arts & scraps

What arts & scraps does

Arts & Scraps is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered at 16135 Harper Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, that operates a creative-reuse nonprofit model combining a physical retail storefront with STEAM-based educational programming. The Detroit Community Store sells reused and recycled creative materials to educators, families, makers, and artists on a choose-your-price scale, with bulk bags priced at $6-$15 and individually priced specialty items ranging from $0.10 to $20. The organization also runs a multi-format educational program catalog for Pre-K through 5th grade, including 6-12 week extended STEAM curricula, individual workshops, Earth Month Discovery Workshops, and in-house field trips limited to 30 students per class on Fridays.

The underlying operating model is built on donated material inputs from over 200 Detroit-area and U.S. businesses plus thousands of individual household donors, which are processed with 5,000+ annual volunteer hours and resold or redistributed through programming channels. According to organization-reported scale metrics, Arts & Scraps has served 275,000 children cumulatively, engaged 30,000+ Greater Detroit Area residents annually, and diverted approximately 20 tons of materials from landfills each year. The technical stack is intentionally lightweight: SuperSaas for donation scheduling, CharityEngine for donation processing, Google Maps for location services, and Wix for web presence, with no proprietary technology platforms or AI capabilities disclosed.

Revenue mechanics blend earned income from store transactions and programming fees with philanthropic support. Named financial partners include major regional and national foundations (Kresge, Skillman, Hudson-Webber, NEA, MACC, MEDC, Applebaum, Erb, M.M. Fisher), corporate sponsors (Ally Financial, PNC, Rocket Companies, UBS), and strategic partners (Detroit Public Schools, City of Detroit Recreation, CultureSource, Global Ties Detroit, Detroit Shipping Company). Two scholarship funds (Community Store and Francine Pegues Programming) subsidize access for schools and organizations with limited resources. Day-to-day operations are led by Executive Director Tatiana Hull with a roughly 15-person staff and a board chaired by Nathan Wright of Baker College, with 100% of board members reported as financial contributors.

Name

arts & scraps

Legal name

Arts & Scraps

Website

https://artsandscraps.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arts & Scraps is a Detroit-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects and resells donated creative materials through its Community Store and delivers STEAM educational programming to Pre-K through 5th grade educators, families, and community organizations across the Greater Detroit Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Education

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids Crafts & Educational Craft Kits Retail (CRALACAG), Educational Supplies & Learning Toys Retail (CRALAIAL)

Keywords

• Creative reuse materials
• Community art education
• STEAM educational programming
• Nonprofit creative supplies
• Sustainable arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Community Store Sales: Revenue generated from bulk bag sales (large bags $10-15, small bags $6-10) and individually priced items (10 cents to $20) at the Detroit Community Store. Items include yarn, fabric, puzzles, wood scraps, tiles, stickies, machine parts, greeting cards, and specialty items like sewing and fine art supplies.
2. Program Fees: Fees for educational programming services including field trips, individual workshops, extended programming (6-12 week STEAM lessons), Earth Month workshops, and event bookings. Financial assistance available through scholarship funds for schools and organizations with limited resources.
3. Donations: Financial donations from individuals and supporters, including one-time and monthly recurring options. The organization accepts both financial and material donations from businesses and individuals.
4. STEM Programming Kits Grant: Grant-funded distribution of STEM programming kits to organizations serving children in Detroit. Funded by a grant that enables free kit distribution to qualifying organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arts & Scraps operates the Detroit Community Store, a nonprofit bulk retail storefront selling recycled and reused creative materials (bags at $6–$15, individually priced items from 10 cents to $20), complemented by STEAM-based educational programming for Pre-K through 5th grade including field trips, extended programming, workshops, and Earth Month activities. The organization diverts materials from landfills and redistributes them to educators, families, makers, and community organizations in the Greater Detroit Area.

Product overview

Arts & Scraps is a nonprofit organization offering a single unified product centered on creative reuse and educational programming. The core offering is the Detroit Community Store, a bulk shopping resource that provides recycled creative materials to educators, creatives, and makers on a pay-what-you-can scale. Complementing the store are diverse programming services including Programming Through Arts & Scraps (holistic educational programming), Earth Month Discovery Workshops, Extended Programming (6-12 week STEAM programs), Field Trips, Individual Workshops, and Book Us For Events. The organization also offers Creative STEM Programming Kits through a grant program and supports accessibility through the Community Store Scholarship Fund and Francine Pegues Programming Scholarship Fund. All offerings emphasize hands-on learning, sustainability, and community accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Detroit Community Store: A one-of-a-kind nonprofit resource for the Detroit community providing hundreds of classrooms, organizations, and individuals with access to unique and affordable materials for their creative projects. Located at 16135 Harper Avenue, Detroit, MI 48224.

Products and services

• Detroit Community Store A one-of-a-kind nonprofit bulk shopping community store located at 16135 Harper Avenue, Detroit, MI 48224, selling recycled and reused creative materials to educators, creatives, makers, families, and community organizations. Sells supplies by the bag on a choose-your-price scale ($6–$15) and individually priced specialty items ranging from 10 cents to $20, including yarn, fabric, puzzles, wood scraps, tiles, machine parts, greeting cards, sewing, scrapbooking, and fine art supplies.
• Programming Through Arts & Scraps Holistic educational and community-based programming service for schools, programs, and event hosts. Delivered on-site and blends creativity, sustainability, community connection, and educational growth through hands-on activities using creative reuse materials, aligned to the organization's B1/2 Educational Philosophy.
• Field Trips In-house field trips at the Detroit Arts & Scraps location inviting classes into a creative classroom for immersive hands-on learning experiences with guided art activities using reused materials and shopping in the Community Store. Limited to 30 students per class, approximately two hours, available Fridays throughout 2026.
• Extended Programming 6 to 12-week STEAM-based programs following state standards for Pre-K to 5th grade, designed with hands-on activities through creative reuse with different learning tracks.
• Individual Workshops Hands-on, facilitator-led experiences where participants create guided crafts using reused materials, highlighting qualitative STEM concepts through art integration. Adaptable to age group, theme, and learning goals.
• Earth Month Discovery Workshops One-time workshops for children from Pre-K to 5th grade focused on creativity, critical thinking, and environmentalism conversations, offered throughout April.
• Book Us For Events Creative, hands-on activities brought to community events of all sizes, from intimate neighborhood gatherings to large-scale festivals, providing engaging make-and-take experiences that inspire creativity, reuse, and learning for all ages. Requires one month advance notice for booking.
• Creative STEM Programming Kits Grant-funded Creative STEM programming kits distributed to organizations serving children in Detroit, designed to engage children in hands-on educational activities promoting STEM learning through creative reuse. Minimum of 150 kits per organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 275,000 children with creative reuse materials and programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• CultureSourcesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts funding organization serving Southeast Michigan that partners with Arts & Scraps on cultural programming initiatives.
• City of Detroit RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal department providing community recreation programming that collaborates with Arts & Scraps on community events and activities.
• Detroit Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor school district that receives programming services and materials from Arts & Scraps for students.
• Detroit Shipping CompanysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business partner providing support for Arts & Scraps initiatives.
• Global Ties DetroitsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational exchange organization that supports Arts & Scraps programming.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Materials for the Arts: Materials for the Arts is a New York City program that collects and redistributes reusable art materials to schools, artists, and community organizations. It is comparable in reuse-to-education distribution and school relationships, although it is not a conventional walk-up retail store.
• Art of Recycle: Art of Recycle is a Pennsylvania creative-reuse nonprofit that sells donated craft materials and offers classes and studio programming. It is comparable in low-cost creative materials and hands-on education.
• Reuseum: Reuseum is a Boise nonprofit creative-reuse store and education center that diverts reusable materials into art, STEM, and maker programming. It is comparable in mission, customer mix, and donated-inventory retail model.
• The Scrap Box: A nonprofit creative-reuse center in Ann Arbor, Michigan that sells donated creative materials and supports education and making. It is a close geographic and operating analogue to Arts & Scraps' Detroit store and school programs.
• Austin Creative Reuse: Austin Creative Reuse is a nonprofit creative-reuse center providing low-cost materials and education to artists, schools, and community members. It is comparable as a mission-led reuse retailer and programming provider.
• The Scrap Exchange: The Scrap Exchange is a Durham-based nonprofit creative-reuse center operating a store, workshops, and community programs with donated materials. It overlaps directly in reuse retail and educational and community engagement.
• SCRAP Creative Reuse: SCRAP is a nonprofit creative-reuse organization in Portland that resells donated art and craft materials and offers educational programs. It is comparable in its combination of community retail, reuse mission, and educator and artist outreach.

Broad incumbents

• Michaels: Michaels is a large specialty arts-and-crafts retailer serving overlapping educators, families, and makers with broad supplies and project materials. It is a commercial benchmark for category demand and assortment, but not a reuse or nonprofit model.
• Blick Art Materials: Blick Art Materials is an established art-supply retailer offering materials to artists, students, educators, and makers. It overlaps in creative-material assortment and customer base while lacking Arts & Scraps' reuse and community-program model.
• Hobby Lobby: Hobby Lobby is a national craft and hobby retailer with a broad assortment for families, schools, and makers. It provides a commercial category and scale comparison, but does not operate a donated-material reuse or nonprofit education model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoGYcyLcHUT8JqyzXkbtY1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtsAndScrapsDetroit
• Instagraminstagram.com/artsandscraps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 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 arts & scraps