What RAW Material Company does

RAW Material Company is a non-profit center for art, knowledge, and society based in Dakar, Senegal, founded in 2008 by the Swiss-Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh (1967-2025). The organization operates four core programs: RAW Académie, an experimental 5-7 week study program for artistic and curatorial practice (11 sessions to date); Ker Issa, a residency program hosting 50+ artists, curators, writers, and researchers in the Baobabs neighborhood of Dakar since 2011; RAW Base, a resource center and library specializing in contemporary art documentation; and a curated exhibitions and publishing program. Supplementary programming includes the Condition Report international symposium series (5 editions between 2012 and 2024), public lectures, film screenings, debates (Fridays @RAW), and the RAW Podcasts series including 'The Morning After the Crisis.' All programs are offered free of charge to the public.

The organization operates from two physical locations in Dakar — the Sicap Baobabs headquarters and a Zone B space in a renovated 1950s modernist residential home — and distributes content globally via YouTube, podcasts, and email newsletter. It does not develop proprietary technology. The organization is funded by grants and donations from a concentrated set of international foundations including Arts Collaboratory, the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, OSIWA, and FFAI, with US tax-deductible giving channeled through a 2022 partnership with Myriad USA. The 8-person team is led by Artistic Director Marie Helene Pereira, Director of Programs Fatima Bintou Rassoul Sy, and General Manager Mame Farma Fall.

The business model is mission-driven philanthropy rather than commercial: there are no ticket fees, tuition charges, or commercial product sales. Founder Koyo Kouoh's appointment as curator of the 61st Venice Biennale 2026 in December 2024 — the first African woman in the role — significantly elevated the institution's international profile, though her death in May 2025 created a major leadership transition. The organization has stated it will continue operations with its existing professional team.

Name

RAW Material Company

Legal name

RAW Material Company

Website

https://rawmaterialcompany.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

RAW Material Company is a Dakar-based non-profit art center offering residencies, experimental curatorial education (RAW Académie), exhibitions, and publishing to contemporary African artists, curators, and researchers, funded by international foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dakar

HQ country

Senegal

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: RAW Material Company operates as a non-profit cultural organization funded through donations from individuals, public donors, and private organizations worldwide. The organization accepts bank transfers in Senegal and US tax-deductible donations through American Friends of RAW Material Company partnered with Myriad USA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RAW Material Company is a centre for art, knowledge, and society based in Dakar, Senegal. It operates curatorial exhibitions, artistic education through RAW Académie (an experimental 5–7 week study programme for artistic and curatorial practice), the Ker Issa residency programme hosting artists and curators, the RAW Base contemporary art resource centre, and publishing outputs documenting artistic theory and criticism. All public programmes including lectures, symposia, and exhibitions are offered free of charge and sustained through donations and institutional grants.

Product overview

RAW Material Company is a centre for art, knowledge, and society based in Dakar, Senegal. Its offering is structured as a multi-component cultural programme consisting of four core pillars: RAW Base (a contemporary art resource centre), RAW Académie (an experimental study programme for artistic and curatorial practice), Ker Issa (an artist and curator residency programme), and Exhibitions/Publishing (curated exhibitions and editorial outputs). Supplementary programming includes public lectures, symposia, and podcasts. The organisation does not operate a software or technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAW Académie: Experimental programme for the research and study of artistic and curatorial practice and thought
• RAW Base
• Ker Issa

Products and services

• RAW Base

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 50 artists and creative practitioners from multiple nationalities have been hosted through the Ker Issa residency program since 2011
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Christian Nyampeta (Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Artist Christian Nyampeta curated 'École du soir – Six Films, from Rwanda and Beyond' as part of RAW Material Company's Morning After the Crisis podcast series during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing historical crises and collective memory.
• Musée des Civilisations Noires (Dakar)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2018The Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar was a venue partner for Condition Report 3 on Art History in Africa, hosting key sessions including the opening and keynote lectures.
• Ugochukwu-Smooth NzewicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2018Critic, curator, and art historian Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi co-organized Condition Report 3 symposium and served as session moderator.
• ICI (Independent Curators International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2016ICI organized the Curatorial Intensive in Dakar in partnership with RAW Material Company from May 30 to June 5, 2016. The program was conceived in collaboration with Koyo Kouoh and followed ICI's Curatorial Intensives in Marrakech, Addis Ababa, and Johannesburg.
• Carole Diop (Architect)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2016Young Senegalese architect Carole Diop led the renovation of the Zone B space, transforming a 1950s modernist residential home into RAW Material Company's second location dedicated to RAW Académie, exhibitions, and library activities.
• Educational Institutions (UCAD, EBAD, British Council, Lycée Blaise Diagne, Lycée JFK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016RAW Material Company's Zone B space engages with neighborhood educational institutions including University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), School of Library Science (EBAD), College of Architecture, British Council, Lycée Blaise Diagne, and Lycée John F. Kennedy.
• Seloua Luste BoulbinaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Philosopher and political scientist Seloua Luste Boulbina led the 'Decolonizing Knowledge – Artists Talk to Philosophers' program at RAW Material Company in May 2016, continuing a colloquium from the Collège International de Philosophie in Paris.
• École Nationale des Arts (Dakar)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2014École Nationale des Arts in Dakar collaborated with RAW Material Company on Condition Report 2: Symposium on Artistic Education in Africa in June 2014.
• Goethe InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2012Goethe Institut co-organized Condition Report 1: Symposium on Building Art Institutions in Africa with RAW Material Company in January 2012, addressing the changing role of art institutions in Africa.
• German Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2012The German Cultural Foundation was a sponsor of Condition Report 1 symposium organized by RAW Material Company in cooperation with Goethe Institut.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Musée des Civilisations Noires: State museum in Dakar, Senegal, focused on African civilizations and contemporary African culture. A co-host of Condition Report 3, it shares RAW's city and overlapping mission of advancing African art and culture, serving as a direct local peer in the Senegalese cultural infrastructure.
• Wits Art Museum (WAM): University museum in Johannesburg affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand, focused on African contemporary art and research. Operates exhibitions, an archive, and educational programming with a strong scholarly and curatorial mission, comparable in academic-and-curatorial orientation to RAW.
• A4 Arts Foundation: Cape Town-based non-profit arts foundation supporting experimental contemporary art practice through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs in a grant-funded model. Comparable to RAW as a mid-sized African art foundation combining residencies, exhibitions, and education.
• Zeitz MOCAA: Cape Town-based museum of contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora. Operates as a large-scale, grant-funded cultural institution focused on collecting, exhibiting, and educating on contemporary African art, directly comparable in mission to RAW Material Company's exhibition, education, and curatorial programming.
• SAVVY Contemporary: Berlin-based non-profit art center and laboratory for contemporary art, with a strong focus on African and diaspora artistic practice. Operates exhibitions, residencies, and discursive programs in a non-commercial model, directly comparable to RAW's integrated curation-education-residency approach.
• Fondation Zinsou: Cotonou, Benin-based non-profit art foundation operating a contemporary art museum and cultural programs across Benin and West Africa. Comparable in its West African footprint, non-profit model, and commitment to making contemporary African art accessible to local audiences.
• The Africa Institute: Sharjah-based independent academic and cultural institute focused on African and African diaspora studies. Produces research, exhibitions, and public programs, and is closely comparable in its emphasis on knowledge production, curatorial practice, and critical discourse on African art.
• Norval Foundation: Cape Town-based non-profit cultural foundation dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora, with exhibition, education, and residency programming. Operates a comparable integrated model of exhibitions, learning, and archive, anchored in the African contemporary art field.

Others

• Dak'Art Biennale: Pan-African contemporary art biennale held in Dakar, Senegal, with international exhibitions and an off-program across the city. While a biennale rather than a year-round art center, it operates in the same city, draws on overlapping artists, and shapes the ecosystem in which RAW Material Company operates.
• Goodman Gallery: Cape Town, Johannesburg, and London-based commercial gallery representing major contemporary African and diaspora artists. Operates in the same contemporary African art ecosystem as RAW Material Company but as a commercial primary-market gallery rather than a non-profit art center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rawmaterialcompany2517/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/rawmaterialcompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 RAW Material Company