Ventura County Arts Council

What Ventura County Arts Council does

Ventura County Arts Council (VCAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization incorporated in 1997 and headquartered in Ventura, California. Designated by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors as the local partner of the California Arts Council, VCAC delivers arts programming across Ventura County through an in-person, community-led model centered on K-8 schools, juvenile justice facilities, public galleries, and grantmaking. Core programs include Artists in the Classroom (eight-week teaching artist residencies priced at $1,000 per classroom across dance, poetry, theater, visual arts, and folk arts), Arts & Youth Justice (arts instruction inside the Juvenile Justice Center, evening reporting centers, and residential programs plus a Teen Centric radio show with CAPS Media), the Atrium Gallery (a 400 linear-foot, three-floor exhibition space in the Ventura County Government Center reaching roughly 3,000 daily visitors), the Arts Collective (a retail gallery at Pacific View Mall provided by MaceRich Corporation), and the Poet Laureate, Youth Poet Laureate, and Poetry Out Loud literary programs. Public art displays and a grants program round out the portfolio.

VCAC's business model is nonprofit grant-funded rather than commercial. Operating revenue is sourced from California Arts Council state agency grants, City and County of Ventura allocations, corporate and foundation partners (Port of Hueneme, The Children's Workshop, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation, Cornerstones of the Carnegie Art Museum, Ventura County Potters' Guild), co-administration of the $700,000 Ventura County Arts and Culture Investment Fund with the Ventura County Community Foundation, and individual tax-deductible donations. The core product line, Artists in the Classroom, employs unit pricing at $1,000 per 8-week residency, scaling program volume rather than per-customer revenue. VCAC is governed by a Board of Directors (President Maria Durant, Secretary Michele Foster, Treasurer Jen Swain) and led by Executive Director Craig Rosen, with a lean central staff of 1-10 supplemented by 25+ contract teaching artists who collectively served over 3,000 children in 2019. VCAC does not develop technology products, APIs, or software services.

Name

Ventura County Arts Council

Legal name

Ventura County Arts Council

Website

https://vcartscouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ventura County Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit designated by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors as the local partner of the California Arts Council, delivering K-8 arts residencies, juvenile justice arts programs, gallery exhibitions, poet laureate initiatives, and grant administration for Ventura County residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD), Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Community arts funding
• Youth arts programs
• Poetry programs
• Public art exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Ventura

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Primary funding from California Arts Council state agency grants and City of Ventura and County of Ventura government allocations
2. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Support from businesses and private foundations including The Children's Workshop, Port of Hueneme, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation, and others
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting arts programming for students, artists, and cultural organizations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ventura County Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers arts education residencies in schools, youth arts and justice programming, county-level poetry initiatives including Poet Laureate and Poetry Out Loud, public art installations, an arts grant program, and operates the Atrium Gallery and Arts Collective venues. It serves artists, schools, youth, and community members across Ventura County through programming and regranted funding.

Product overview

Ventura County Arts Council is a nonprofit arts organization offering community arts programs rather than a unified technology product. Its portfolio includes the Atrium Gallery (a 3-floor exhibition space in the County Government Center) and the Arts Collective (retail gallery space in Pacific View Mall). Core programs include Artists in the Classroom (K-8 arts residencies), Arts & Youth Justice (juvenile justice arts education), the Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate programs, Poetry Out Loud (high school recitation competitions), Public Art Displays (murals and street exhibitions), and a Grants Program supporting individual artists and arts organizations. The organization does not offer technology products, APIs, or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artists in the Classroom A school-based artist residency program that places professional teaching artists in K-12 classrooms across Ventura County to deliver arts instruction and creative learning experiences. It is intended for schools, students, and teachers.
• Arts & Youth Justice Program An arts-based intervention and engagement program for justice-involved youth, delivered in partnership with county juvenile justice agencies. It is intended for at-risk and system-involved youth and the public agencies that serve them.
• Poet Laureate Program A county-level poet laureate designation and programming initiative for Ventura County, recognizing and deploying a county poet laureate for community literary activities. It is intended for the general public and literary community.
• Youth Poet Laureate A youth poet laureate designation and programming track recognizing young poets in Ventura County and providing them with community platforms. It is intended for teens and young poets.
• Poetry Out Loud Participation in the national Poetry Out Loud recitation program, providing local contest pathways for Ventura County students. It is intended for middle and high school students and educators.
• Public Art Displays Commissioning, curation, and installation of public art displays throughout Ventura County, providing artists with paid opportunities and residents with access to public art. It is intended for local artists, municipalities, and the general public.
• Grants Program A regranting program that distributes arts and culture funding to local artists and arts organizations across Ventura County. It is intended for individual artists and small arts organizations seeking project or operating support.
• Atrium Gallery A council-operated exhibition gallery presenting visual arts programming to the community. It is intended for exhibiting artists and community visitors.
• Arts Collective A council-operated arts venue providing space and programming for artists and community arts activity. It is intended for local artists and the arts community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 children served annually through Artists in the Classroom program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• California Arts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Designated by Ventura County Board of Supervisors as the local partner arts agency of the California Arts Council, building upon its statewide mission to improve communities through arts and creative expression. VCAC is the local partner designated to implement county-wide arts programming aligned with state priorities.
• County of VenturacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished by Ventura County Board of Supervisors as the designated local partner for arts programming. County provides funding through Arts and Culture Investment Fund and office space.
• City of VenturacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded in part by the City of Ventura as a key municipal partner supporting local arts initiatives.
• Ventura County Probation AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Ventura County Probation Agency to deliver Arts & Youth Justice programming at the Juvenile Justice Facility, including Providence School and evening reporting centers.
• Ventura County Office of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2014, VCOE turned over administration of its Artists in the Classroom program to VCAC. Partners on Arts & Youth Justice program, publishing student chapbooks.
• Ventura County Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCCF co-administers the $700,000 Arts and Culture Investment Fund grant program with VCAC, providing $100,000 in individual artist grants.
• MaceRich CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific View Mall owner-operator provides retail space at no cost for the VC Arts Collective, used for exhibitions, performances, and workforce training.
• Central Coast Creative CorpsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn September 2022, California awarded $4.75 million to Central Coast Creative Corps alliance including VCAC for 23 yearlong artist projects in partnership with community organizations.
• CAPS MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CAPS Radio KPPQ-LP FM 104.1 to produce Teen Centric radio show featuring poetry by system-engaged youth as part of Arts & Youth Justice program.
• The Children's WorkshopsupportingOthersProgram supporter for Artists in the Classroom initiative.
• Port of HuenemesupportingOthersProgram supporter for Artists in the Classroom initiative.
• Cornerstones of the Carnegie Art MuseumsupportingOthersProgram supporter for Artists in the Classroom initiative.
• Ventura County Potters' GuildsupportingOthersProgram supporter for Artists in the Classroom initiative.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit arts services organization that supports local arts councils and advocates for federal arts funding. Comparable in mission as a capacity-builder and advocate for local arts councils, but at national scale.
• Ventura County Community Foundation: Co-administers the $700,000 Arts and Culture Investment Fund with VCAC and is a major regional grantmaker. Operates in adjacent philanthropy space and shares VCAC's Ventura County geography and many of its grantees.
• California Arts Council: State-level arts agency that VCAC is formally partnered with; provides state grant funding, sets statewide policy, and designates VCAC as Ventura County's local partner — comparable in mission (arts advocacy/grantmaking) but operates statewide at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Los Angeles County Arts Commission: County-level designated local partner of the California Arts Council serving Los Angeles County with grantmaking, arts education, and community arts programming — the most directly comparable peer in scale and mandate to VCAC, just at much larger scale.
• Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture: Neighboring county-level arts agency providing grants, public art, and cultural programming in Santa Barbara County. Directly comparable county-level scope and California Arts Council partnership structure.
• San Diego County Arts & Culture Commission: Another California county-level arts commission with comparable grant administration, public art, and arts education programs; serves as a direct functional peer to VCAC within the same California Arts Council partner network.

Others

• CAPS Media (KPPQ-LP FM 104.1): Community media partner that co-produces the Teen Centric radio show with VCAC as part of Arts & Youth Justice — a programmatic enabler and distribution channel for VCAC's juvenile-justice arts programming.
• California Poets in the Schools: Statewide nonprofit providing poet-teacher residencies in K-12 schools that VCAC partners with on the Youth Poet Laureate program — an enabling partner organization with overlapping school-based poetry programming.

Emerging players

• Ojai Arts Commission: City-level arts commission within Ventura County providing local arts programming and grants. Smaller in scale than VCAC but operates in the same Ventura County ecosystem and may overlap on grantees and programs.
• Carnegie Art Museum (Oxnard): Regional art museum serving Ventura County that hosts exhibitions and supports arts programming — a regional peer that overlaps with VCAC's artist exhibition and community engagement mission, though as a museum rather than a council.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vcartscouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ventura-county-arts-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ventura County Arts Council