Youth Leadership in the Arts

What Youth Leadership in the Arts does

Youth in Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts education organization founded in 1970 and headquartered in San Rafael, California, serving TK-12 students across the North and East Bay Area with a focus on Marin County. The organization delivers in-school arts residencies through professional working artists (Artists in Schools program), tailored arts programs for students with disabilities in Special Day Classrooms (Arts Unite Us), paid teen mentorship in mural arts (Intensive Arts Mentorship / I AM), an award-winning teen a cappella ensemble ('Til Dawn), an accessible summer camp for youth ages 8–12 with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and a public YIA Gallery & ArtLab that hosts 5–7 exhibits annually. Since 2022, it has delivered semester-long music, dance, and visual arts programs to all 3,100 TK–5th grade students in San Rafael City Schools District, reaching 4,000–5,000+ students in person annually.

The organization's core delivery model is mentorship-based learning using professional working artists, with no proprietary technology platform or digital product surface. Underlying program operations include partnerships with UC Berkeley Y-PLAN, Dominican University of California, the Marin County Office of Education, VSA arts (since 1981), and the Teaching Artist Guild. The organization's go-to-market is community-led: direct school partnerships, community events, gallery exhibitions, and advocacy. Revenue is generated through individual donations, foundation grants (Hewlett, Marin Community Foundation, Kimball), California Arts Council government grants, and limited tuition ('Til Dawn and summer camp at $375/week), with scholarships ensuring no student is turned away. The organization operates with a lean professional staff of 1–10 and has remained governance-independent since 1970, with no disclosed venture or institutional backing.

Name

Youth Leadership in the Arts

Legal name

Youth in Arts

Website

https://youthinarts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth in Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1970 in San Rafael, California, delivering in-school arts residencies, special education programs, teen mentorship, and a public gallery to 4,000–5,000+ Bay Area TK-12 students annually through professional working artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs (EDAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Youth mentorship programs
• Performing arts education
• Visual arts instruction
• School arts residencies

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting arts education mission
2. Government Grants: California Arts Council grants including Creative Youth Development and Arts and Cultural Organizations General Operating Support programs
3. Foundation Support: Funding from foundations including Kimball Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and others for program delivery
4. Tuition Fees: 'Til Dawn a cappella program charges tuition but no student is turned away due to inability to pay, with scholarship fund available

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth in Arts delivers in-school and community-based arts education programs led by professional working artists, including classroom residencies (Artists in Schools), tailored programming for students with disabilities (Arts Unite Us), paid teen muralist mentorship (I AM), a teen a cappella ensemble ('Til Dawn), a public gallery and art-making space (YIA Gallery & ArtLab), and an accessible visual arts summer camp. Programs serve TK-12 students across the North and East Bay Area, with emphasis on Marin County.

Product overview

Youth in Arts is a nonprofit arts education organization offering a portfolio of programs including in-school residencies (Artists in Schools), specialized programming for students with disabilities (Arts Unite Us), teen mentorship (Intensive Arts Mentorship/I AM), vocal music (`Til Dawn A Cappella), a gallery and art lab facility, and accessible summer camps. The organization serves TK-12 students and teens in the North and East Bay Area, advocating for equitable access to arts education while building visual and performing arts skills that foster confidence, compassion, and resilience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artists in Schools: Cornerstone program bringing high quality arts education to students across the Bay Area through professional Teaching Artists working in classrooms
• Arts Unite Us
• Intensive Arts Mentorship (I AM)
• `Til Dawn A Cappella
• YIA Gallery & ArtLab

Products and services

• Artists in Schools (AIS)
• Arts Unite Us
• Intensive Arts Mentorship (I AM)
• `Til Dawn A Cappella
• YIA Gallery & ArtLab
• Accessible Visual Arts Summer Camp
• C Street Celebration

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 1 million students since 1970
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• VSA arts (Very Special Arts)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1981Youth in Arts became an affiliate of VSA arts (formerly Very Special Arts) in 1981, maintaining a long-standing relationship focused on arts education for people with disabilities. VSA is an international organization dedicated to creating opportunities for artists with disabilities.
• Teaching Artist GuildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizational member of the Teaching Artist Guild, connecting with professional network of teaching artists and staying current with best practices in arts education.
• Downtown San Rafael Arts DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of the Downtown San Rafael Arts District, participating in collaborative arts programming and advocacy for the local arts community.
• San Rafael City Schools DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2022, served all elementary aged children (3,100 TK-5th grade students) with semester-long programs in music, dance, and visual arts, bridging the arts equity gap in the community.
• Marin Cultural AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'What About Age?' exhibition at Marin County Civic Center; joint advocacy for arts and culture in Marin County.
• Create CAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Proposition 28 implementation resources and strategic arts education planning tools.
• Marin County Office of Education (MCOE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in providing arts education to Special Day Classrooms across Marin County schools.
• UC Berkeley Y-PLANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with UC Berkeley's Y-PLAN (Youth - Plan, Learn, Act, Now) program, connecting students with university mentors for architecture and civic planning projects.
• Dominican University of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through Dominican University's Center for Community Engagement, with undergrad mentors sharing college pathways with elementary students and providing $200 scholarships at culminating events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Young Audiences of Northern California: Affiliate of the national Young Audiences network, this Bay Area nonprofit brings professional teaching artists into classrooms — directly overlapping with Youth in Arts' core residency model and student demographic.
• Performing Arts Workshop: Founded 1965 in San Francisco, Performing Arts Workshop is a Bay Area nonprofit delivering in-school performing arts residencies to K-12 students — directly comparable to Youth in Arts' Artists in Schools model in mission, geography, and delivery mechanism.
• Creativity Explored: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing visual arts programming, exhibition, and studio practice for artists with developmental disabilities — closely aligned with Youth in Arts' Arts Unite Us program and its disability-arts niche.
• Luna Dance Institute: Berkeley-based nonprofit advancing dance education in schools and communities, including professional development for educators — directly comparable as a Bay Area dance/arts-in-schools nonprofit with similar professional artist delivery model.
• Children's Creativity Museum: San Francisco museum focused on youth creativity and arts/tech experiences — comparable as a Bay Area youth-arts organization with a fixed creative-space (similar to YIA's Gallery & ArtLab) and program offerings for school-aged children.
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre School of Theatre: Bay Area performing-arts education program affiliated with Berkeley Rep, providing classes and teen ensemble training — comparable to Youth in Arts' advanced teen programming like 'Til Dawn in ensemble structure and youth talent development.
• Community Music Center of San Francisco: San Francisco nonprofit (since 1921) providing affordable music and arts education across age groups, including advanced ensembles — comparable to Youth in Arts' mixed programmatic model and 'Til Dawn advanced training component.

Regional players

• California Alliance for Arts Education: Statewide nonprofit advocating for equitable arts education access in California — comparable to Youth in Arts' advocacy/Proposition 28 implementation work and overlapping in mission and geography.
• Marin Shakespeare Company: Local Marin arts nonprofit offering theater education and performances — overlaps with Youth in Arts' Marin-based performing-arts programming and shared donor/foundation base in the county.

Broad incumbents

• VSA / Kennedy Center: National organization (formerly Very Special Arts) advancing arts for people with disabilities — Youth in Arts has been a VSA affiliate since 1981, making VSA both an ecosystem peer and the parent network for YIA's disability-focused programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/youthinarts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/youthinartsmarin
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthinarts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-in-arts
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthinarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Youth Leadership in the Arts