Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF)

Name

Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF)

Legal name

Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF)

Website

https://westaf.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Creative West (formerly WESTAF) is a Denver-based nonprofit U.S. Regional Arts Organization that delivers federal funding, advocacy, and five cloud-based technology platforms (CaFÉ, GO Smart, ZAPP, Public Art Archive, Opportunities Portal) to artists, arts organizations, and 13 western state arts agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Administration Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts grants administration
• Grant management software
• Nonprofit arts services
• Public art database
• Regional arts technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Federal Funding: As a U.S. Regional Arts Organization, Creative West receives federal funding through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support regional arts programs, grants, and initiatives.
2. Technology Platform Services: CaFÉ and GO Smart platforms offer affordable submission and grants management services to arts organizations, generating revenue through platform fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Creative West (Western States Arts Federation / WESTAF) is a nonprofit U.S. Regional Arts Organization that distributes grants and federal arts funding, advocates for arts policy, and operates a suite of cloud-based arts administration software platforms — CaFÉ (Call for Entry), GO Smart, Public Art Archive, ZAPP, and the Opportunities Portal — that together handle art opportunity submissions, jurying, booth payments, grants management, and public art documentation for arts organizations, state arts agencies, and individual artists across the western U.S. and nationwide.

Product overview

Creative West operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture offering five distinct technology products for the arts sector: CaFÉ (Call for Entry) for art opportunity applications, GO Smart for grants management, Public Art Archive for public art collections, ZAPP for art fair/festival administration, and Opportunities Portal as a unified gateway. These products serve artists, arts organizations, and state arts agencies by providing equitable access to funding, opportunities, and public art resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CaFÉ (Call for Entry) An online application submission system that allows arts organizations to collect and manage submissions affordably, and gives artists a single way to apply to art opportunities including grants, residencies, exhibitions, and juried shows.
• GO Smart Affordable grants management software that provides pre- and post-application forms, panel reviewing tools, and data reporting for grantmaking organizations such as state arts agencies, foundations, and other funders.
• Public Art Archive (PAA) A free, searchable, continually growing online database of completed public artworks throughout the U.S. and abroad, with resources and tools built for managing public art collections by institutions and the public.
• ZAPP A digital platform providing art fair and festival administrators tools to digitally collect and jury applications, manage booth payments, and communicate with applicants. Artists can apply to hundreds of shows nationwide through a central website.
• Opportunities Portal A unified platform that expands access to opportunities across the creative sector, consolidating arts-related opportunities in one accessible location for artists and arts organizations.
• Consulting Services & Research Consulting and research services supporting arts organizations, state arts agencies, and advocates — including Creative Vitality™ data products — to inform policy, planning, and program design.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mid-America Arts Alliance: U.S. Regional Arts Organization serving the central states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas). Identical institutional role and funding structure to Creative West, with adjacent geographic footprint.
• Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation: U.S. Regional Arts Organization for the Mid-Atlantic states, delivering grants, touring support, and artist services. Operates the same regional mandate as Creative West and is frequently co-funded through NEA joint programs.
• New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA): U.S. Regional Arts Organization for New England, providing grants and capacity-building to artists and organizations. Operates under the same federal designation framework and ecosystem functions as Creative West (formerly WESTAF), making it one of the closest direct peers.
• Arts Midwest: One of the six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, serving the Midwest with grants, convenings, and programs such as Shakespeare in American Communities. Directly parallel to Creative West in structure, mission, and federal designation — the most comparable peer for benchmarking scale and impact.
• South Arts: U.S. Regional Arts Organization covering the southern states, delivering federal and state arts programming, grants, and convenings. Operates on an identical nonprofit/government-funded model to Creative West and is a near-twin jurisdictional peer.

Emerging players

• Submittable: For-profit SaaS application and review platform used heavily by arts organizations, foundations, and grantmakers. Direct functional competitor to CaFÉ and ZAPP for digital submissions, but operates commercially across many sectors beyond the arts.
• Foundant Technologies: For-profit provider of grants management software (SmartSimple, Foundant GLM) widely adopted by community foundations and grantmakers. Direct functional competitor to GO Smart, particularly for grants lifecycle, panel review, and reporting workflows.

Others

• Candid: Nonprofit data provider (formerly Foundation Center + GuideStar) serving the philanthropic sector with grantmaker information, nonprofit transparency tools (Seal of Transparency, Charity Navigator ratings), and research. Directly partners with Creative West on its four-star rating and serves the same grantmaker ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit focused on advancing the arts at the local, state, and federal level through advocacy, research, and events. Overlaps with Creative West on advocacy and field-building but operates nationally with a much broader portfolio than regional programming.

Regional players

• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA): National membership organization for the 56 U.S. state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Sits one layer above Creative West and its regional peers, providing national coordination and policy advocacy for the network of agencies Creative West directly serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/creativewestrao

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 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 Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF)