Yeah, Art!

What Yeah, Art! does

Yeah, Art! is a Black-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2020 and headquartered in Oakland, California, that delivers tech-forward arts education programming to K-12 students in underfunded Bay Area schools. The organization partners directly with schools, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), and community organizations to deliver in-classroom and after-school programs in music production, digital illustration, augmented reality (AR) animation, spoken word poetry, and combined paint-and-animation workshops. Programs are taught by approximately 15 paid Teaching Artists — including Grammy-recognized instructors — at a disclosed rate of $125 per hour, framed as a 'radically ethical wage' to support working artists of color.

The core technology stack is composed of third-party creative tools rather than proprietary platforms: Soundtrap for Education for music production, Canva and MyWebAR for scanning and animating student drawings into 3D AR experiences, Adobe Illustrator for digital illustration, and standard professional recording environments (Studio X Recording). Signature programs include 'It Was All A Dream' (a 15-week AR animation workshop), 'Sky's The Limit' (digital illustration culminating in a Salesforce Tower display), 'Poetry with the Oakland Symphony,' the 'Dream & Paint Workshop,' and a recurring student mixtape series ('The Miseducation of Yeah, Art!').

Revenue is generated primarily through donations, institutional grants (including the three-year OUSD Arts Incentive Grant 2025), corporate program sponsorships (notably the Best Buy Foundation), merchandise sales, and paid corporate team-building workshops. Since Fall 2023, the organization has served over 350 students across 13 school sites, delivered 1,715 hours of direct instruction, paid out more than $180,000 in Teaching Artist wages plus $25,000 to contractors, and logged over 80,000 Soundtrap studio minutes. Brand visibility is supported by a Daytime Emmy-nominated NBC 'Play It Forward' feature, partnerships with Microsoft, the Oakland Symphony, and Jim Campbell Studio, and an advisory board that includes entertainment and technology industry figures.

Name

Yeah, Art!

Legal name

Yeah, Art!

Website

https://yeahart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yeah, Art! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering tech-forward arts education — music production, AR animation, and digital illustration — to K-12 students in underfunded Bay Area schools through Teaching Artist-led residencies and after-school programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing) (EDAJAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB), Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE), AR/VR & Immersive Learning Content Development (EDAGAKAI), Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA)

Keywords

• Arts education nonprofit
• Youth music production
• K-12 arts programs
• Creative technology education
• School arts residencies

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Primary revenue stream through individual donations, corporate matching programs, and institutional grants. EIN: 86-3070470. The organization received the Oakland Unified School District Arts Incentive Grant 2025, a three-year funding program.
2. Program Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors fund specific programs or school partnerships, such as the Best Buy Foundation partnership for Teen Tech Centers.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including stickers, t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets through their online storefront.
4. Event Booking and Workshops: Custom creative workshops for companies, retreats, and private groups offered as team-building activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yeah, Art! delivers tech-forward arts education programs to K-12 students through direct partnerships with schools and nonprofits in the Bay Area. Its core offerings include a Music Production program (using Soundtrap for Education), an AR animation workshop called "It Was All A Dream" (using MyWebAR and Canva), a digital illustration program called "Sky's The Limit," and the Dream & Paint Workshop. Programs are taught by working Teaching Artists ("Big Kids") in classrooms, after-school settings, and through community showcases.

Product overview

Yeah, Art! is a 501c(3) nonprofit education organization offering tech-forward arts education programs to schools across the Bay Area. The organization operates several core programs: Music Production (teaching beat-making, songwriting, and music recording with students producing their own mixtapes), 'It Was All A Dream' (a 3D augmented reality animation program where students animate their drawings), Sky's The Limit (digital illustration), Dream & Paint Workshop (painting combined with animation), and Poetry/Spoken Word workshops in partnership with the Oakland Symphony. Programs are delivered through Teaching Artists ('Big Kids') in schools and community settings, serving K-12 students primarily in Oakland's highest-priority districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• It Was All A Dream (IWAAD): Augmented reality animation program where students draw dream worlds and bring them to life in 3D animation.
• The Yeah, Art! Student Mixtapes
• Poetry with the Oakland Symphony
• Dream & Paint Workshop
• Sky's The Limit

Products and services

• It Was All A Dream (AR Animation Program) A 15-week animation workshop for elementary and middle school students where participants write, storyboard, narrate, and animate their own stories using 3D augmented reality. Hand-drawn dream worlds are scanned using AR tools (Canva and MyWebAR) and brought to life in interactive 3D animations. Delivered on-site at partner schools.
• Sky's The Limit (Digital Illustration Program) Digital illustration program designed to introduce Oakland students to professional creative tools shaping the future. Students learn fundamentals of digital art, creating original planets, galaxies, spaceships, and animated visual elements using Adobe Illustrator. Final projects have been displayed on the Salesforce Tower, making students the youngest artists ever featured on the building.
• Music Production Program Comprehensive music production education covering beat-making, arranging, sound design, recording, layering, vocal production, and songwriting. Students use professional tools including Soundtrap for Education to produce original music. Since adopting Soundtrap, students and staff have logged 80,350 total studio minutes and created 2,672 student projects. Delivered at partner schools in Oakland.
• Dream & Paint Workshop A paint-and-sip experience with a futuristic twist where participants paint their dream worlds. The resulting paintings are captured and woven together into a cohesive animated masterpiece with narration and immersive sound design. Available for schools, companies, and community events.
• Poetry with the Oakland Symphony Spoken word workshop in collaboration with the Oakland Symphony where middle school students create poetry on themes such as forgiveness, add rhythm using music software, and perform at venues including the Paramount Theatre as part of multimedia concerts.
• Custom Corporate Team-Building Workshops Custom creative workshops offered to companies, retreats, and private groups for team-building, with hands-on experiences in storytelling, music, visual arts, and creative technology. Booked via the Event Bookings contact channel.
• Yeah, Art! Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise including stickers, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, reversible bucket hats, and color-your-own tote bags featuring the Yeah, Art! logo and branding. Sold through the organization's online storefront to support fundraising.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% increase in confidence in Vocal Performance
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Best Buy FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025Partnership as part of Best Buy's 'Type Cover for a Cause' program. Yeah, Art! Teaching Artists led digital art workshops at Best Buy Teen Tech Centers across the country, introducing teens to vector design and Adobe Illustrator. One student's design was selected for a limited-edition Surface Pro Type Cover sold exclusively through Best Buy Drops, with proceeds funding the Best Buy Foundation.
• Oakland SymphonycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2025Landmark collaboration on 'Forgiveness: Pictures at an Exhibition' multimedia concert. Yeah, Art! student poets performed spoken word pieces as a multimedia prelude at the Paramount Theatre, opening for the Oakland Symphony's live performance. Also partnered on Poetry with the Oakland Symphony showcase.
• Macro WavescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia-based art collective and creative studio that collaborated with Yeah, Art! on the 'It Was All A Dream' AR project, producing immersive augmented reality experiences.
• Youth BeatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay Area nonprofit providing media training for underrepresented Oakland youth. Youth Beat students wrote, filmed, edited, and produced a video about Yeah, Art!'s school programs.
• Gateway FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided a generous grant that made the Dream & Paint workshop at Washington Elementary School possible.
• Generation ThriveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Yeah, Art! and Warriors Community Foundation to host 'Paint & Sip'-inspired experiences with futuristic twists as part of Generation Thrive's free teacher enrichment series.
• Warriors Community FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Dream & Paint workshops with Generation Thrive and Yeah, Art! as part of the Warriors' community engagement programs.
• Adibi IP GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMinority-owned Bay Area law firm specializing in trademark and patent law. Helped Yeah, Art! secure IP protections. Plans to co-design a workshop teaching young artists the basics of intellectual property law.
• Freely In HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Yeah, Art! to support the launch of 'Pendo's Power' children's book about consent. Yeah, Art! participated in the book launch event at San Francisco's Children's Creativity Museum.
• NooworksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWoman-owned, size-inclusive clothing brand featuring custom textiles by rotating artists. All proceeds from the 'Desert Disaster' print were donated to Yeah, Art!
• Jim Campbell StudiocoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnered on the 'Sky's The Limit' digital illustration program. Students created artwork for a large-scale collaborative animation displayed on the Salesforce Tower.
• KTVUminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting the 'Sky's The Limit' project at Salesforce Tower.
• Rickey MinorminorOthersLegendary music director and producer (Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé) who joined Yeah, Art!'s advisory board to guide the organization in creating equitable arts education.
• Keith DawkinsminorOthersFormer EVP of Nickelodeon and current President of The Harlem Globetrotters and Hearst Media Production Group. Board member who helped facilitate the NBC 'Play It Forward' partnership.
• Darrell BookerminorOthersTechnology and racial equity leader at Microsoft who founded the Nonprofit Tech Accelerator for Black-Owned Businesses. Advises Yeah, Art! on technology integration.
• Nikole LimminorOthersFounder of Freely In Hope nonprofit dedicated to ending sexual violence. Advises Yeah, Art! on nonprofit leadership and management practices.
• Studio X RecordingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoman-owned recording studio and event space in Oakland owned by Yeah, Art! teaching artist Karina Flonnoy. Hosts Big Kid training sessions and provides professional recording environment for students.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Community Music Center: San Francisco nonprofit offering music education and performance programs across the Bay Area, including in-school partnerships. Comparable as a Bay Area music-and-arts education nonprofit serving K-12 students.
• 826 Valencia: San Francisco nonprofit supporting under-resourced students with writing and creative storytelling programs. Listed as a Yeah, Art! community partner and is comparable as a Bay Area creative-education nonprofit serving the same student demographic.
• Destiny Arts Center: Oakland-based nonprofit delivering movement and arts education to Bay Area youth through school and community programs. Directly comparable as a hyperlocal K-12 arts education nonprofit with similar cultural-relevance mission.
• Living Jazz: Oakland-based nonprofit dedicated to jazz music education and performance for youth and adults in the Bay Area. Comparable as a local Oakland music-education nonprofit serving under-resourced communities.
• Performing Arts Workshop: San Francisco nonprofit providing sequential performing arts education to K-12 students in schools and community sites. Closely mirrors Yeah, Art!'s in-school arts residency model with a similar nonprofit funding base.
• Youth in Arts: Marin County nonprofit delivering arts education residencies in K-12 schools, with programs in visual, performing, and media arts. Directly comparable as a Northern California K-12 arts education nonprofit working through school partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Young Audiences of Northern California: Affiliate of the national Young Audiences network, providing K-12 arts education across Northern California through school residencies and performances. A larger, broader incumbent operating in the same K-12 arts-in-schools category as Yeah, Art!.
• SFMOMA Education Programs: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's K-12 school programs offer digital art and illustration workshops in the Bay Area. Functions as a broader incumbent in arts education that overlaps Yeah, Art!'s Sky's The Limit digital illustration offering.
• San Francisco Symphony – Adventures in Music: Major regional orchestra with an extensive K-12 school concert and music education program. Represents a broader, institutionally-resourced incumbent in Bay Area music education—partially overlapping Yeah, Art!'s music production work.

Emerging players

• Youth Beat: Bay Area nonprofit providing media production training for underrepresented Oakland youth—an existing Yeah, Art! partner. Comparable as an emerging Oakland creative-tech education nonprofit with overlap in student demographic and storytelling focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/yeahart_
• Facebookfacebook.com/yeahartschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yeah-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Yeah, Art!