ProjectArt

What ProjectArt does

ProjectArt is a nonprofit arts education organization founded in 2011 in Harlem, New York by Adarsh Alphons. It provides free visual arts classes to children ages 4-18 through partnerships with public library systems across six U.S. cities (New York, Newark, Miami, Detroit, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh), following a two-semester schedule (Fall October–January, Spring February–May) and curriculum aligned to National Art Education Association core standards. The Wall Street Journal described the organization as "the largest art school in the world, without owning a single building," reflecting its asset-light delivery model.

The organization's product surface consists of three integrated components: (1) After-School Art Classes, divided into three age cohorts (4-7, 8-12, 13-18), delivered in person at partner library branches; (2) a 9-month Resident Teaching Artist Residency program that provides professional artists with a stipend, studio space, professional development workshops, and culminating public exhibitions of their work alongside student work; and (3) annual Public Exhibitions at professional venues. Technology is limited to the projectart.org website and AfterSchoolHQ platform integration for enrollment — ProjectArt does not develop technology products and its core offering is in-person instruction.

ProjectArt's business model is donor-funded rather than revenue-generating. Funding streams include individual donations, foundation and corporate grants (Rockefeller Foundation, Knight Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, Applebaum Family Philanthropy, Gucci, Goldman Sachs Gives), and public institution funding (National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Pennsylvania Arts Council, Skillman Foundation). Programs are entirely free to participating families with first-come, first-served enrollment. The organization is governed by a board including Alphons, Heidi Hovland, Matthew Trebek, Kelly Vanasse, Lisa Applebaum, and David McGhee, with a small operational team of program managers per city, a Director of Programs, Development and Grants Managers, and a Communications Associate.

Name

ProjectArt

Legal name

ProjectArt

Website

https://projectart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nonprofit organization providing free visual arts education to children ages 4-18 through public library partnerships across six U.S. cities, supported by a paid 9-month artist residency program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Youth visual arts
• Nonprofit arts residency
• Community art classes
• Library arts partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: ProjectArt accepts donations from individual supporters to fund arts education programs for underserved youth.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: As a nonprofit organization, ProjectArt relies on grants and funding from foundations and corporations including Applebaum Family Philanthropy, Knight Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and others.
3. Public Institution Funding: ProjectArt receives funding from public institutions including National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Pennsylvania Arts Council.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ProjectArt provides free visual arts classes to children ages 4-18 at public library branches across the United States. It runs a 9-month paid Teaching Artist Residency Program that places professional visual artists in partner libraries to teach classes while developing their own artwork, culminating in annual public exhibitions of student and resident work.

Product overview

ProjectArt is a nonprofit organization operating as a single unified program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is free, high-quality visual arts education for children aged 4-18 delivered through two interconnected programs: (1) After-School Art Classes, which are held at partner public libraries following National Art Education Association standards on a Fall/Spring semester schedule, and (2) the Teaching Artist Residency Program, a 9-month paid residency for professional artists who teach classes while developing their own artwork, culminating in public exhibitions. City-specific programs in New York, Newark, Miami, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh deliver these offerings through local library branches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• After-School Art Classes Free, high-quality visual arts classes for children ages 4-18 held at public library branches across six U.S. cities. Classes are divided into three age groups (4-7, 8-12, 13-18) on a two-semester schedule (Fall October-January, Spring February-May). Curriculum follows National Art Education Association core standards.
• Teaching Artist Residency Program A 9-month paid residency for professional visual artists who teach art classes at partner public libraries while developing their own artwork. Includes a stipend, professional development workshops, dedicated studio space in the partner library, and a culminating joint exhibition showcasing resident and student work at professional venues.
• Public Exhibitions Annual public exhibitions showcasing artwork created by ProjectArt Resident Teaching Artists and their students during the residency year, held at professional venues and open to the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children with sustained access to arts education gain 96 percentile points on the SAT
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Newark Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024ProjectArt launched its Newark program in October 2024 at Newark Public Library Main Branch, marking a new city expansion and partnership with Newark's public library system.
• Aetna (New Jersey)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAetna (New Jersey) is a pioneering partner helping ProjectArt expand to Newark, NJ with support for the grassroots programs in a city known for emerging artists of color and youth creativity.
• Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProjectArt partners with Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library to pilot programs in West End and Avondale communities, leveraging one of the best library systems in the country.
• Detroit Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProjectArt operates at multiple Detroit Public Library branches including Main Branch, Sherwood Forest, Elmwood Park, Lincoln, and Duffield locations. State of Michigan does not require schools to offer arts education, making library partnerships critical.
• Carnegie Library of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProjectArt has found a home within the historic first public library system funded by Andrew Carnegie. Programs operate at Allegheny and Homewood branches, aligned with mission to serve historically underrepresented communities.
• Miami-Dade Public Library SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProjectArt operates at multiple Miami-Dade Public Library branches including Shenandoah, North Central, Naranja, and Kendall locations, serving Miami's culturally and economically diverse community.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DreamYard Project: Bronx-based nonprofit providing arts education, residencies, and exhibitions to youth of color — directly comparable nonprofit arts-education model with public exhibitions and teaching-artist programming.
• Inner-City Arts: Los Angeles nonprofit providing free arts education to underserved youth through professional teaching artists — closely comparable multi-city-scalable nonprofit arts-education model targeting youth without arts access.
• Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA): Oakland-based nonprofit dedicated to children's visual arts education through classes, exhibitions, and community programs — a direct peer in nonprofit visual-arts education for children, with comparable class and exhibition format.
• Studio in a School NYC: NYC-based nonprofit providing free, high-quality visual arts instruction to public school children — directly parallel to ProjectArt's NYC visual-arts-education-for-underserved-youth mission, although delivered via schools rather than libraries.
• Free Arts NYC: NYC nonprofit offering free arts programs and mentorship to underserved youth, with similar donor-funded model and arts-access mission for ages roughly aligned to ProjectArt's 4–18 audience.

Broad incumbents

• New Victory Theater: NYC's premier performing-arts theater for kids and families with robust education programs and free/subsidized tickets for underserved youth — a broad incumbent in nonprofit arts-education for children, comparable donor base and access mission.
• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network delivering arts-in-education programming to K-12 students across the US — a broad incumbent in the same nonprofit arts-education space that ProjectArt occupies, though at much larger scale and broader arts disciplines.
• Lincoln Center Education: Major NYC-based arts-education arm of Lincoln Center providing free and subsidized arts programs for young people — a broad incumbent with comparable arts-access mission and teaching-artist-style programming, though focused on performing arts.

Emerging players

• Marquis Studios: NYC nonprofit providing arts residencies and classes in schools and community sites — comparable teaching-artist-led model serving underserved youth, though with broader performing-arts scope.
• Community-Word Project: NYC-based nonprofit integrating arts and literacy in underserved schools — comparable nonprofit arts-education mission targeting under-resourced youth with a teaching-artist delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projectart-new-york

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 ProjectArt