Jacksonville Arts & Music School

What Jacksonville Arts & Music School does

Jacksonville Arts & Music School (JAMS) is a Jacksonville, Florida-based nonprofit Creative Youth Development organization founded in 2014 that delivers arts education, leadership training, and technology instruction to inner-city youth. Its programmatic portfolio spans multiple age tiers: JAMS 100 (afterschool arts education for grades 4-12 covering visual arts, film, drama, dance, creative writing, music, and vocal), ArtWorks (college and career readiness for ages 15-24), What A Leader (a leadership curriculum and competition launched in 2021 using a C.P.R. framework of Confidence, Critical Thinking, Professionalism, and Relationship Development), Tech Club / Club Python (DJI RoboMaster S1 robotics, DJI drone operation, and Python coding), TEAM JAX Taekwondo Club ($50/month membership), Summer Camp (grades 3-12), and CreatED Imaginarium in-school field trips (grades 3-8).

Underlying technology is modest and primarily consumer-grade: JAMS leverages DJI robotics hardware for hands-on instruction in computer vision-based obstacle avoidance and autonomous movement, alongside Python-based coding curriculum for game, app, and web development. The organization does not develop proprietary software; its competitive differentiation rests on curriculum design, instructor talent, and the JAMS Black Box Theatre venue rather than technology platforms. Distribution is direct-to-family for afterschool programs, direct-to-school for CreatED Imaginarium, and direct registration for summer camp, with no API, mobile app, or digital distribution infrastructure.

Revenue is generated through a mixed nonprofit model: foundation and corporate grants (Blavatnik Family Foundation, VyStar, Kids Hope Alliance, Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida Blue, WMG, Edna Sproull Williams Foundation, Akerman LLP, Delores Barr Weaver, Kelly Family Fund, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Jacksonville Public Education Fund, River City Futures), individual donations via the website, recurring program fees for the Taekwondo Club, summer camp registration fees processed through Procare Connect, and emerging revenue from Black Box Theatre rentals and CreatED conference registration. Operations are led by Executive Director Jason Peoples with a leadership team including Directors of Institutional Advancement, Operations, and Education, supported by a board of nine directors.

Name

Jacksonville Arts & Music School

Legal name

Jacksonville Arts & Music School

Website

https://jamslife.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Jacksonville Arts & Music School is a Jacksonville, Florida nonprofit founded in 2014 that delivers arts education, leadership development, and technology training to inner-city youth through afterschool, in-school, summer camp, and college-readiness programs funded primarily by foundation grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD), Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory) (EDAAAGAC), Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive) (EDAMALAJ)

Keywords

• Youth arts education
• Creative youth development
• Leadership training programs
• After-school enrichment
• Summer arts camp

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: JAMS generates revenue through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants from organizations like Blavatnik Family Foundation, VyStar, Kids Hope Alliance, and others. The website features prominent 'Donate' call-to-action throughout.
2. Program Fees - Taekwondo Club: Monthly membership fee of $50 for Taekwondo Club participation, covering training in traditional martial arts, elite sparring, and self-defense.
3. Summer Camp Registration: Fee-based summer camp programs for youth grades 3-12 featuring arts exploration and leadership development. Auditions required for various disciplines.
4. ArtWorks Scholarships and Grants: Continuation grants up to $2,500 annually for alumni enrolled in college/trade school, travel grants up to $1,500 annually, and Challenge Accepted Scholarship for stakeholder-funded education support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jacksonville Arts & Music School (JAMS) is a Creative Youth Development nonprofit that delivers arts education, leadership training, and technology instruction to inner-city youth in Jacksonville, Florida. Its core offerings include after-school arts programming (JAMS 100), college and career readiness (ArtWorks), a leadership curriculum and competition (What A Leader), a tech/robotics club, a Taekwondo club, summer camp, in-school service field trips, and an annual professional learning conference for arts educators.

Product overview

Jacksonville Arts & Music School (JAMS) is a Creative Youth Development program that operates as a multi-program educational organization rather than a single product. The core programs include JAMS 100 (after-school and summer intensive arts education for grades 4th-12th), ArtWorks (college and career readiness for ages 15-24), and What A Leader (leadership training and competition for grades 6th-12th). Supporting programs include Tech Club (robotics, drones, Python coding), TEAM JAX Taekwondo Club, and Summer Camp. JAMS also operates the Black Box Theatre venue and hosts the annual CreatED Professional Learning Conference for educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JAMS 100: Exploratory and developmental arts education and leadership program for elementary and middle school students (grades 4th-8th), offering foundational training in visual arts, film, drama, dance, creative writing, music, and vocal.
• ArtWorks
• What A Leader (W.A.L.)
• TEAM JAX Taekwondo Club
• Club Python
• creatED
• CreatED Professional Learning Conference
• CreatED Imaginarium

Products and services

• JAMS 100 After-school and summer intensive arts education program offering instruction in music, dance, creative writing, vocal training, film, visual arts, and drama for students in grades 4th-12th.
• ArtWorks College and career readiness program for teens ages 15-24 that provides career exploration, mentorship, master classes, group tours, and Jr. Program Assistant work-study opportunities for life beyond high school.
• What A Leader (W.A.L.) Leadership training curriculum and youth competition program fostering early professional development through C.P.R. (Confidence, Critical Thinking, Professionalism, Relationship Development) with three competition rounds for grades 6th-12th.
• Tech Club (Club Python) Technology education program focusing on robotics using DJI RoboMaster S1, drone training with DJI drones, and Python coding for game, app, and website development.
• TEAM JAX Taekwondo Club Youth martial arts program focused on developing resilient Taekwondo practitioners and leaders through traditional training, elite Olympic sparring, and self-defense instruction at $50 per month.
• JAMS Summer Camp Summer arts and leadership program for youth grades 3-12 offering hands-on creative experiences including music, vocal arts, dance, creative writing, theatre, film, media, and visual arts with leadership development components.
• CreatED Imaginarium Arts-integrated, service-learning field trip experience for 3rd-8th grade students featuring live performances, theatre workshops, and visual arts activities aligned with Florida ELA standards, delivered directly in schools.
• CreatED Professional Learning Conference Annual professional development conference for creative arts educators featuring keynote speakers, breakout sessions, panels, and studio labs across K-12, after-school, homeschool, and community-based learning environments.
• JAMS Black Box Theatre Performance venue operated by JAMS for student performances and community events, available for rental.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of professionals report that human skills/soft skills are increasingly important
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network delivering arts-in-education programming to K-12 students across multiple states. Comparable in mission of expanding youth access to arts education but operates at significantly larger national scale.

Direct peers

• DreamYard Project: Bronx, NY arts education nonprofit serving public school students through in-school, after-school, and summer programming. Comparable in arts-education-plus-leadership development model serving low-income urban youth.
• Inner-City Arts: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing arts education to underserved inner-city youth through multi-disciplinary programming. Directly comparable in mission, target population (inner-city youth), arts-focused curriculum, and reliance on philanthropic funding.
• New Victory Theater: New York City's theater devoted to kids and families, providing performing arts education programming. Comparable in operating a youth-focused arts venue combined with education programming for underserved audiences.
• Community Music Center of Boston: Boston nonprofit providing music instruction and performance opportunities to diverse communities regardless of ability to pay. Comparable in nonprofit music and arts instruction model serving inner-city youth.
• AileyCamp: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's summer camp program providing free dance instruction to inner-city youth. Comparable in nonprofit arts summer camp model targeting underserved urban youth.
• Marwen: Chicago nonprofit offering free arts education (visual arts, design, media arts) to underserved youth grades 6-12. Comparable in targeting under-resourced youth with multi-arts programming and tuition-free access model.

Regional players

• Apple Seeds: NYC-based nonprofit offering arts, enrichment, and academic programming to underserved elementary and middle school students. Comparable in arts enrichment mission for inner-city youth but operates in a different region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDZF8NhlIoVeyx4-84g1Vjg
• Facebookfacebook.com/JAMSjax
• Instagraminstagram.com/jamsjax

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles30 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 Jacksonville Arts & Music School