PROTECT - ARTISTS

What PROTECT - ARTISTS does

ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 that defends artistic freedom and provides practical resources to artists and cultural workers facing persecution, censorship, harassment, or other threats from state and non-state actors. The organization, headquartered in New York and officially registered in France after spinning off from PEN America in summer 2024, operates three functional pillars: Protect (direct assistance), Advocate (monitoring, documentation, and international advocacy), and Amplify (storytelling, campaigns, and events). Its core products include Emergency Support grants, Resilience Grants, Fellowship Programs (including the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship), a Safety Guide for Artists, and a curated Support Network of more than 400 partner organizations providing financial aid, legal assistance, residencies, and digital security. Content and advocacy products include the Spanish-language podcast '¡El Arte No Calla!', the 'Art on the Front Lines' blog, the 'Art is Power' publication, and events such as the 'Raíces en tránsito' exhibition of Cuban migrant artists.

ARC's go-to-market is community-led: artists apply through a secure online questionnaire, case information is verified by community partners, and ARC compiles personalized resource lists matched to its partner network. The organization does not charge for services; its revenue model is donations and grants, with funding sourced from individuals, foundations, and institutional donors. ARC has supported more than 2,100 artists across more than 60 countries, with active geographic reach spanning Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and North America. The organization is lean, with 1-10 employees, and is led by Founder and Executive Director Julie Trébault. Traditional technology infrastructure is minimal, limited to video conferencing (Zoom) and registration forms (Google Forms); the organization's distinguishing asset is its human-network model rather than proprietary technology.

Name

PROTECT - ARTISTS

Legal name

Artists at Risk Connection

Website

https://artistsatriskconnection.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that defends artistic freedom by connecting at-risk artists and cultural workers worldwide to emergency grants, resilience support, fellowships, and a network of 400+ partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Protection and Cultural Freedom Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (71141)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Tour & Artist Management Services (HSACAHAN)

Keywords

• Artist protection services
• Artistic freedom advocacy
• Emergency artist grants
• Cultural worker safety
• Human rights support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: ARC operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (secured in 2024) that relies on donations and grants to fund its operations. The organization provides free services to artists including emergency grants, resilience support, fellowships, and connections to resources. Revenue is generated through charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and institutional donors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ARC – Artists at Risk Connection provides direct emergency financial assistance, resilience grants, and fellowship placement to artists and cultural workers who are persecuted, imprisoned, or otherwise at risk because of their work. Services are delivered free of charge to individuals and are coordinated through a global network of more than 400 partner organizations across 60+ countries, supplemented by advocacy, public programming, and educational resources such as the Safety Guide for Artists.

Product overview

ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is a global organization dedicated to safeguarding artistic freedom and supporting at-risk artists. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services including Emergency Support and Resilience Grants for artists facing immediate threats or needing long-term stability, Fellowship Programs (including the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship), and connections to a Support Network of over 400 partner organizations worldwide. Additional offerings include a Safety Guide for Artists, podcasts such as ¡El Arte No Calla!, an events program, publications, and advocacy resources. The core Protect function connects artists to resources, while the Advocate function monitors and documents threats, and the Amplify function raises awareness through storytelling, campaigns, and exhibitions like Raíces en tránsito.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Support Program Direct, time-sensitive financial and case-management assistance provided to individual artists and cultural workers facing immediate persecution, threats, or imprisonment because of their artistic work.
• Resilience Grants Longer-term financial grants that help at-risk artists and cultural workers sustain themselves, relocate, or continue their practice during periods of threat or instability.
• Fellowship Programs Structured placement of threatened artists with host institutions and partner organizations, providing safe residencies and temporary refuge in safer jurisdictions.
• Support Network Service

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

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

• Frame Contemporary Art FinlandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Frame Contemporary Art Finland, in connection with the Pavilion of Finland's 70th anniversary at the 61st Venice Biennale, is supporting ARC through the 'Aeolian Suite' exhibition by Jenna Sutela. The partnership expresses commitment to defense of human rights and artistic freedom, with Frame encouraging others to support ARC.
• PEN InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC works closely with PEN International on advocacy campaigns including the Voces Presas campaign for Cuban artists, joint statements on artist cases, and collaborative efforts to demand releases of imprisoned artists.
• Civil Rights Defenders (CRD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC collaborates with Civil Rights Defenders on joint advocacy campaigns including Voces Presas for Cuban artists, working together to demand releases and keep artist cases in international spotlight.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC participates in UN Human Rights Council sessions and collaborates with UNESCO on artistic freedom initiatives, standard-setting instruments, and policy discussions regarding artistic freedom as a human right.
• Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulture Resource and ARC are jointly seeking a consultant or consultancy team to develop a regional advocacy report on freedom of expression for artists in the Arab region, alongside an advocacy strategy and campaign framework.
• Res ArtiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC and Res Artis co-host online workshops on effectively hosting artists-at-risk, examining social and political contexts that place artists in at-risk situations and how residencies can play a vital role in providing refuge.
• UXIL - Universités en exilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC Executive Director Julie Trébault co-moderated a roundtable with UXIL on 'From Impeded Research to Spaces of Hospitality,' bringing together scholars, artists, and international support organizations to discuss exile, restricted research, censorship, and collaboration.
• ICOM FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC joined ICOM France for a public debate on growing pressures facing artistic, curatorial, and academic freedom, exploring censorship, self-censorship, and political pressures affecting cultural institutions.
• IMPACT (Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts, Brandeis University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC partnered with IMPACT on the 'Solidarity Loom' virtual series, leading a session on 'Artists at Risk' that spotlighted protection mechanisms, solidarity networks, and strategies for safeguarding artistic freedom.
• Rialta (Caminero podcast)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner¡El Arte No Calla! and Rialta's Caminero podcast collaborated on a 6-episode limited series exploring artistic freedom in Latin America through poetry, feminist activism, sites of resistance, and creative techno-futures.
• Mekong Cultural Hub (MCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2021, ARC collaborated with MCH and FORUM-ASIA on a limited-run podcast series on artistic freedom in Asia, speaking with artists and cultural rights defenders about censorship and artistic freedom experiences.
• Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC collaborated with FORUM-ASIA and MCH on a podcast series exploring artistic freedom experiences in Southeast, East, and South Asia.
• ASSEMBLE Creative Europe InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC is an associate partner in the ASSEMBLE Creative Europe-supported initiative examining intersections of mobility, belonging, care, and collective action. ARC Executive Director participated in discussions on artist displacement and solidarity networks.
• D6 (Culture in Transit)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorD6 leads the ASSEMBLE project in partnership with ARC and other organizations, hosting conversations on cultural mobility and artist support in Cyprus.
• Cité internationale des arts in PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC Executive Director joined Alix Pornon of Cité internationale des arts to discuss challenges facing artists in conflict, displacement, and environmental change contexts, and role of solidarity networks.
• Centre for Human Rights, University of PretoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC joins the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and the Expert Group on the Development of Model Law under the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for a high-level webinar on developing a Model Law on Artistic Freedom in Africa.
• Galería Nueva CarabanchelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorARC collaborated with Galería Nueva Carabanchel in Madrid to host the 'Raíces en tránsito' exhibition featuring 30 Cuban migrant artists, marking the first time all fellowship recipients from three years gathered for a single exhibition.
• PEN Cuba in Exile CentreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEN Cuba in Exile Centre joined ARC and PEN International in welcoming the freedom of Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and in calling for release of other unjustly imprisoned Cuban artists.
• PEN World Voices FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC Executive Director Julie Trébault moderated a conversation at PEN World Voices Festival 2026 titled 'Geographies of Extraction: Loss, Power, and Cultural Rematriation' exploring journeys of cultural artifacts and human remains.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Article 19: Established international human-rights organization focused on freedom of expression and information, including artistic expression — broader in scope than ARC but operating overlapping advocacy, legal aid, and grants programs.
• Cultural Survival: Indigenous-led nonprofit supporting Indigenous peoples' rights including cultural and artistic expression; comparable grantmaking, advocacy, and partner-network structure for artist communities.
• IFEX: Global network of free-expression organizations coordinating advocacy and emergency response across more than 100 members — broader infrastructure-level peer overlapping ARC's advocacy and partner-coordination functions.
• Front Line Defenders: International human-rights organization providing rapid response grants, security support, and advocacy for at-risk human-rights defenders — overlaps ARC's protection function for artists who are also activists.

Direct peers

• PEN International: Global literary and free-expression network that runs advocacy, emergency support, and writer-in-exile programs for persecuted writers and artists — ARC's flagship partner with overlapping mission, beneficiary base, and advocacy platform.
• Freemuse: Independent organization defending the freedom of musical expression globally, producing research, advocacy, and case support for musicians and artists facing persecution — directly comparable nonprofit focus on artistic freedom.
• PEN America: US-based free-expression organization that incubated ARC before its 2024 spin-off; runs parallel programs on artistic freedom, imprisoned writers, and advocacy — directly comparable mission and beneficiary profile.
• Index on Censorship: UK-based nonprofit advocating for freedom of expression through publishing, awards, and case advocacy — comparable mission of amplifying censored voices including artists.

Emerging players

• Res Artis: Global network of artist residencies and ARC's co-host partner for at-risk artist workshops; smaller and more residency-focused but directly tied to ARC's protective mission for at-risk artists.

Regional players

• Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy): Arab-region cultural NGO that co-develops regional advocacy reports with ARC on artistic freedom in MENA; comparable grantmaking and advocacy focus within a specific region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/atriskartists.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@atriskartists
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtRiskArtists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artists-at-risk-connection
• Instagraminstagram.com/atriskartists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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