Materials for the Arts
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersLong Island City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Materials for the Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Materials for the Arts
- Legal name
- Materials for the Arts
- Website
- https://materialsforthearts.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Materials for the Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Reuse Materials Distribution and Arts Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Museums (712110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Arts, Crafts & Activity Supply Organization (HSAFAIAG), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
Keywords
Where Materials for the Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Island City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Materials for the Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Government Funding: The City of New York funds infrastructural and operational costs for MFTA, providing the primary operational foundation.
- Nonprofit Support (FOMA): Friends of Materials for the Arts (FOMA), MFTA's nonprofit partner, supports additional initiatives and Education Center programming through foundation, corporate, and individual donations.
- Professional Development Course Fees: Revenue from P-credit and CTLE courses for NYC Public School teachers; $240 MFTA fee plus $125 ASPDP fee per course.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Professional Development Course - Standard |
| Freemium | Annual | Membership Access - Free |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Community Events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Materials for the Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Materials for the Arts operates a 35,000 sq ft warehouse in Long Island City where it receives donated surplus materials and redistributes them free of charge to registered NYC arts nonprofits, public schools, city agencies, and social service organizations across all five boroughs. The Education Center extends the mission through Artists-in-Residence and Designer-in-Residence programs, a public gallery, monthly community events (Third Thursdays), and professional development courses that earn NYC teachers P-Credits and CTLE hours.
Product overview
Materials for the Arts (MFTA) is New York City's primary municipal creative reuse center operated by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, with its nonprofit partner Friends of Materials for the Arts (FOMA). The core offering is a free materials distribution program that collects surplus donated goods and redistributes them to over 4,000 registered arts nonprofits, public schools, city agencies, and social service organizations across all five boroughs. The Education Center extends the mission through structured programming including an Artist-in-Residence Program, Designer-in-Residence Program, the MFTA Gallery (a public gallery space), Third Thursday community events, and a Sketch Night series. Professional development is delivered through fee-based P-Credit courses and workshops — such as Quilt Making, Paper Maker, Stop Motion Animation, Props & Puppets & Set Design, Upcycled Classroom, and Paper: Pulp to Fiction — that train NYC Public School teachers in creative reuse techniques and earn them CTLE hours and salary differential credits. The Direct Donations Listing serves as an online matching portal for oversized or specialized donations. Together these programs form a unified ecosystem that keeps materials out of landfills while building creative capacity across New York City's arts and education community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Materials Distribution Program Free redistribution of donated surplus materials (fabric, paper, theatrical props, electronics, furniture, art supplies) to registered NYC arts nonprofits, public schools, city agencies, and social service organizations. Members schedule warehouse shopping appointments; oversized items are handled via an online Direct Donations portal.
- Education Center Programming
- MFTA Gallery
- Artist-in-Residence Program Residency program providing artists unlimited access to the MFTA warehouse of donated supplies to create works that are exhibited at the MFTA Gallery.
- Designer-in-Residence Program
- Quilt Making Workshop Studio class exploring the history and cultural significance of quilting and padded fabric, using upcycled materials from the MFTA warehouse; NYC Public School teachers earn 45 CTLE hours.
- Paper Maker Course STEAM-focused studio course teaching participants to experiment with cutting, folding, shaping, and molding paper found in the MFTA warehouse; designed for classroom curriculum implementation.
- Stop Motion Animation Course Workshop teaching participants to create animation characters, props, and backgrounds from upcycled materials that can be brought back to their classrooms.
- Props, Puppets & Set Design Course Workshop teaching teachers to make puppets, props, and miniature sets using creative reuse techniques, with project-based engineering and design focus for classroom use.
- Upcycled Classroom Course Course teaching upcycled artmaking techniques using paper, fabric, and donated supplies from the MFTA warehouse; covers bookmaking, sculptures, and paper mosaics for classroom use.
- Paper: Pulp to Fiction Course Studio class exploring paper through six hands-on themes: paper making, pen and ink, block prints, stenciling, silkscreen, and collage, with focus on art-curriculum integration.
- Third Thursday Programming
- Sketch Night Series Quarterly sketch nights hosted by A.E. Kieren and curated by Machine Dazzle, featuring live nude modeling and art materials provided by MFTA.
- Direct Donations Listing
Quantifiable outcome
- 4,000+ member organizations served annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Materials for the Arts
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Materials for the Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Materials for the Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Kiki Arts CollectiveminorCollaborating on ballroom events leveraging Kiki ballroom culture for LGBTQ+ young adults and emerging artists of color.
- Museum of the Moving ImageminorCo-hosting early screening of Boots Riley's I LOVE BOOSTERS film; MFTA collects art supply donations at the event.
- The MothcoreOngoing collaboration for Community Engagement Intro Workshop and StorySLAM events. The Moth's Community Program provides storytelling expertise and programming to MFTA audiences.
- CO AdaptivecoreBrooklyn-based architecture firm selected by MFTA to design a new artist studio in Long Island City. Firm is led by Ruth Mandl and Bobby Johnston and was recognized as an Emerging Voice by the Architectural League of New York for 2026.
- Friends of Materials for the Arts (FOMA)coreMFTA's official nonprofit partner supporting and guiding major initiatives and goals. Supports Education Center programming that reaches thousands annually.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Materials for the Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Scrap Exchange: Durham, North Carolina creative reuse center that diverts industrial scrap and surplus materials to artists, educators, and the community via a retail and warehouse model. Comparable to MFTA in materials redistribution and arts-education programming, but smaller scale and not government-funded.
- Free Arts NYC: NYC nonprofit providing arts programming and supplies to underserved youth; overlaps with MFTA in serving arts nonprofits and providing art materials across NYC's five boroughs.
- SCRAP (Scrappy): San Francisco-based creative reuse nonprofit that collects and redistributes donated materials to educators, artists, and nonprofits. Directly comparable to MFTA's mission and warehouse-distribution model, but operating in a different municipality without the same level of city-government backing.
- Urban Arts Partnership: NYC-based arts education nonprofit offering in-school arts programming, similar to MFTA's professional development courses for NYC Public School teachers; operates in overlapping NYC public school arts ecosystem.
Others
- NYC Department of Cultural Affairs: Parent municipal entity funding MFTA's operations; relevant as the institutional funder and policymaker whose priorities directly shape MFTA's funding trajectory and programming scope.
- Council on the Environment / GrowNYC: NYC-based sustainability nonprofit operating reuse and zero-waste programs (e.g., Stop 'N' Swap); adjacent thematically as a municipal-adjacent NYC nonprofit promoting reuse, though focused on consumer goods rather than arts materials.
Broad incumbents
- Habitat for Humanity ReStores: National network of nonprofit home-goods reuse retail stores operated by Habitat for Humanity; comparable in nonprofit reuse/redistribution model but focused on building materials and furniture rather than arts supplies and education.
- Goodwill Industries: Large national nonprofit operating donation-driven thrift retail and workforce programs; comparable in nonprofit reuse/redistribution of donated goods to community members, though serving broader categories of goods.
Regional players
- ReCreative (Los Angeles): Los Angeles creative reuse center redistributing donated art and craft supplies to teachers and nonprofits; similar mission and warehouse-distribution model to MFTA but serving the LA region.
- re:CREATE NYC: Brooklyn-based creative reuse center serving NYC artists and educators with donated materials. Closest geographic peer to MFTA in New York City and competes for the same member organizations.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Materials for the Arts social profiles
Digital presenceMaterials for the Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Materials for the Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Materials for the Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Materials for the Arts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Materials for the Arts
What does Materials for the Arts do?
Materials for the Arts operates a 35,000 sq ft warehouse in Long Island City where it receives donated surplus materials and redistributes them free of charge to registered NYC arts nonprofits, public schools, city agencies, and social service organizations across all five boroughs. The Education Center extends the mission through Artists-in-Residence and Designer-in-Residence programs, a public gallery, monthly community events (Third Thursdays), and professional development courses that earn NYC teachers P-Credits and CTLE hours.
Is Materials for the Arts a public or private company?
Materials for the Arts is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Materials for the Arts founded?
Materials for the Arts was founded in 1978. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Materials for the Arts based?
Materials for the Arts is headquartered in Long Island City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Materials for the Arts make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are nonprofit Support (FOMA) and professional Development Course Fees.
Who are Materials for the Arts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Scrap Exchange, Free Arts NYC, SCRAP (Scrappy) and Urban Arts Partnership. Others are NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Council on the Environment / GrowNYC. Broad incumbents are Habitat for Humanity ReStores and Goodwill Industries. Regional players are ReCreative (Los Angeles) and re:CREATE NYC.
Does Materials for the Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Materials for the Arts.
What industry is Materials for the Arts in?
Materials for the Arts's product category is Creative Reuse Materials Distribution and Arts Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs, with a secondary code of THAJAKAA, Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture). Its NAICS code is 61161.