What ITAC Collaborative does

ITAC (International Teaching Artist Collaborative) is a UK-registered nonprofit founded in 2012 that operates the first global network dedicated to Teaching Artists — practitioners who use their craft to engage communities, schools, and vulnerable populations. The organization was established following the inaugural International Teaching Artist Conference in Oslo in 2012, transitioning from a biennial conference model to a year-round global network in 2018. ITAC today connects 4,000+ grassroots practitioners across 45+ countries through five regional Hubs (England, USA, Norway, South Korea, and Latin America in development), with programmatic focus on four social challenge areas: climate, active citizenship, health, and conflict resolution. It is led by Managing Director Madeleine McGirk and governed by a Staff and Leadership Committee.

The organization's core assets include a purpose-built membership portal hosted on VeryConnect that provides resources, Hub spaces, working groups, event calendars, and member messaging; a biennial International Teaching Artist Conference series running from ITAC1 (2012) through planned ITAC9 (2028); a free online 'Teaching Artistry for Social Impact' course distributed via Kadenze; and a Hubs program delivered through partner organizations. Major programmatic initiatives include ITAC IMPACT: Climate (mobilizing artists across 17 countries engaging over 8,000 people), EDEN Engagement (a multi-year partnership with Grammy-winning opera singer Joyce DiDonato), and the Healing Arts Scotland Relay (activated with WHO and Jameel Arts & Health Lab). The Why Change? Podcast and published case studies serve as advocacy and content distribution mechanisms.

ITAC's business model blends free and paid offerings. Membership, the online course, and most resources are free, with revenue generated primarily through conference fees (ITAC8 in Antwerp 2026, co-produced with the World Children's and Youth Performing Arts Festival; ITAC9 planned for 2028 with open hosting proposals), bespoke training and consultancy services for institutions and universities, and donations processed through the JustGiving platform. Distribution occurs via self-service online channels (portal, Kadenze), regional Hub partners functioning as a channel/reseller model, and direct sales for conference tickets and event services. The organization operates with a lean 1-10 employee core team that depends heavily on Hub partners and volunteer network engagement, with no disclosed venture funding, parent company, or institutional investors.

Name

ITAC Collaborative

Legal name

ITAC (International Teaching Artist Collaborative)

Website

https://itac-collaborative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ITAC Collaborative is a UK-registered nonprofit operating the first global network for Teaching Artists. It connects 4,000+ practitioners across 45+ countries via biennial conferences, five regional Hubs, a free online course, and partnerships addressing climate, health, and civic challenges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Professional Development & Network Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Teaching artist network
• Arts-based training
• Community arts programs
• Social impact arts
• Professional development arts

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Contributions: ITAC relies on donations from individuals and supporters to fund its operations, resources, and professional development opportunities for Teaching Artists.
2. Conference Fees: Revenue generated from ITAC conference registrations (ITAC 8 in Antwerp 2026, ITAC9 planned for 2028), including full tickets, networking dinners, and day passes.
3. Training and Consultancy Services: ITAC offers bespoke training programs for institutions and universities, drawing from its Social Impact Course curriculum, as well as consultancy services for embedding Teaching Artistry into events and social impact initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ITAC Collaborative operates as a global membership-based network that connects, supports, and advocates for Teaching Artists worldwide through free membership, regional Hubs, biennial international conferences, online training courses, consulting/training services for institutions, and arts-based social impact programs covering climate, health, active citizenship, and conflict resolution.

Product overview

ITAC Collaborative is a global network organization, not a software product company. It operates as a membership-based collaborative offering a suite of programs, events, and resources for teaching artists worldwide. The core offerings include: biennial International Teaching Artist Conferences (ITAC 1-9), the free online 'Teaching Artistry for Social Impact' course on Kadenze, the ITAC Membership Portal (built on VeryConnect), the ITAC Hubs Program connecting national organizations, and advocacy initiatives like the 'Why Change?' Podcast. Major programmatic initiatives include ITAC IMPACT: Climate (climate action through arts), EDEN Engagement (partnership with opera singer Joyce DiDonato), and the Healing Arts Scotland Relay. Services are provided both free (membership, courses, resources) and for-fee (event artistic direction, training for institutions). The organization functions as a network facilitator rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EDEN Engagement: Community engagement strand of Joyce DiDonato's EDEN tour, using Teaching Artistry to create climate awareness and community impact.
• Why Change? Podcast
• ITAC IMPACT: Climate

Products and services

• ITAC Membership Portal Free self-serve membership platform built on VeryConnect providing Teaching Artists, non-Teaching Artists, and organisations with access to resources, Hub spaces, forum groups, working groups, event calendar, inbox messaging, and a live feed for global community engagement.
• Teaching Artistry for Social Impact Course Free online course delivered via the Kadenze platform that guides artists through designing ethical, structured, arts-based community projects to maximise social impact. Over 300 people have enrolled.
• International Teaching Artist Conferences (ITAC 1–9) Biennial international conferences (Oslo 2012, Brisbane 2014, Edinburgh 2016, New York 2018, Seoul 2020, Oslo 2022, Auckland 2024, Antwerp 2026, 2028 TBD) bringing together Teaching Artists, educators, cultural leaders, and changemakers for networking, professional development, and knowledge exchange. Sold as full tickets, networking dinners, and day passes.
• ITAC Hubs Program National centres program that connects ITAC with practitioners at the grassroots level. Includes Hubs hosted by Curious Minds (England), Seanse Art Center (Norway), KACES (South Korea), Lincoln Center and AHAS (USA), and ACCIONAR (Latin America).
• ITAC IMPACT: Climate Global climate action initiative that commissions Teaching Artists across 17 countries to design and lead community-based climate interventions, including SACLAW (Philippines), Newtok Memory Maps (Alaska), The School of the (IM)Possible (Brazil), and Unmasking Climate Justice (Philippines). Engaged over 8,000 participants.
• EDEN Engagement Partnership with Grammy-winning opera singer Joyce DiDonato that embeds Teaching Artistry throughout her EDEN world tour, with ITAC recruiting local Teaching Artists in each tour city and creating bespoke context-specific curricula on climate awareness. Engaged 2,000+ young people across multiple tour cities.
• ITAC Healing Arts Week Scotland Relay Six-month national participatory arts relay designed and led by ITAC, activating 20+ Arts and Health cohorts and more than 400 participants across Scotland in partnership with WHO, Jameel Arts & Health Lab, Scottish Ballet, and National Galleries of Scotland.
• Why Change? Podcast Podcast co-produced with Creative Generation and hosted by ITAC Managing Director Madeleine McGirk, featuring Teaching Artists and changemakers driving social transformation through arts and culture.
• Event & Training Consulting Services Consulting and training services for organisations including artistic direction for events, embedding social impact initiatives, community-building facilitation, and bespoke training programs for institutions and universities.
• Cloaked in Our Love Cultural regeneration project bringing together Aboriginal and Māori cloak makers to revitalise traditional practices through garments embedded with intergenerational stories, language, and cultural identity.
• Marit Ulvund's Catalyst for Change Award Financial assistance award supporting delegates to participate in ITAC conferences, fostering inclusivity and diversity within the global teaching artistry network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 people engaged in climate action through ITAC IMPACT: Climate across 17 countries
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• World Children's and Youth Performing Arts Festival (Antwerp)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ITAC8 (2026) joins forces with the World Children's and Youth Performing Arts Festival to form 'LOUDER TOGETHER', a unique 'congrestival' combining an international festival with a global conference. The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and AP University College serve as co-hosts.
• World Health Organisation (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ITAC partners with the WHO on arts and health initiatives, including Healing Arts Scotland (2024), where ITAC designed and led the Scotland Relay as part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab's global outreach campaign. WHO provides institutional legitimacy and global health expertise while ITAC provides Teaching Artistry programming and community engagement methodology.
• Jameel Arts & Health LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, co-led Healing Arts Scotland with ITAC. The partnership leverages ITAC's expertise in Teaching Artistry and community engagement to deliver a national arts and health activation in Scotland.
• Scottish BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Scottish Ballet partnered with ITAC on Healing Arts Scotland, contributing dance programs including Dance for Parkinson's, Time to Dance, SB Elevate, and the ITAC Relay. Scottish Ballet's health-focused dance programs were integrated into the national arts and health initiative led by ITAC.
• Joyce DiDonato (Grammy-winning opera singer)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ITAC partnered with Grammy winner Joyce DiDonato to design and deliver EDEN Engagement — the community impact strand of her EDEN world tour. ITAC recruits local Teaching Artists in each tour city and creates bespoke context-specific curricula. This multi-year partnership has engaged over 2,000 young people across 37+ cities.
• Inner Development Goals (IDG) SummitflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024ITAC was brought in to Artistic Direct the Inner Development Goals Summit 2024, collaborating on the design and delivery of programming that used Teaching Artistry to explore IDG concepts. ITAC worked with Teaching Artists from its global network to deliver workshops and designed collective spaces for networking.
• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (USA Hub co-host)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Lincoln Center co-hosts the USA ITAC Hub alongside AHAS, bringing unparalleled artists and history of excellence in arts education. Lincoln Center has been a home to Teaching Artists for over 50 years and is committed to ensuring artists are at the forefront of community transformation.
• AHAS: Archive for Health, Arts, and Spirit (USA Hub co-host)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AHAS co-hosts the USA ITAC Hub with Lincoln Center. AHAS is a collective based in Hawaii that leads culturally grounded, arts-based approaches to healing, education, and resilience, integrating ancestral knowledge and Indigenous ways of knowing.
• Seanse Art Center (Norway Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Seanse Art Center leads the Norway ITAC Hub, committed to helping and enabling children and youth to experience and express themselves through art. Seanse hosted the first ITAC conference in 2012 and co-organised ITAC6 in Oslo 2022.
• KACES: Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (South Korea Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024KACES, a public agency established under the Support for Arts and Culture Education Act (2005), hosts the South Korea ITAC Hub and led ITAC5 in 2020. KACES carries out public projects providing access to quality arts and culture education facilitated by Teaching Artists.
• Curious Minds (England Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Curious Minds, an organization connecting children and young people with artists since 2008, hosts the England ITAC Hub with a strong commitment to ensuring access for children and young people excluded by social and economic inequalities to the transformative benefits of creativity and culture.
• ACCIONAR: Red Regional de Acción Preventiva para la Adolescencia y la Juventud (Latin America Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ACCIONAR, a coalition of 13 organisations from 12 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, hosts the Latin America ITAC Hub. Their flagship initiative 'En Serio' is an arts-based theatre program to prevent underage alcohol consumption, reaching over 3 million students across 12 countries.
• National Galleries of ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered with ITAC on Healing Arts Scotland, hosting the ITAC Relay collective artworks at the National Galleries of Scotland during Healing Arts Week (August 2024). Also partnered on community programs including CARDS service.
• Diana Liverman (Climate Ambassador)minorOthers · 1 January 2021Climate scientist Diana Liverman was recruited as Climate Ambassador to support the science studied in ITAC IMPACT: Climate commissioned projects, ensuring scientific rigour in climate-related Teaching Artistry initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jameel Arts & Health Lab: The Jameel Arts & Health Lab (in collaboration with WHO) co-led Healing Arts Scotland with ITAC and convenes global arts-and-health programming. It is a direct peer on the arts-health intersection, with overlapping convening, research, and program commissioning functions.
• National Guild for Community Arts Education: The National Guild is a US-based membership association for community arts education organizations, advancing teaching artistry, community-based arts, and artist-training. It mirrors ITAC's mission to professionalize and advocate for community/participatory arts practitioners, and is one of the closest US analogues to ITAC's network development work.
• ACCIONAR (Latin America Hub): ACCIONAR is a 13-organization coalition across 12 Latin American countries that hosts ITAC's Latin America Hub and runs flagship arts-based programs (e.g., 'En Serio'). It is a regional peer delivering large-scale arts-and-social-impact interventions relevant to ITAC.
• Curious Minds (England): Curious Minds hosts the England ITAC Hub and connects children/young people with artists. It is a direct peer in the arts-education/training space, working with teaching artists to deliver community and schools-based programs.
• Seanse Art Center: Seanse Art Center is the Norway ITAC Hub host, hosting the very first ITAC conference in 2012. It is a direct peer operating in children's/youth arts education with a teaching-artistry focus comparable to ITAC's mission.
• Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (KACES): KACES is the South Korea ITAC Hub host and a public agency that runs arts-and-culture education programs delivered by teaching artists. It is a direct peer running comparable national-level teaching-artistry programs and hosted ITAC5 (Seoul 2020).
• Creative Generation: Creative Generation is a global nonprofit mobilizing young people, artists, and educators for social change through arts-based programs and convening. It collaborates with ITAC on the 'Why Change?' podcast and shares a similar global network/community-of-practice model.

Broad incumbents

• Arts Council England: Arts Council England is the England ITAC Hub funder/ecosystem partner (Curious Minds is a major national portfolio org) and one of the largest public arts funders in the world. While a government/funder body rather than a network, it is the primary scaffolding around the England arts and teaching-artistry ecosystem ITAC operates in.
• Carnegie Hall Education (Weill Music Institute): Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute runs national teaching-artist programs, professional development, and convenings and co-hosted ITAC4 (New York 2018). As a larger institutional incumbent, it overlaps strongly with ITAC's professional development and capacity-building mandate.
• Lincoln Center Education: Lincoln Center Education is one of the US Hub co-hosts for ITAC and a long-standing institutional leader in teaching artistry and community-based arts education for over 50 years. It is a broader incumbent that runs comparable programs at significant scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ITACCollab
• Facebookfacebook.com/ITACCollab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itac-international-teaching-artists-collaborative
• Instagraminstagram.com/itac_collab

Compliance1 record

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 ITAC Collaborative