Metropolitan Arts Council

What Metropolitan Arts Council does

The Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts council founded in 1973 in Greenville, South Carolina, serving Greenville County. MAC functions as a community arts intermediary that provides grants, programs, and cooperative marketing to individual artists, arts organizations, and arts education programs. Its core offerings include a multi-tier grants program (artist grants up to $1,500, organization grants, school grants up to $2,000, and artistic collaboration project grants, all requiring 1:1 matches), the SmartARTS arts-integration program delivered through Greenville County Schools and housed at the TD Center for Arts Integration, the ArtCard donor benefit offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets at seven performing arts venues, and a portfolio of community events: Downtown Alive (a weekly Thursday night concert series at NOMA Square running March-August with 45,000+ annual attendees), First Fridays monthly gallery crawl, Greenville Open Studios (an annual tour of 160 artists at 96+ studio locations), Flat Out Under Pressure (a 24-hour juried art competition), and the MAConnect young professionals social group. MAC also publishes an Arts Directory, Calendar, and Newsletter as cooperative marketing infrastructure, partners with the City of Greenville's Art in Public Places Commission for public art funding, and runs the annual TD Bank Business & the Arts Partnership Awards.

Name

Metropolitan Arts Council

Legal name

Metropolitan Arts Council

Website

https://greenvillearts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Metropolitan Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1973 that provides grants, arts education, and cooperative marketing to individual artists, arts organizations, and schools across Greenville County, South Carolina, funded by government appropriations and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Cultural Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD), Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Arts grants funding
• Nonprofit arts council
• Arts education programs
• Community arts events
• Cooperative arts marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: MAC receives operational funding from the City of Greenville, County of Greenville, and South Carolina Arts Commission. These public funding sources support the organization's grants program and administrative operations.
2. Private Donations: Individual and corporate donations form a significant revenue stream. Donors receive the ArtCard benefit ($50+ donations) and various recognition levels. In 2025, 1,166 individuals and organizations donated.
3. Program Fees: Fees for programs including First Fridays participation ($30/year for galleries), Open Studios application ($200), and various artist application fees.
4. MAConnect Membership: Annual membership at $75/person or $150/couple provides ArtCard, event access, and exclusive experiences. A portion supports MAC's grants program.
5. Endowment Contributions: MAC maintains an Endowment for the Arts (established 2009, current balance $1.841 million) that serves as long-term funding source. Donors can contribute to the endowment to ensure sustainable arts support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Metropolitan Arts Council provides grants to individual artists, arts organizations, and schools in Greenville County; delivers arts-integration education through the SmartARTS program in Greenville County Schools; coordinates signature community events including Downtown Alive, First Fridays, and Greenville Open Studios; offers the ArtCard donor benefit providing BOGO performing arts tickets; and runs cooperative marketing via its Arts Directory, Calendar, and Newsletter to promote local artists and cultural organizations.

Product overview

Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization serving Greenville, SC since 1973. Rather than a unified software product, MAC offers a portfolio of community arts programs and services. The core offerings include: a Grants Program providing funding to artists, arts organizations, and schools; the ArtCard offering discounted tickets to performing arts venues; SmartARTS (housed at the TD Center for Arts Integration) for arts education integration in schools; Greenville Open Studios for artist studio access; First Fridays for gallery crawls; Flat Out Under Pressure for competitive art events; Downtown Alive for live music; MAConnect for young professionals; Arts in Public Places for public art funding; and an Arts Directory/Calendar for event promotion. Funding comes from the City of Greenville, Greenville County, the South Carolina Arts Commission, and private donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MAC: Metropolitan Arts Council's grants program supporting individual artists, arts organizations, and schools in Greenville County.
• SmartARTS
• ArtCard
• Greenville Open Studios
• First Fridays
• Downtown Alive!
• Flat Out Under Pressure
• MAConnect
• Arts After Dark
• TD Center for Arts Integration

Products and services

• Grants Program MAC awards grants supporting individual artists (up to $1,500 with 1:1 match), arts organizations, schools (up to $2,000 with 1:1 match), and artistic collaboration projects throughout Greenville County. Applications are processed online with panel review.
• ArtCard A donor benefit providing buy-one-get-one-free tickets to seven performing arts venues (Centre Stage, Greenville Chorale, Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Theatre, Peace Center, South Carolina Children's Theatre, Warehouse Theatre). Requires a minimum donation of $50.
• SmartARTS A partnership between Greenville County Schools and MAC integrating arts into curriculum through collaboration between teachers and teaching artists. Housed at the TD Center for Arts Integration, the program provides training and supports arts integration across dance, theater, visual art, creative writing, and music.
• Greenville Open Studios An annual self-guided tour where visual artists open their studios to the public. Features approximately 160 artists at over 96 studio locations throughout a 15-mile radius of downtown Greenville including Easley, Greer, Travelers Rest and Simpsonville.
• First Fridays A monthly gallery crawl inviting the public to access visual arts through participating venues. Galleries pay a $30 annual fee for marketing services including website listing, email promotion, and social media coverage.
• Flat Out Under Pressure A 24-hour juried art-making competition where winners have their artwork displayed on eight downtown recycling bins. Artists compete for cash prizes and the first-place winner receives a trip for two to Cortona, Italy.
• Downtown Alive A Thursday night concert series held March through August at NOMA Square (5:30-8:30 p.m.), serving as MAC's largest fundraiser with 45,000+ attendees annually. Includes the Arts After Dark market featuring local artists on third Thursdays.
• MAConnect MAC's young professionals social group for art enthusiasts, artists, and supporters. Annual membership ($75 per person, $150 per couple) includes ArtCard, Scenic Sunday events, gallery receptions, Downtown Alive VIP access, First Friday group crawls, and Open Studios bus tours.
• Arts in Public Places A partnership with the City of Greenville's Art in Public Places Commission creating a funding conduit for public art installations. Notable projects include the Il Porcellino bronze sculpture at Poinsett Plaza.
• Arts Directory and Calendar Free resources helping artists and arts organizations share their work with the community, including event listings across visual arts, theatre, music, literary arts, dance, workshops, and film, plus directory profiles for member organizations.
• TD Bank Business & the Arts Partnership Awards Annual awards ceremony recognizing businesses and individuals for their support of the arts in Greenville, including categories for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, businesses with more than 50 employees, and volunteer awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• $550,932 in grants awarded in 2025 across 90 project grants
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• City of GreenvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Greenville provides operational funding to MAC and partners on special events including Downtown Alive (City Special Events Department handles logistics) and Arts in Public Places through the Art in Public Places Commission.
• County of GreenvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenville County provides funding support to MAC for arts grants and programs throughout the county.
• South Carolina Arts CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState arts commission provides funding and advocacy support. MAC serves as arts advocate through the South Carolina Arts Alliance.
• Greenville County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partnership since 2002 launch of SmartARTS program. GCS participates in arts integration training, teaching artist placements, and curriculum development across district schools.
• Prisma HealthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrisma Health sponsors the SmartARTS Education Institute, supporting professional development training for teachers and artists.
• Centre StagecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts venue partnering in ArtCard program offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets. MAC gallery featured at venue.
• Greenville ChoralecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts organization partnering in ArtCard program offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets.
• Greenville Symphony OrchestracoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts organization partnering in ArtCard program offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets.
• Greenville TheatrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts venue partnering in ArtCard program offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets.
• Peace Center for Performing ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor performing arts venue partnering in ArtCard program. Peace Center is Open Studios sponsor and key cultural institution in Upstate SC.
• South Carolina Children's TheatrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts venue (Main Stage shows) partnering in ArtCard program offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets.
• Warehouse TheatrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPerforming arts venue partnering in ArtCard program offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets.
• Design Strategies, LLCsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner2025 TD Bank Business & the Arts Partnership Awards winner (business with less than 50 employees), nominated by Greenville Symphony Orchestra.
• Metromont, LLCsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner2025 TD Bank Business & the Arts Partnership Awards winner (business with more than 50 employees), nominated by Artisphere.
• Furman UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFurman University researchers administer the Queer Arts Directory survey to support queer art in Upstate SC. Partnership with Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce.
• Villa Sant'AndreasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerItaly venue for Flat Out Under Pressure first-place prize trip (week-long trip for two to Cortona, Italy).

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: Coalition-style arts council providing advocacy, marketing, research, and grants to cultural organizations in Greater Philadelphia — directly comparable as a regional arts-support intermediary.
• ArtsWave (Cincinnati): Community arts council and fund for Greater Cincinnati that pools donations and grants to a portfolio of local arts organizations, runs a workplace-giving campaign, and supports cultural planning — a near-direct functional analog to MAC's grantmaking and community-arts role, just at a larger metropolitan scale.
• United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County: Local arts council providing grants, advocacy, and cooperative marketing to Wake County artists and organizations — the same Support/Promote/Connect/Educate model MAC runs for Greenville County.
• Houston Arts Alliance: Local arts council and grantmaker serving Houston artists and organizations through municipal contract funding, grants, and cultural programs — comparable in mission and operating model to MAC.
• Arts Council of Indianapolis: Regional arts council supporting Indianapolis-area artists and arts organizations through grants, capacity-building, advocacy, and community programs — a direct structural peer to MAC's portfolio of services.

Broad incumbents

• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit that advocates for the arts and provides grants, research, and capacity-building services to local arts organizations. Comparable as a higher-tier arts-support umbrella that channels funding and policy support — analogous to MAC's local arts-council and grantmaking role, but at national scale.
• National Endowment for the Arts: Federal agency that originally funded SmartARTS via three five-year grants ($2.1M total) starting in 2002. Analogous as a higher-tier arts funder and policy actor whose priorities directly shape MAC's grant landscape.

Regional players

• South Carolina Arts Alliance: State-level arts advocacy organization through which MAC conducts its policy advocacy; operates in the same state and shares overlapping board and donor networks, serving as MAC's policy counterpart.
• South Carolina Arts Commission: State arts agency that provides direct operational funding to MAC and administers state-level arts grants — closely intertwined as both funder and policy partner to MAC's mission.

Others

• Community Foundation of Greenville: Major Greenville-area philanthropic institution that matched MAC's COVID-19 relief funding and supports Open Studios — comparable as a community-foundation partner and grantmaker within the same local giving ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MACartscouncil
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/GreenvilleOpenStudios
• Facebookfacebook.com/macartscouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/macartscouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitan-arts-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Metropolitan Arts Council