Forge Project

What Forge Project does

Forge Project is a nonprofit cultural organization (legally Forge Project Association) based in Taghkanic, New York, on the unceded homelands of the Moh-He-Con-Nuck (today the Stockbridge-Munsee Community). It supports Indigenous artists, curators, writers, and knowledge keepers through a multi-program portfolio: an annual fellowship for Indigenous creatives, an in-house online publication called Forging, in-person convenings, on-site visits at the Taghkanic property, and land remediation and land research projects. The organization also maintains a permanent collection of 177 Indigenous artworks that is accessible online and made available to peer institutions through a formal lending program for exhibitions.

Name

Forge Project

Legal name

Forge Project Association

Website

https://forgeproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Arts and Cultural Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)

Keywords

• Indigenous art collection
• Artist fellowship programs
• Cultural nonprofit services
• Art collection lending
• Land remediation research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ancram

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Forge Project is a nonprofit cultural organization that supports Indigenous artists and communities through a permanent collection of 177 Indigenous artworks, a fellowship program for artists and knowledge keepers, the Forging Journal publication, convenings, and land remediation and research programs. Its offerings are funded primarily through donations and include a lending program that makes collection works available to museums and cultural institutions for exhibitions.

Product overview

Forge Project operates a digital platform serving as a cultural organization focused on Indigenous arts and communities. The platform integrates a collection browsing system (177+ artworks), a journal (Forging) featuring essays and articles, fellowship programs, site visit events, convenings, and a decolonial toolkit. The organization supports Indigenous artists through various programs including a lending program, publications, land remediation research, and community support initiatives. A donor platform enables contributions to their Build Native Futures initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fellowship Program A fellowship program supporting Indigenous artists, curators, writers, and knowledge keepers across all media, including a roster of fellowship recipients and a public application process.
• Collection and Lending Program A permanent collection of 177 artworks from Indigenous artists, browseable online and made available to museums and cultural institutions through a formal lending program for exhibitions.
• Forging Journal An online editorial journal publishing essays, features, and analysis from Indigenous artists, curators, and writers on topics including fashion, language, governance, and cultural preservation.
• Convenings Collaborative in-person gatherings and events focused on Indigenous arts, culture, and community building, hosted in connection with site visits at the Taghkanic, NY location.
• Site Visit Program Scheduled on-site visits to Forge Project's location in Taghkanic, NY, including the August 2026 site visit event, bringing together artists, fellows, and community members.
• Land Remediation Program Program supporting land remediation work on Indigenous lands, conducted as part of Forge Project's sovereignty and stewardship commitments at its Taghkanic, NY site.
• Land Research Program Research program focused on Indigenous lands and sovereignty, paired with the Land Remediation Program at Forge Project's Taghkanic, NY location.
• Decolonial Toolkit Educational resource and toolkit for decolonial practices and methodologies, made available to communities through the Forge Project website.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• IAIA (Institute of American Indian Arts): IAIA is the premier Indigenous-focused higher-education institution in the US, offering degrees in studio arts, creative writing, and museum studies. Its Indigenous arts education, museum (MoCNA), and fellowship ecosystem overlap with Forge Project's programmatic scope.
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: The Smithsonian NMAI is the largest and most established US institution dedicated to Native American art, culture, and history. It competes for the same donors, audiences, and Indigenous artists that Forge Project serves, but operates at vastly larger scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art: The Eiteljorg Museum holds a significant collection of Indigenous art and offers fellowships and exhibitions focused on Native American artists. Its collection-plus-fellowship structure mirrors Forge Project's combination of a permanent collection and artist-support programs.
• Native Arts and Cultures Foundation: Native Arts and Cultures Foundation provides grants and capacity-building for Native artists and arts organizations across the US. Its grantmaking focus on Indigenous arts and culture aligns directly with Forge Project's fellowship and programmatic mission.
• Yaddo: Yaddo is a nonprofit artist residency providing fellowships and on-site residencies at a single historic property. Its fellowship-on-a-historic-site operating model, donation funding, and convening of creative practitioners are highly comparable to Forge Project's structure.
• Heard Museum: The Heard Museum in Phoenix is a leading Indigenous arts and culture museum with a permanent collection, exhibitions, fellowships, and public programming. Its combination of collection stewardship and Indigenous artist support makes it a strong operational comparable to Forge Project.
• First Peoples Fund: First Peoples Fund is a nonprofit that supports Indigenous artists and culture bearers through grants, fellowships, and community programs. Its mission, artist-support model, and Indigenous-led funding approach closely mirror Forge Project's fellowship and convening work.
• Headlands Center for the Arts: Headlands Center for the Arts operates an artist fellowship program with on-site residencies and public programming. Its fellowship-plus-site-visit operating model closely mirrors Forge Project's combination of fellowships and site visits in Taghkanic.
• MacDowell: MacDowell is an artist residency nonprofit providing fellowships, studio space, and on-site convenings. While not Indigenous-specific, its operating model (fellowships, residency, on-site convenings, nonprofit funding) closely parallels Forge Project's fellowship and convening programs.
• Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA / IAIA): IAIA's MoCNA is the only museum in the US dedicated exclusively to exhibiting, collecting, and interpreting contemporary Native arts. Like Forge Project, it focuses on Indigenous artists across media and supports Indigenous creative practice, making it the closest direct comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ForgeProjectNY
• Instagraminstagram.com/forgeprojectny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forge-project

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 Forge Project