The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective

What The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective does

The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective is a county government initiative established in 2002 and operated under the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, following unanimous adoption of the LA County Regional Blueprint for Arts Education by the Board of Supervisors. Originally branded as "Arts For All" and renamed in 2018, the Collective is chartered to ensure that LA County's 1.5 million public school students receive high-quality arts education. It coordinates a countywide coalition of 50+ school districts, the LA County Office of Education, Arts for LA, KCET, GLAEF, and a Funders Council of 9+ private foundations that have collectively invested more than $10.8 million since 2004.

The Collective's product surface centers on three program families: (1) the Advancement Grant Program, which awards matching grants of $6,900-$25,000 to school districts for strategic arts education implementation ($748,400 to 42 districts in 2018, $811,600 to 40 districts in 2020, $867,700 to 41 districts in 2021); (2) the Stitch searchable database (launched September 2024, powered by InPlay), connecting district and school leaders, educators, and families with expanded learning opportunities across Greater Los Angeles; and (3) thematic initiatives including School-Based Arts Education, Community-Based Arts Education, Arts and Justice Reform (with the LA County Probation Department since 2016, plus a January 2025 Justice-Involved Youth Drumline with ICYOLA at Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility), Creative Career Pathways for Youth, Learning and Leadership, and Creative Wellbeing (with data dashboards launched October 2024). Resources include a School Districts Directory, KCET Artbound documentaries, and the New Regional Blueprint for Arts Education adopted by the Board of Supervisors in October 2020.

The Collective operates as a public-sector convener and grantmaker rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue is derived entirely from grant funding — primarily county appropriations channeled through the LA County Department of Arts and Culture plus contributions from a Funders Council including Boeing, the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Angell Foundation, the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, the Carl and Roberta Deutsch Foundation, the Rosenthal Family Foundation, the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, the Colburn Foundation, the Music Man Foundation, Snap Foundation, and the Getty Foundation. Its go-to-market is community-led: direct district partnerships, annual convenings (Arts Now: LA County Arts Education Summit, District Arts Coordinator Convenings), webinars, an email newsletter, and earned media (e.g., KCET Artbound). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and pricing is non-commercial — the Collective distributes grants and convenes stakeholders rather than selling products or services.

Name

The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective

Legal name

Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective

Website

https://www.lacountyartsedcollective.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective is a county government initiative that coordinates arts education funding, strategic planning, and programming across 50+ LA County school districts serving 1.5 million public school students, funded by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture and a Funders Council of private foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts education
• School district grants
• Creative career pathways
• Community arts programs
• Arts policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & Public Sector Support: The Arts Ed Collective is funded through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture and receives grants from various public and private funders. The organization provides Advancement Grants to school districts to advance arts education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective coordinates countywide arts education by providing matching grants, professional development, strategic planning support, and convening infrastructure to K-12 public school districts and community arts organizations across LA County. It operates as a coalition under the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, channeling philanthropic and public funding into classroom and community arts instruction and operating programs that target underserved youth, justice-involved youth, and creative career pathways.

Product overview

The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective is a countywide initiative dedicated to making the arts a core part of every child's growth and development. It operates as a unified program portfolio rather than a software platform, offering direct programs and services including: the Advancement Grant Program providing matching funds to school districts; Stitch, a searchable database for expanded learning opportunities; Creative Wellbeing programming with data dashboards; and various initiatives covering school-based arts education, community-based arts education, arts and justice reform, learning and leadership, and creative career pathways. The collective also provides resources including a school districts directory, KCET Artbound documentaries, and the Regional Blueprint for Arts Education as strategic planning guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stitch A dynamic, searchable database connecting district and school leaders, educators, and families with expanded learning opportunities across Greater Los Angeles. Profiles diverse organizations across disciplines, program types, and focus areas serving LA County youth. 100% free resource.
• Advancement Grant Program Flexible matching grants program offering up to $25,000 to support Los Angeles County school districts implementing board-approved strategic plans for arts education. Awards fund teacher professional development, artist residencies, culturally relevant performances, curriculum expansion, and equipment purchases.
• Creative Wellbeing Initiative providing arts-based activities, workshops, and professional development sessions for youth and adults, designed to support mental health and protective factors through creative engagement.
• Creative Wellbeing Data Dashboards End-of-year data reports summarizing surveys from youth and adults participating in Creative Wellbeing arts-based activities, workshops, and professional development sessions. Tracks mental health and protective factors including social-emotional competencies and social support.
• School-Based Arts Education Initiative partnering with LA County school districts to formulate and implement policies and plans that increase quality, quantity, and equity of arts instruction in K-12 schools.
• Community-Based Arts Education Initiative supporting arts education programs delivered through community organizations and after-school settings across LA County.
• Arts and Justice Reform Initiative using arts as a criminal justice reform strategy for justice-involved youth, including arts programming at juvenile justice facilities such as Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility and Challenger Memorial Youth Center, in partnership with the LA County Probation Department and Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA).
• Learning and Leadership Initiative providing professional development and networking opportunities for district arts coordinators and community arts educators, including district arts coordinator convenings and statewide participation in Create CA professional learning communities.
• Creative Career Pathways for Youth Initiative developing work-based learning opportunities and creative career pathways for young people aged 15-24, with priority for students of color, low-income students, LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, current/former foster youth, and youth on probation.
• Justice-Involved Youth Drumline with ICYOLA Drumline instruction program delivered to justice-involved youth at Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility in partnership with ICYOLA, supporting trauma-informed and healing-centered approaches in juvenile justice settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• $748,400 in matching grants awarded to 42 school districts in 2018
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Los Angeles County Department of Arts and CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe parent organization and primary funder. Operates the LA County Arts Education Collective as a countywide initiative dedicated to making the arts a core part of every child's growth and development.
• Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty office of education working in partnership to ensure LA County's 1.5 million public school students receive high-quality arts education.
• Arts for LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional arts advocacy organization listed as a partner in the footer of the website and co-presenter of the Arts Now: LA County Arts Education Summit.
• KCETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic media partner collaborating to create documentaries exploring the value of arts education for youth, communities, and the creative economy of LA County through the KCET Artbound initiative.
• Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation (GLAEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic partner to LACOE and coalition leader in creating Stitch, a searchable database connecting districts and families with expanded learning opportunities across Greater Los Angeles.
• Stitch Coalition Partners (LA STEM Collective, MESC, Annenberg Learner, GPSN, ExpandLA, Wildwoods, MOCA, Columbia Memorial Space Center, B-Relyt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of nonprofits in the expanded learning and out-of-school time space that co-created the Stitch platform for visibility and accessibility to K-12 learning opportunities.
• LA County Department of Youth DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty agency partner in the Arts and Justice Reform initiative, developing arts programming for justice-involved youth at Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility.
• LA County Probation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty agency partner in Arts and Justice Reform initiatives since 2016, developing arts programming for youth in Probation facilities.
• Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization partner in the Justice-Involved Youth Drumline program at Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility.
• Presencing InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Theory U training through the Presencing Foundations Program in Berlin, Germany for arts education leaders.
• Create CAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide arts education organization providing Prop 28 advocacy resources and professional learning community participation.
• California Alliance for Arts EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide partner co-presenting the Arts Now: LA County Arts Education Summit as part of the statewide Arts Now Campaign.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Create CA: Statewide California arts education advocacy organization that partners with the Collective on Prop 28 advocacy and professional learning communities. Both organizations focus on expanding and equitable arts instruction in California schools.
• Arts for LA: Regional arts advocacy organization in Los Angeles that co-presents the Arts Now: LA County Arts Education Summit with the Collective. Both advance arts policy and access across LA County.
• California Alliance for Arts Education: Statewide partner co-presenting the Arts Now Summit as part of the statewide Arts Now Campaign. Closely aligned mission of increasing equity and quality of arts education in California schools.
• EdVestors: Boston-based nonprofit that runs school-district grants and coalition programs for arts and arts integration. Closely comparable model — convening districts, providing matching grants, and tracking outcomes — operating in a different geography.
• Ingenuity (Chicago): Chicago-based nonprofit working to ensure all Chicago Public Schools students receive quality arts education. Highly comparable mission, district-coalition model, and advancement grant-style programming in a different metro.

Broad incumbents

• National Art Education Association (NAEA): National professional association advancing visual arts education. Operates at the national scale across all art forms and educational levels, whereas the Collective is regionally focused on LA County K-12 arts education.
• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit providing advocacy, research, and resources for the arts. Functions as a broader umbrella for arts policy and funding across all 50 states, while the Collective focuses on LA County school districts.
• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National organization providing arts education programming to K-12 schools through affiliate network. Overlaps in mission (expanding arts in K-12 schools) and in partnering with teaching artists and school districts.
• Arts Education Partnership: National coalition housed at the Education Commission of the States that connects arts education research, policy, and practice. Operates as a research and advocacy clearinghouse rather than a direct service provider.

Others

• Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture: Parent county government entity that operates and funds the Arts Education Collective. Provides the institutional framework and core appropriations that the Collective depends on.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LACountyArtsEd
• Xx.com/lacountyartsed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/los-angeles-county-arts-ed-collective

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 The Los Angeles County Arts Education Collective