What Ragdale Foundation does

Ragdale Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 by Alice Judson Hayes, granddaughter of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, on the family's 1897 Arts and Crafts country estate in Lake Forest, Illinois, 30 miles north of Chicago. It operates one of the largest interdisciplinary artist residency programs in the United States, awarding over 200 residencies annually across ten 18-day sessions to writers, dancers, choreographers, architects, musicians, composers, and visual artists, supplemented by more than 15 named fellowships (covering social justice, disability, Latine, Native/Indigenous, formerly incarcerated, caregivers, and other identities), creative sabbaticals, themed group residencies, and a youth engagement program reaching over 1,000 students and teachers annually in Lake County. The historic 7-acre campus comprises three buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is adjacent to a 50–80 acre Shaw Prairie preserve maintained by the Lake Forest Open Lands Association, providing an irreplaceable physical environment for creative work.

The business model blends earned revenue with philanthropic support. Earned revenue comes from self-determined sliding-scale residency fees ($35–$280/day, suggested; no income verification required), Creative Sabbaticals at a flat $800 per 4-day stay, ticketed Ragdale Ring Summer Performance Series events ($15–$25), docent-led campus tours ($15–$20 per person), and conference room rentals ($200–$750 per day depending on for-profit/nonprofit status). The larger share of operating support comes from donations, foundation grants, and event fundraising: the 50th Jubilee in May 2026 raised a record $375,000, and fellowships are underwritten by individual donors, family foundations (Morrison-Shearer, Schumann), the Mellon Foundation (via Lake Forest College for the HUMAN Residency), LF Bank & Trust, and the Graham Foundation. The organization has 14 staff led by Executive Director Paul Sacaridiz, an 11–50 employee range, and is governed by a Board of Trustees; it has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no equity funding structure. Distribution is direct: artists apply through Submittable (Feb–May application window for the following year), students and teachers through school partnerships, and the general public through Eventbrite ticketing and on-site programming. The technology stack is operational SaaS (Submittable, Eventbrite, Constant Contact, Squarespace); there is no proprietary technology or AI capability, though AI is a curatorial theme of the HUMAN Residency.

Name

Ragdale Foundation

Legal name

Ragdale Foundation

Website

https://ragdale.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Residency Programs

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Artist residency programs
• Interdisciplinary arts residencies
• Nonprofit fellowship programs
• Community arts education
• Creative sabbatical retreats

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residency Fees: Flexible sliding-scale residency fees ($35–$280/day) allow artists to self-determine their contribution. No proof of income required. Payment plans available. Fellowship recipients receive fee-waived residencies plus stipends.
2. Public Programs & Events: Revenue from Ragdale Ring Summer Performance Series tickets ($15–$25), public campus tours ($15/person), and private group tours ($20/person). The 2026 Ragdale Ring events feature ticketed outdoor performances.
3. Facility Rentals: Conference room rental to businesses and organizations: for-profit $375 (half day) / $750 (full day); nonprofit $200 (half day) / $400 (full day). Includes parking, AV equipment, and adjacent courtyard.
4. Donations & Fundraising: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Ragdale relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The 50th Jubilee event raised a record $375,000. Fellowships are underwritten annually by individual donors and family foundations.
5. Creative Sabbaticals: Four-day, three-night individual stays at a flat rate of $800 per person, inclusive of housing and meals. Not eligible for sliding scale or fellowships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ragdale Foundation operates a nonprofit artist residency program that awards over 200 residencies annually across 10 sessions of 18 days each, providing writers, dancers, choreographers, architects, musicians, composers, and visual artists with private housing, private studio workspace, and chef-prepared communal dinners on a historic 7-acre Arts & Crafts campus in Lake Forest, Illinois. The organization complements this with a portfolio of 15+ named fellowships (offering fee waivers plus $1,000+ stipends), Creative Sabbaticals, Themed Residencies, the HUMAN Residency Fellowship, the annual Ragdale Ring Summer Performance Series, a Design-Build Competition, the High School Arts Week, the Ragdale Youth Engagement outreach program, public campus tours, and conference room rentals.

Product overview

Ragdale Foundation is a nonprofit artist community operating from the historic 1897 Howard Van Doren Shaw estate on the north shore of Chicago. Its core offering is the Artist Residency Program, which awards over 150 18-day interdisciplinary residencies annually across ten sessions to writers, visual artists, dancers, musicians, composers, and architects. The residency program is complemented by a robust Fellowships portfolio encompassing over 15 named fellowships (Alice Judson Hayes Social Justice, Anne Searle Bent Spiritual Art, Craig H. Neilsen, Helen Balfour Morrison Media Arts, Judy Sigunick Visual Arts, Kathleen Whittaker Writing, McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer, Prairie, Robin and Sandy Stuart Photography, Schumann Family Latine Artists, Sybil Shearer Dance, Waud Formerly Incarcerated Artists, William and Solange Brown Music, Ragdale Caregivers, Schumann Family Art + Well-being, Midwest Native and Indigenous, Tran-Riedel Vietnamese Artist, and HUMAN Fellowship), each providing fee-waived residencies plus stipends. Additional programmatic products include Creative Sabbaticals (four-day individual stays), Themed Residencies (collaborative multi-day group sessions), the HUMAN Residency Fellowship (AI and humanities focus via a Mellon Foundation grant with Lake Forest College), Ragdale Youth Engagement (teacher retreats, student workshops, Arts + Nature), High School Arts Week, the annual Ragdale Ring Summer Performance Series (outdoor performances held at the commissioned Ring installation), the biennial Ragdale Ring Design-Build Competition (awarding $20,000 stipends to architects and designers), campus tours, and conference room rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Residency Program The flagship offering providing artists, writers, musicians, composers, dancers, choreographers, architects, and visual artists with 18 days of uninterrupted time and space on Ragdale's historic Arts and Crafts campus, including private housing, private studio workspace, and chef-prepared communal dinners Monday through Friday. Over 200 residencies are awarded annually across 10 sessions, making it one of the largest interdisciplinary residency programs in the United States.
• Fellowships Fee-waived 18-day residencies accompanied by stipends of at least $1,000, awarded across named fellowship categories including the Alice Judson Hayes Social Justice Fellowship, Anne Searle Bent Spiritual Art Fellowship, Craig H. Neilsen Fellowship, Helen Balfour Morrison Media Arts Fellowship, Judy Sigunick Fellowship in the Visual Arts, Kathleen Whittaker Writing Fellowship, McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships, Prairie Fellowship, Robin and Sandy Stuart Photography Fellowship, Schumann Family Fellowship for Latine Artists, Sybil Shearer Fellowship for Dancemakers, Waud Fellowship for Formerly Incarcerated Artists, William and Solange Brown Fellowship for New Musical Composition, Ragdale Fellowship for Caregivers, Schumann Family Fellowships for Art + Well-being, Midwest Native and Indigenous Fellowship, Tran-Riedel Fellowship for a Vietnamese Artist, and the HUMAN Fellowship.
• Creative Sabbaticals Four-day, three-night stays for individual artists, curators, designers, and arts administrators offered outside the juried residency sessions, providing private accommodations, workspace, and chef-prepared communal dinners at a flat rate of $800 per person.
• Themed Residencies Collaborative multi-day sessions for partner organizations, artist groups, and collectives brought together around a shared creative inquiry, accommodating up to 15 participants with private accommodations and access to specialized workspaces.
• HUMAN Residency Fellowship A fellowship program in partnership with Lake Forest College and funded by a $1.2 million Mellon Foundation grant, inviting artists to explore intersections of humanities, artificial intelligence, and social justice, with a group residency plus an individual 18-day residency. Led by Professor Davis Schneiderman of the Krebs Center for the Humanities.
• Ragdale Youth Engagement A free outreach program connecting creative professionals with local teachers and students through on-site and off-site programming, including teacher retreats, student workshops, and the Arts + Nature series, with emphasis on underserved communities in Lake County.
• High School Arts Week An intensive weeklong program welcoming up to 75 students in grades 9–12 to immerse themselves in a designated study track — creative writing, visual art, or performance — working directly alongside professional artists, culminating in a public showcase.
• Ragdale Ring Summer Performance Series An outdoor summer series of music, dance, theater, and storytelling held at the annually commissioned Ragdale Ring installation on campus, featuring ticketed performances from June through September. Adult General Admission $25; Student, Senior, Artist, Veteran $15; Children 12 and under free.
• Ragdale Ring Design-Build Competition An annual international design-build competition inviting architects and designers to create a temporary performance venue on the Ragdale campus, with winners receiving a $20,000 production stipend and an 18-day residency for construction.
• Campus Tours Docent-led tours of the historic 7-acre campus from June through October, including Ragdale House, artist studios, gardens, and vistas of the 50-acre Shaw Prairie, offered as public group tours ($15/person) and private group tours ($20/person for 10+ people).
• Conference Room Rental Rental of a conference room accommodating up to 22 people, equipped with a mounted monitor, Owl conference camera, Wi-Fi, and adjacent courtyard, available at for-profit ($375 half-day, $750 full-day) and nonprofit rates ($200 half-day, $400 full-day).

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ residencies awarded annually across 10 sessions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine ArtscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Graham Foundation, founded in 1956, is a sponsor of the Ragdale Ring Summer Performance Series and 50th Anniversary. The Graham Foundation fosters diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in arts, culture, and society, aligning with Ragdale's annual design-build competition.
• Lake Forest Open Lands AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Lake Forest Open Lands maintains the adjacent 50–80 acre Shaw Prairie, which Ragdale residents can access for inspiration and creative exploration. The preserve is part of Ragdale's unique campus environment.
• Gluten (Design Studio)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Virginia-based interdisciplinary design studio Gluten (Julia McConnell and Paige Davidson) won the 2026 Ragdale Ring Design-Build Competition with 'Front of House,' receiving a $20,000 production stipend and an 18-day design-build residency. The installation re-imagines the historic Ragdale House façade as an immersive landscape for the 50th Anniversary season.
• Patrick Geske & Cody MinerflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The collaborative team of Patrick Geske (architect, educator) and Cody Miner (designer, Woodbury University faculty) won the 2027 Ragdale Ring Design-Build Competition with 'Stage Prop,' receiving a $20,000 production stipend and 18-day design-build residency. The circular platform recalls the original 1912 Ragdale Ring.
• Lake Forest College / Krebs Center for the HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2024Lake Forest College's $1.2 million Mellon Foundation grant funds the HUMAN Residency Fellowship (Humanities Understanding of the Machine-Assisted Nexus), a multi-year collaboration bringing artists to explore AI and social justice. Ragdale hosts group residencies in spring and individual residencies in 2026–2027. Led by Professor Davis Schneiderman of the Krebs Center for the Humanities.
• Artist Communities AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRagdale partners with the Artist Communities Alliance, which administers the McKnight Artist Residency Program and matches up to four McKnight Fellows with Ragdale for 18-day, fee-waived residencies. ACA provides travel and materials stipends to fellows.
• Center for Native FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Ragdale and the Center for Native Futures (the only all-Native artist-led arts nonprofit in Zhegagoynak) to award two Midwest Native and Indigenous Fellowships annually — one in visual art, one in writing — to artists in the greater Midwest region.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MacDowell: MacDowell is a national artist residency in Peterborough, NH offering residencies to writers, visual artists, composers, and filmmakers. As one of the largest and oldest US residencies (~300 artists/year), it directly competes with Ragdale for applicants and donor dollars.
• Headlands Center for the Arts: Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA operates an artist-in-residence program alongside public programming, exhibitions, and events. Its interdisciplinary cohorts and public engagement model closely mirror Ragdale's operating approach.
• Yaddo: Yaddo is a premier artist residency in Saratoga Springs, NY that hosts over 200 artists annually across disciplines including writing, visual art, music, and performance. It is the most analogous direct peer to Ragdale in mission, scale, and operating model.
• UCross Foundation: UCross Foundation is a Wyoming-based residency program providing residencies to artists across disciplines. Its interdisciplinary model, scale (100+ residencies/year), and rural setting make it a close comparable to Ragdale.
• Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: Bemis Center offers residencies to contemporary artists and curators in Omaha, NE. Its interdisciplinary residency program, public programming, and support for experimental practice directly parallel Ragdale's offerings.
• Hedgebrook: Hedgebrook is a residency on Whidbey Island, WA exclusively for women writers, offering a dedicated creative community. While mission-specific, its residency-centric operating model and reliance on donor funding make it a relevant comparable.
• Haystack Mountain School of Crafts: Haystack is a craft and arts school in Deer Isle, ME offering workshops and residencies. Connected to Ragdale via Executive Director Paul Sacaridiz's prior leadership, it is a structurally similar residency program serving comparable artists.
• Anderson Center: Anderson Center in Red Wing, MN provides residencies for artists, writers, and scholars with a focus on community engagement. Its scale, Midwestern location, and multidisciplinary residency model are highly comparable to Ragdale.
• Atlantic Center for the Arts: Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL hosts themed residencies led by master artists and community arts programming. Its interdisciplinary scope and themed-residency model align with Ragdale's programming.
• Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA): VCCA provides residencies to visual artists, writers, and composers in Amherst, VA. Its fee-based residency model with fellowships and studio facilities directly parallels Ragdale's operating structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ragdale-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Ragdale Foundation