the arts and cultural industries association of manitoba

What the arts and cultural industries association of manitoba does

Creative Manitoba Inc. (operating as Creative Manitoba, formerly Arts and Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba) is a Manitoba-incorporated non-profit arts service organization headquartered at 400-245 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, on Treaty 1 Territory. It functions as the designated central hub for the province's arts and creative industries, operating a searchable Arts Directory of individual artists and cultural organizations, an Opportunities Platform (job board, calls for submissions, volunteer postings), a Community Events Calendar, and structured Mentorship Programs (Professional, Rural, and Group tracks). Educational programming includes Classes & Workshops, Indigenous Programs, and an All-Access Bursary for Artists, supplemented by a Resources Hub covering legal, financial, industry, and business-management content, plus Space & Equipment Rentals at its Winnipeg headquarters.

The underlying technology is a WordPress-based web platform (creativemanitoba.ca) supporting self-service profile creation, event posting, and membership account management; core technology and proprietary features are not explicitly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: free profiles and postings reduce friction, while an optional paid Membership Program layers promotional benefits in newsletters and social channels. Revenue is generated from three streams: core operational grants from the Government of Canada and the Government of Manitoba, recurring membership fees from artists and arts organizations, and transactional placement-service fees connecting contractors with businesses seeking creative services.

The customer base is horizontal and distributed across individual artists (visual, performing, traditional, media, design), arts organizations (galleries, theatres, festivals, artist-run centres), Indigenous artists and communities, and businesses hiring creative services. Named participants include Urban Shaman: Contemporary Indigenous Art, Wild Roots Theatre, Video Pool Media Arts Centre, and individual artists such as Erica Wilson, Marc Kuegle, and Vi Houssin. Revenue figures, headcount, and leadership composition are not publicly disclosed.

Name

the arts and cultural industries association of manitoba

Legal name

Creative Manitoba Inc.

Website

https://creativemanitoba.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Creative Manitoba Inc. is a Winnipeg-based non-profit arts service organization that operates a free Arts Directory, Opportunities Platform, mentorship programs, and workshops to connect individual artists, arts organizations, Indigenous creatives, and businesses across Manitoba.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Arts community directory
• Artist professional development
• Creative industry resources
• Arts mentorship programs
• Artist opportunities platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Creative Manitoba receives core operational funding from The Government of Canada and The Government of Manitoba, which supports their programming and services.
2. Membership Fees: The organization offers membership options that provide additional promotional benefits in newsletters and social media beyond the free basic services.
3. Services and Fees: The organization offers placement services connecting contractors with businesses seeking creative services, subject to fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Creative Manitoba is Manitoba's arts and cultural industries association that operates as a centralized hub for the province's creative community. It runs an Arts Directory platform of artists and organizations, delivers professional development through classes, workshops, and structured mentorship programs, maintains an Opportunities job/calls board, hosts a Community Events Calendar, and provides space/equipment rentals, resources, and Indigenous-specific arts programming.

Product overview

Creative Manitoba operates as a unified membership and community platform serving Manitoba's arts and creative industries. The core offering consists of the Arts Directory, which provides searchable profiles for artists and organizations, combined with the Opportunities Platform for jobs, calls for submissions, and volunteer postings. Educational services include Classes & Workshops and structured Mentorship Programs (Professional, Rural, and Group tracks). The Community Events Calendar enables event promotion, while the Membership Program offers enhanced promotional benefits. Additional services include a Resources Hub, Space & Equipment Rentals, and the All-Access Bursary for Artists. These components function together as an integrated one-stop hub designed to connect, strengthen, and represent Manitoba's arts community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arts Directory A searchable online directory listing Manitoba-based artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses to support discovery and connection across the province's creative community.
• Mentorship Programs Structured multi-track mentorship offerings — Professional, Rural, and Group tracks — pairing developing artists with experienced mentors to advance careers in the creative industries.
• Classes and Workshops Short-format educational offerings for artists covering career skills, craft development, and industry topics, delivered through scheduled in-person and online sessions.
• Opportunities Platform An online job board and calls-for-submissions listing platform aggregating artistic opportunities such as employment, grants, residencies, commissions, and calls for artists.
• Community Events Calendar A centralized online calendar of arts and cultural events across Manitoba that allows organizations to promote programming and audiences to discover activities.
• Resources Hub A curated collection of career, business, and craft resources for artists including guides, templates, and reference materials relevant to working in the creative industries.
• Space and Equipment Rentals Rental access to physical studio space, rehearsal rooms, and creative equipment for artists and arts organizations needing production infrastructure.
• Placement Services A service that connects Manitoba businesses seeking creative contractors with professional artists available for project-based work across disciplines.
• Indigenous Programs Indigenous-specific arts programming offering dedicated mentorship, resources, and community supports tailored to Indigenous artists working in Manitoba's creative industries.
• Membership Program A membership program for individual artists and arts organizations that provides access to member benefits, directory listings, programming, and association services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free access to Arts Directory, event posting, and opportunities board for all artists and organizations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Manitoba Legal Clinic for the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for artists seeking legal guidance on intellectual property, contracts, and copyright matters. Recommended in community guidelines for artists unsure about content usage.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ontario Arts Council: Provincial arts council for Ontario that funds, advocates for, and supports the province's artists and arts organizations. Directly comparable to Creative Manitoba as a designated provincial arts service organization delivering grants, programming, and resources to a regional creative community.
• BC Arts Council: British Columbia's provincial arts funding and service body, supporting artists and cultural organizations through grants, programs, and resources. Highly comparable to Creative Manitoba in mission, structure, and product offering as a provincial arts council.
• Saskatchewan Arts Board: Saskatchewan's provincial arts council providing grants, programs, and services to artists and arts organizations in the province. Comparable to Creative Manitoba as a neighboring Prairie-region arts service organization with similar scale and mandate.
• Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women: Provincial arts funding body for Alberta (incorporating the former Alberta Foundation for the Arts functions). Comparable to Creative Manitoba as a Western Canadian provincial arts council serving artists and cultural organizations.
• Artscape (Toronto): Toronto-based nonprofit that supports artists and arts organizations through space, programming, and community services. Comparable to Creative Manitoba in operating as a multi-service hub for a defined creative community with space rentals and capacity-building offerings.
• Calgary Arts Development (Calgary Arts): Municipal arts development organization serving Calgary's creative community through funding, advocacy, and programs. Comparable to Creative Manitoba as a regional arts service body with similar functions, though at a city scale.
• Manitoba Arts Council: Provincial arts council for Manitoba that funds and supports Manitoba artists through grants and programs. Highly comparable to Creative Manitoba as a co-located provincial arts service body with overlapping mandate on the same provincial artist base.

Regional players

• Winnipeg Arts Council: City-level arts council for Winnipeg that funds and supports local artists and arts organizations. Operates in the same city as Creative Manitoba, sharing overlapping constituent base and mandate but at a municipal rather than provincial level.

Broad incumbents

• Canada Council for the Arts: National arts funding and service body of the federal government. Comparable to Creative Manitoba as a higher-tier arts funder that Creative Manitoba's members and partners also engage with; broader in scope but overlapping in advocacy and capacity-building mission.

Others

• Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance: National alliance supporting Indigenous performing arts organizations and professionals in Canada. Comparable as a thematic adjacency to Creative Manitoba's Indigenous programming track, focusing on a specific arts community the Manitoba organization also serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/creativemanitoba.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CreativeManitobaACI
• Facebookfacebook.com/CreativeManitoba
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arts-and-cultural-industries-association-of-manitoba
• Instagraminstagram.com/creativemanitoba

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 the arts and cultural industries association of manitoba