresented in TV, film, media, and theater. The organization delivers free and low-cost educational programming through a portfolio of six-week workshops (Acting, Filmmaking Hustle 101, Cinematography, Video Editing, Infusing Activism into Writing), free private acting coaching sessions of 45 minutes, production consultations, and contract consulting. It also operates a fiscal sponsorship program that lets independent projects use Butterfly Noir's 501c3 status to raise tax-deductible donations and apply for restricted grants, and publishes a grant information portal pointing to Arts Grants, NYFA, and Manhattan Arts Grants.

The organization is governed by a three-person founding board — Brandi Webb (Executive Director and filmmaker), Anne Gordon (Board Chair, retired NYC Department of Homeless Services finance professional), and Latoya Johnson (Treasurer, design director). It reaches its audience through a community-led, event-driven go-to-market: in-person workshops in NYC (including filming at iconic city locations and on active film sets for NYC-based participants), virtual six-week cohorts for out-of-town artists, and the 3E Program for Social Justice and Change, a virtual history curriculum for middle and high school students delivered in partnership with schools. No proprietary technology platform or app is disclosed; delivery relies on standard web tools, video conferencing, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

The business model is donation- and grant-driven rather than transactional. Programmatic services to participants are free or low-cost with registration, fiscal sponsorship and contract/production consulting are the closest analogues to fee-based revenue, and individual donations are solicited via a dedicated donation form on butterflynoir.org. Customer segments are primarily individual emerging Black artists, a secondary cohort of emerging and independent filmmakers, and a tertiary cohort of middle and high school students served through the 3E Program.

Name

Butterfly Noir

Legal name

Butterfly Noir Inc.

Website

https://butterflynoir.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Butterfly Noir Inc. is a U.S. 501c3 non-profit founded in 2005 that delivers free workshops, coaching, consulting, fiscal sponsorship, and grant resources to emerging Black artists in film, TV, media, and theater, primarily via NYC in-person and virtual programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education and Artist Support Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts education workshops
• Artist fiscal sponsorship
• Nonprofit arts services
• Filmmaking coaching programs
• Acting consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

West New York

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 Charitable Contributions: Butterfly Noir relies on donations from individuals and organizations to fund operations and programs. The website features a donation form for supporters.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: The organization facilitates access to grants for artists and maintains its own grant information resources. As a 501c3 non-profit, it can apply for government, foundation, and corporate grants.
3. Fiscal Sponsorship Program: Emerging artists and organizations pay to use Butterfly Noir's 501c3 nonprofit status for fundraising purposes. This enables them to offer tax-deductible donation incentives to attract individual donors and access grant funding restricted to 501c3 organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Butterfly Noir provides free and low-cost educational workshops (acting, writing, cinematography, video editing, and filmmaking), private acting coaching, and production and contract consulting services for emerging Black artists in TV, film, media, and theater. It also operates a fiscal-sponsorship program that allows individual artist projects to use its 501c3 status for fundraising, and maintains a grants information portal. The 3E Program for Social Justice and Change delivers virtual history education to middle and high school students.

Product overview

Butterfly Noir Inc. is a non-profit arts organization that operates as a multi-service platform rather than a single unified product. The organization provides free and low-cost educational workshops (Acting, Writing, Cinematography, Video Editing, and Filmmaking Hustle 101), coaching and consulting services (Private Acting Coaching, Production Consultations, Contract Consulting), fiscal sponsorship for fundraising, and grant information resources. Additionally, the 3E Program for Social Justice and Change offers virtual history education for middle and high school students. These services collectively aim to close the opportunity gap for emerging Black artists in the film, TV, media, and theater industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 3E Program for Social Justice and Change: A virtual history program for middle and high school students that examines societal structures, cultural assumptions, and social issues in America, focusing on empowerment and advocacy tools.

Products and services

• Acting: Getting Out of your Head A 6-week free virtual workshop led by Trina Asiedu designed to help actors and actresses break free from mental barriers and learn techniques to truly embody their roles.
• Infusing Activism into Writing Workshop A workshop encouraging participants to explore multiple genres of screenplays and teleplays while thinking about community issues and developing strong stories with tools for independent development.
• Out in the Field: Cinematography A free workshop teaching how to capture stunning footage with any camera, master camera movements and angles, set mood and tone, and gain hands-on experience filming at iconic city locations.
• Video Editing: The Basics A free virtual workshop teaching foundations of video editing using Adobe Premiere Pro and key techniques for creating polished, professional-quality videos.
• Filmmaking Hustle 101 Series A six-week crash course in making movies on a budget covering essentials of film production from a practical, real-world perspective including script development, shoot planning, smart budgeting, and producing a short film on a live set for NYC participants.
• Private Acting Coaching Free 45-minute coaching sessions for actors and actresses to prepare for auditions, polish skills for gigs, or maintain sharp acting abilities, led by experienced casting and directing professionals.
• Production Consultations Consulting services with over eight years of experience producing film and theater, helping producers prepare for projects or navigate production conflicts.
• Contract Consulting Contract review and advisory services for actors, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, and other production roles, including interpreting contract language and providing beneficial options.
• Fiscal Sponsorship A fundraising and administrative tool allowing projects or emerging organizations to use Butterfly Noir's 501c3 nonprofit status to fundraise, apply for restricted grants, and offer tax-deductible donation incentives to donors.
• Grants Information Portal Information portal connecting artists with funding opportunities including Arts Grants for Arts Projects, Creative Writing Fellowships, New York State arts funding, and Manhattan Arts Grants.
• 3E Program for Social Justice and Change A virtual history program for middle and high school students comprising lesson plans that examine societal structures, cultural assumptions, and social issues in America while providing tools for self-advocacy.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 3E Program for Social Justice and ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerButterfly Noir facilitates the 3E Program, a virtual history program for middle and high school students that examines societal structures, cultural assumptions, and social issues in America. The program focuses on empowerment and providing students with tools to advocate for themselves and their communities. More information available at www.3eprogram.com.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Field: Non-profit providing fiscal sponsorship and administrative services specifically to performing artists and small performing-arts groups, directly comparable to Butterfly Noir's fiscal sponsorship offering for emerging theater/film artists.
• Urbanworld Film Festival: NYC-based festival celebrating diverse filmmakers and storytellers. Comparable geographic footprint and similar mission of supporting underrepresented filmmakers entering film/TV.
• National Black Theatre: NYC-based Black arts organization producing theatrical work and supporting Black artists. Shares Butterfly Noir's geographic base in New York and mission of uplifting underrepresented Black creatives.
• American Black Film Festival (ABFF): Festival and development platform dedicated to showcasing and developing Black talent across film and TV; directly comparable mission focus on Black artists in entertainment and a key industry touchpoint for similar participants.
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): NY-based non-profit providing grants, fiscal sponsorship, and resources to NYC artists; NYFA is referenced as an external resource by Butterfly Noir, indicating direct overlap in fiscal sponsorship and grants-information services.
• Fractured Atlas: National non-profit providing fiscal sponsorship and back-office services to individual artists and small arts organizations. Their fiscal sponsorship model is the most direct analogue to Butterfly Noir's 501c3 fiscal sponsorship program.
• Blackhouse Foundation: Non-profit that supports and amplifies Black creators in the entertainment industry, particularly within the festival circuit. Directly comparable in mission focus on Black artists in entertainment and arts ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Institute: Premier non-profit supporting independent filmmakers and storytellers through labs, fellowships, and the Sundance Film Festival. Far larger scale and broader scope, but addresses the same independent-artist development mission as Butterfly Noir.
• Film Independent: Major non-profit supporting independent filmmakers through education, mentorship, fiscal sponsorship eligibility, and the Spirit Awards. Operates at far larger scale but overlaps with Butterfly Noir's filmmaker workshops and education mission.

Emerging players

• The Black List: Writer-discovery platform with initiatives supporting underrepresented screenwriters. Overlaps with Butterfly Noir's screenwriting workshop ('Infusing Activism into Writing') and shared focus on emerging Black creative talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/butterflynoirorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ButterflyNoirInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/butterflynoirorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Butterfly Noir