3Arts
3Arts is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1912 that provides unrestricted cash awards, 3AP crowdfunding with 1/3 matching grants, residencies, and professional development to women artists, artists of color, and Deaf and disabled artists across the Chicago metropolitan area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1912
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What 3Arts does
3Arts is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1912 that supports artists working in performing, teaching, and visual arts across the Chicago metropolitan area. The organization explicitly focuses on women artists, artists of color, and Deaf and disabled artists, delivering a portfolio of programs that includes unrestricted $30,000 annual cash awards (3Arts Awards), an all-expenses-paid international residency program with $2,000 stipends, professional development workshops and peer mentorship, and emergency response funding (3ER + 3-Opp). A flagship asset is 3AP (3Arts Projects), a proprietary crowdfunding platform that charges no fees to artists and includes a built-in 1/3 matching grant funded by 3Arts. Payment processing is handled through Braintree. Since 2007, 3Arts has supported more than 2,300 artists and distributed $7.4 million; through 3AP alone, 238 projects have been funded, raising $1,542,256 in donations with $399,713 in matching funds disbursed.
The business model is donation-driven and nonprofit-structured: 3Arts accepts tax-deductible contributions from individuals and institutional funders, including the MacArthur Foundation, Joyce Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, and MSU Federal Credit Union (which matches up to $15,000 for the annual Community Award). Artist selection for awards is nomination-based, sourced through a network of 100+ anonymous local nominators and vetted by national discipline-specific juries. The go-to-market is community-led: 3Arts identifies artists through trusted Chicago-area arts networks and runs a self-serve direct-to-donor crowdfunding channel via the 3AP website. No fees are charged to artists, and revenue/financial figures are not publicly disclosed.
3Arts operates from a single office at 200 W Madison St, Floor 3, Chicago (c/o Impact House), with a headcount of 1-10 employees. Its geographic scope is explicitly limited to the Chicago metropolitan area, and its residency partnerships (Artist Communities Alliance, Bodies of Work, Montalvo Arts Center, Surf Point Foundation, The Camargo Foundation, The Rauschenberg Residency) extend opportunities outbound for artists rather than expanding the organizational footprint. The Disability Culture Leadership Initiative (DCLI) and 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Program represent a deepening investment in Deaf and disabled artist support, funded in part by the Joyce Foundation and NEA.
3Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 3Arts
- Legal name
- 3Arts, Inc.
- Website
- https://3arts.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1912
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 3Arts is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1912 that provides unrestricted cash awards, 3AP crowdfunding with 1/3 matching grants, residencies, and professional development to women artists, artists of color, and Deaf and disabled artists across the Chicago metropolitan area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
3Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts Grantmaking and Artist Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
Keywords
Where 3Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
3Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: 3Arts operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that receives donations from individuals and organizations. Donors contribute with recommendations to support specific artist projects. Once 1/3 of funding goal is reached through donor recommendations, 3Arts pledges 1/3 in the form of a matching grant.
- Crowdfunding Administration: The organization facilitates crowdfunding campaigns for artists, providing technical support, coaching, and a matching grant. No fees are charged to artists.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Artist Project Crowdfunding with 1/3 Match |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
3Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
3Arts is a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides unrestricted cash awards, project funding through a unique crowdfunding platform with built-in 1/3 matching, all-expenses-paid artist residencies, professional development programming, and disability culture initiatives to support artists in the Chicago metropolitan area. Its primary focus is women artists, artists of color, and Deaf and disabled artists working in performing, teaching, and visual arts. Since 2007, the organization has supported more than 2,300 artists and distributed $7.4 million.
Product overview
3Arts is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization (founded 1912) that provides a comprehensive portfolio of programs supporting artists in the performing, teaching, and visual arts. The core offerings include: 3Arts Awards (unrestricted $30,000 annual cash awards); 3AP (3Arts Projects) crowdfunding platform with built-in matching; 3Arts Residencies (all-expenses-paid with $2,000 stipends); Professional Development programs (workshops, coaching, mentorship); 3ER + 3-Opp (emergency and opportunity funding); and the Disability Culture Leadership Initiative (video conversations with Deaf and disabled artists). Together, these programs support women artists, artists of color, and Deaf and disabled artists across the Chicago metropolitan area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 3Arts Awards Annual unrestricted $30,000 cash awards given to ten Chicago-area artists in dance, music, teaching arts, theater, and visual arts. Awardees may use the funds to support new work, pay off debt, purchase equipment, travel, or save. Recipients are identified through a network of 100+ anonymous local nominators and selected by national discipline-specific juries.
- 3AP (3Arts Projects) Crowdfunding Platform A crowdfunding platform with a built-in 1/3 match that helps Chicago artists finance new creative work. 3Arts matches 1/3 of each project goal once 1/3 of funding is reached through donor recommendations, charges no fees to artists, and offers mentoring and technical support. 238 projects have been funded, raising $1,542,256 with $399,713 matched by 3Arts.
- 3Arts Residencies All-expenses-paid artist residencies plus $2,000 stipends and airfare offered in partnership with an international network of artist communities including The Rauschenberg Residency (Captiva, FL), Montalvo Arts Center (Saratoga, CA), The Camargo Foundation (Cassis, France), Surf Point Foundation (York, ME), and Bodies of Work (Chicago). Open to Chicago-area artists in dance, music, teaching arts, theater, and visual arts.
- Professional Development Annual group workshops, one-on-one coaching, peer mentorship, application feedback sessions, and financial consultations for 3Arts network artists. Includes 3AC (accessibility workshops), 3AMP (peer-mentorship program), and 3AP coaching for crowdfunding campaigns, plus Next Level professional development awards with National Arts Strategies.
- 3ER + 3-Opp (Emergency Response and Opportunity Fund) Swift financial support to artists for emergencies and time-sensitive creative opportunities. Originally launched during the pandemic as 3ER (3Arts Emergency Response) and expanded to include 3-Opp Fund for opportunity funding.
- Disability Culture Leadership Initiative (DCLI) Video conversations and convenings with Deaf and disabled artists in Chicago, featuring ASL interpretation and audio descriptions. Associated with the 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Program and supported by the Joyce Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts.
- 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Program Three-month customized residencies for Deaf and disabled artists, in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago's Bodies of Work program. Includes $1,500 monthly stipends, accessibility support, and disability arts advocacy.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,300+ artists supported since 2007
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use 3Arts
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
3Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
3Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- Artist Communities AlliancecoreInternational association of artist residencies managing the application process for 3Arts Residency fellowships. Provides access to over 1,500 residency programs worldwide.
- Bodies of WorkcoreUniversity of Illinois at Chicago program providing three-month customized residencies for Deaf and disabled artists with $1,500 monthly stipends, accessibility support, and disability arts advocacy.
- Montalvo Arts CentermajorSally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program in Saratoga, California offering all-expenses-paid residencies plus $2,000 stipends and airfare for Chicago artists.
- Surf Point FoundationmajorYork, Maine nonprofit offering year-round, nomination-based residencies for visual artists and art professionals on the coast.
- The Camargo FoundationmajorCassis, France residential center founded by Jerome Hill encouraging visionary work of scholars, artists, and thinkers in arts and humanities.
- The Rauschenberg ResidencymajorLocated on Robert Rauschenberg's former property in Captiva, Florida, this creative center welcomes artists of all disciplines from around the world.
- BraintreesupportingPayment processing service for online donations. Separate entity from 3Arts with its own privacy policy.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
3Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hatchfund: Crowdfunding platform purpose-built for artists and creatives, with zero platform fees. Direct competitor to 3AP for artist-led project crowdfunding, without the matching-grant wrapper.
- United States Artists: National nonprofit that provides unrestricted cash awards ($50K) to working artists across disciplines. Directly comparable unrestricted-grant model serving individual artists, but at national rather than regional scale.
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Provides grants to artists working in performance, visual, time-based, and emerging arts. Comparable unrestricted-grant approach to individual artists; New York-based with national reach.
- Joan Mitchell Foundation: National nonprofit offering grants, residencies, and professional development to visual artists. Closely comparable program mix (cash awards + residencies + career development) to 3Arts.
- Creative Capital: Provides project-based grants plus professional development to innovative artists. Same artist-support + capacity-building combination as 3Arts, though national in scope and with multi-year awards.
- MAP Fund: Funds individual artists and ensembles creating new work in performing arts (dance, music, theater). Overlapping grantmaking mission for Chicago-area performing artists but at national scale.
- Asian Cultural Council: Provides fellowships and grants to artists and arts professionals, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Comparable identity-focused grantmaking with international residency support, mirroring 3Arts' Rauschenberg/Camargo partnerships.
Regional players
- New England Foundation for the Arts: Regional arts grantmaker for New England providing project funding and professional development. Same regional-grantmaker + capacity-building mix as 3Arts but operates in a different U.S. region.
- Mid-America Arts Alliance: Regional arts nonprofit serving six Midwest states with grants and artist support. Overlapping geographic region (includes Illinois) and similar artist-support mission, but multi-state rather than Chicago-metro-only.
Others
- Kickstarter: Largest creator crowdfunding platform with significant artist-project presence. Adjacent competitor for the same artist-donor dollars flowing through 3AP, but general-purpose and takes platform fees 3Arts does not.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
3Arts social profiles
Digital presence3Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
3Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
3Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
3Arts 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 3Arts
What does 3Arts do?
3Arts is a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides unrestricted cash awards, project funding through a unique crowdfunding platform with built-in 1/3 matching, all-expenses-paid artist residencies, professional development programming, and disability culture initiatives to support artists in the Chicago metropolitan area. Its primary focus is women artists, artists of color, and Deaf and disabled artists working in performing, teaching, and visual arts. Since 2007, the organization has supported more than 2,300 artists and distributed $7.4 million.
Is 3Arts a public or private company?
3Arts is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was 3Arts founded?
3Arts was founded in 1912. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 3Arts based?
3Arts is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does 3Arts make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are crowdfunding Administration.
Who are 3Arts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hatchfund, United States Artists, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Creative Capital, MAP Fund and Asian Cultural Council. Regional players are New England Foundation for the Arts and Mid-America Arts Alliance. Kickstarter is listed as an others.
Does 3Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for 3Arts.
What industry is 3Arts in?
3Arts's product category is Arts Grantmaking and Artist Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs.