The Corporation of Yaddo

What The Corporation of Yaddo does

The Corporation of Yaddo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist residency founded in 1900 by financier Spencer Trask and writer Katrina Trask, operating from a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2013. Its core product is a residency program providing professional creative artists with private bedroom, dedicated studio (including specialized facilities for painting, printmaking, sculpture, welding, choreography, black-and-white photography, and piano-equipped composition), communal meals, and uninterrupted work time for residencies of two weeks to two months. Artists are selected through a peer-reviewed process across two annual application cycles via the SlideRoom portal, with roughly 10% of approximately 2,600 annual applicants accepted, yielding up to 275 artists per year and up to 30 simultaneous guests.

Yaddo is staffed by approximately 40 people across administration, program, development, communications, facilities, housekeeping, and a full kitchen led by an executive chef. Revenue is generated entirely through a diversified nonprofit model: individual donations (501(c)(3) tax-deductible), corporate sponsorship packages, corporate event rentals of the historic Mansion, named endowed residencies funded by foundations such as MacArthur, NY Times Foundation, and Aaron Copland Fund, a $35 application fee, and ticketed public programming including Wine & Roses garden evenings, Art of Wellness yoga classes, and Chef Dinners. Since 1926, nearly 7,000 artists have passed through the program, and the alumni collectively hold 90 Pulitzer Prizes, 36 MacArthur Fellowships, 73 National Book Awards, a Nobel Prize in Literature, 14 Oscars, 48 Grammy Awards, 19 Tony Awards, and 75 Emmy honors.

The organization has no technology product, no API, no proprietary software, and no AI/ML infrastructure — applications are managed through SlideRoom, a third-party portal. Supplementary offerings beyond the residency include the Shadow Yaddo podcast (launched September 2020), public access gardens maintained by the volunteer Yaddo Garden Association, corporate event hosting, sponsorship programs, sponsored residencies, and the Yaddo Reads Lending Library for children. The organization is currently conducting a presidential search via Russell Reynolds Associates, indicating an upcoming leadership transition.

Name

The Corporation of Yaddo

Legal name

Corporation of Yaddo

Website

https://yaddo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Corporation of Yaddo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist residency founded in 1900, operating a 400-acre National Historic Landmark estate in Saratoga Springs, New York, that hosts approximately 275 professional creative artists per year through a peer-reviewed application process, funded by donations, endowed residencies, corporate sponsorships, and event rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Residency Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Artist residency
• Arts nonprofit
• Creative residency
• Cultural retreat
• Artist community

Headquarters

HQ city

Saratoga Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Yaddo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies upon donations from individuals to support artist residencies and operations.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Companies provide sponsorship packages for events and programs, receiving recognition and exclusive invitations to private events. Sponsorship opportunities available for NYC Benefit, Summer Benefit, Golf Invitational, Summer Series, Chef Dinners, and more.
3. Corporate Events: Yaddo hosts corporate events (team workshops, strategy sessions, holiday gatherings, milestone celebrations) at the historic Mansion on 400 acres. Limited number hosted annually, with proceeds benefiting artist residency mission.
4. Application Fees: Nonrefundable application fee of $35 paid via credit card through SlideRoom portal.
5. Public Events & Programs: Revenue from public events including Wine & Roses ($20 per person), Art of Wellness yoga classes ($20 per class), and benefit events supporting the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Corporation of Yaddo operates a historic artist residency program on a 430-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Each year it hosts professional artists and writers from multiple disciplines, providing individual studios, living accommodations, and meals for uninterrupted creative work at no cost to the resident. The organization also generates revenue from garden public access, event hosting, sponsored residencies, and donor-supported programs.

Product overview

Yaddo is a nonprofit artist residency retreat offering a unified core program of residencies for professional creative artists. The organization provides artists with room, board, and studio space for uninterrupted creative work in disciplines including literature, visual art, music composition, performance, and film & video. Supplementary offerings include the Shadow Yaddo podcast, public garden access, corporate event hosting, sponsorship programs, named sponsored residencies, and a children's lending library. The residency program serves as the primary product, with all other offerings supporting the core mission of nurturing the creative process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% acceptance rate from approximately 2,600 annual applications
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Stewart's ShopsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal supporter of the Yaddo Reads Lending Library, which offers books by Yaddo authors for children and young adults.
• Russell Reynolds AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExecutive search firm exclusively engaged to lead the search for Yaddo's next President.
• Yaddo Garden Association (YGA)coreOthersDedicated volunteers who maintain the Gardens at Yaddo. Founded in 1991 by Jane Wait to restore and maintain the gardens.
• SlideRoomcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline application portal (yaddo.slideroom.com) used for all residency applications, work sample submissions, reference letters, and application fee payments.
• Brooklyn Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYaddo Presents series partnership featuring author events at the Library for Arts & Culture, 10 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blue Mountain Center: Blue Mountain Center (Blue Mountain Lake, NY) is a NY Adirondacks artist residency offering no-cost residencies to writers and artists, with a similar nonprofit, donor-funded, peer-reviewed structure and a comparable natural setting.
• Ragdale Foundation: Ragdale (Lake Forest, IL) is a peer-reviewed artist residency providing room, board, and individual studios on a historic architect-designed property, directly comparable to Yaddo's model and target artist population.
• Sundance Institute: Sundance Institute runs competitive labs and residencies for independent storytellers, composers, and theatre artists, sharing Yaddo's peer-reviewed, donor-funded residency model with comparable prestige in U.S. arts.
• Headlands Center for the Arts: Headlands (Sausalito, CA) is a multidisciplinary artist residency and workshop program that, like Yaddo, provides studios and housing selected through application review, with public programming and a benefit-event fundraising model.
• Anderson Center: Anderson Center (Red Wing, MN) provides residencies in visual, literary, and performing arts on a 350-acre historic estate, comparable to Yaddo in scale, rural-setting, and peer-reviewed no-cost residency model.
• Hedgebrook: Hedgebrook (Langley, WA) operates residencies for women writers on Whidbey Island with a comparable fully-supported, peer-reviewed nonprofit model and a focus on uninterrupted creative time.
• MacDowell: MacDowell (Peterborough, NH) is the oldest and most directly comparable artist residency in the U.S., offering similar multi-discipline residencies with room, board, and studios on a large rural estate to professional artists selected by peer review.
• Ucross Foundation: Ucross (Ucross, WY) provides residencies for visual artists, writers, composers, and choreographers on a 20,000-acre ranch, using a competitive application process in the same peer-reviewed tradition as Yaddo.
• Joan Mitchell Center: Joan Mitchell Center (New Orleans, LA) provides studio-based residencies and focused-work retreats to visual artists via application, operating with a similar nonprofit donor-supported framework and peer focus on studio time.
• The Millay Colony for the Arts: The Millay Colony (Austerlitz, NY) is a New York State artist residency that provides comparable studio-and-room residencies on a historic estate to writers, composers, and visual artists through a peer-reviewed application process.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/yaddocommunity.bsky.social
• Facebookfacebook.com/yaddocommunity
• Instagraminstagram.com/yaddotoday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corporation-of-yaddo

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 Corporation of Yaddo