irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $824KTEEN PROGRAMS WE WORKED WITH 809 STUDENTS COMING FROM 144 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS DURING ARTSCONNECTION'S OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME TEEN PROGRAMS. PROGRAMS PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTIC EXPRESSION, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND BUILDING CAREER PATHS IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES. TEENS HAS THEIR WORKS FRAMED FOR PROFESSIONAL EXHIBITIONS, LEARNED TO BUILD CRITICAL ANALYSIS SKILLS IN THE ARTS, WHILE CREATING ORIGINAL WRITTEN, VISUAL, PERFORMATIVE, AND/OR MULTIMEDIA WORK IN RESPONSE; STUDYING CURATION AND PRODUCING AN ART EXHIBITION; INDIVIDUAL SKILL-BUILDING IN THE ARTS; PAID INTERNSHIPS AND APPRENTICESHIPS; AND AN ARTS-FOCUSED COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PROGRAM.
named programs · 8 · from sources
What they call their work
Art2Art
Partnership program, e.g., with Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, where teens create visual art responses exhibited at the theater.
High 5 Tickets
Distributes free and deeply discounted tickets to cultural events for teens, expanding access to NYC’s professional arts venues.
Pizza and a Movie
Informal film-viewing and discussion events for teens, combining media engagement with critical dialogue.
Student Art Program
Exhibits student artwork in the offices of corporate sponsors, providing professional exposure.
Teen Advisory Council
10-month leadership program where students develop and lead arts programming initiatives.
Teen Programs
Out-of-school-time programs for NYC teens offering artistic expression, critical analysis, multimedia creation, exhibition curation, and career development in the arts. Includes paid internships, college readiness, and collaborative projects with cultural institutions.
Teen Reviewers and Critics (TRAC)
10-week writing and arts-going course led by professional journalists, training teens in arts criticism and analysis.
The JAR
Publication platform for teens’ writing about the arts, fostering voice and critical engagement.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Community Art Education Workshops 2 activities
- Arts Education Workshops and Student Engagement InitiativesDelivers over 4,200 workshops annually in schools and community centers to foster creative expression, critical thinking, and artistic skill development. Includes initiatives such as student-led programming (Teen Advisory Council), journalism-led arts criticism (TRAC), film discussions (Pizza and a Movie), collaborative art projects with Broadway productions like "Dear Evan Hansen" (Art2Art), and publication of teen writing (The JAR).
- In-School Arts Education ProgramsProvides hands-on arts education in dance, music, theater, visual arts, literary arts, and media arts taught by working artists within New York City public schools across all five boroughs. Partners with over 120 schools annually to integrate the arts into student learning and development, serving tens of thousands of students each year, including over 12,000 students across 85 schools during the 2024–2025 school year.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Annual Steelpan FestivalHosts the annual Steelpan Festival at Brooklyn College, a public event celebrating Caribbean musical culture through performance and community engagement, with the second festival held on June 3, 2026.
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Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
- Arts Education Advocacy and Public Policy EngagementEngages in advocacy by participating in public policy initiatives and city-level funding announcements, such as the NYC Council's funding initiative for arts instruction announced on March 2, 2025, to advance the role of arts in public education.
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Performing Arts Ticket Access Programs 1 activity
- Culture Access and Ticket Distribution ProgramProvides free and reduced-price tickets to cultural performances and venues for students through the Culture Connected program and the HIGH 5 initiative, increasing access to NYC’s cultural resources and enabling deeper engagement with the city’s arts institutions.
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Arts Education Professional Development 1 activity
- Educator Professional Development and Capacity BuildingOffers extensive professional development programs for classroom teachers, arts specialists, and teaching artists, along with online resources to support and enrich the field of arts education, strengthening instructional capacity across the sector.
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Comprehensive K–12 Arts Education 1 activity
- Out-of-School-Time Arts Programs for TeensOffers comprehensive out-of-school-time programs for NYC teens focused on artistic expression, leadership development, experiential learning, and career pathways in the creative industries. These programs served 809 students from 144 schools in a recent reporting year and expanded to 912 teens in fiscal year 2024, providing opportunities in original artwork creation, exhibitions, critical analysis, internships, apprenticeships, and college readiness.
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Research and Scholarly Fellowship Support 1 activity
- Research on Arts in EducationConducts research on the role of the arts in student learning, supported by six major research grants from the U.S. Department of Education, contributing to evidence-based practices in arts education.
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Arts and Cultural Workforce Training 1 activity
- Student Art Exhibitions and Career DevelopmentSupports teens in creating and exhibiting original written, visual, performative, and multimedia work; produces art exhibitions in corporate offices and public spaces; and offers paid internships and apprenticeships to build career readiness in the creative industries.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.00M
Contributions & grants$2.58M64%
Program service revenue$1.42M36%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$4K
expenses
Total expenses$3.85M
Program expenses76%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising13%
Salaries & benefits$2.76M
Grants paid out$56K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.62M
Cash$404K
Investments$0
Liabilities$586K
Net assets$1.04M
Liquid reserves1.3 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +12.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RACHEL WATTS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 35 | $184K |
| EDISSON MARMOLEJO | SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR FINANCE | 35 | $123K |
| KEITH KAMINSKI | DEP DIR PLANNING AND OPS | 35 | $117K |
board members · 22
- ADA CINIGLIO — BOARD MEMBER
- ALICE WONG — BOARD MEMBER
- CAROLINE KIM — BOARD MEMBER
- DAVID MONN — BOARD MEMBER
- DEBRA PELTZ — CHAIRMAN
- EMILY FORD — BOARD MEMBER
- ERICA FRIEDMAN — BOARD MEMBER
- IRIS LIOR POSTERNACK — BOARD MEMBER
- LAURIE COMBO — EX OFFICIO
- LINDA LEROY JANKLOW — FOUNDING CHAIRMAN
- LISA PLEPLER — CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
- LOUISE HARTWELL WHITE — BOARD MEMBER
- LYNNE S KATZMANN — BOARD MEMBER
- MARCELLA GIFT — BOARD MEMBER
- NDUKA NWANKWO — BOARD MEMBER
- OMAR PEREZ — BOARD MEMBER
- PATRICIA MORRIS CAREY — BOARD MEMBER
- ROBERT A PRUZAN — VICE CHAIRMAN
- ROBERT W DOWNES — TREASURER
- RUSS JONES — BOARD MEMBER
- THEODORE S BERGER — SECRETARY
- YASHVARDHAN JAIN — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 37
Who they work with
- Allstate Foundation Funder — Corporate foundation providing financial support.
- Altman Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Centerview Partners Funder — Corporate entity providing financial support.
- Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- ConEdison Funder — Corporate entity providing financial support.
- Dear Evan Hansen Partner — Collaborated with the musical "Dear Evan Hansen" through the Art2Art program, enabling teens to create original visual art responses exhibited at the theater.
- ELM Foundation Partner — Provides in-kind donations to support ArtsConnection's work.
- Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Hyde and Watson Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Isabel Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- JPMorgan Chase Foundation Funder — Corporate foundation providing financial support.
- Jane Henson Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Keith Haring Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Kornfeld Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support for arts programming.
- Museum of Art and Design Partner — Provides in-kind donations to support ArtsConnection's work.
- NYC Council Government — Collaborated with ArtsConnection on the announcement of a $4 million arts instruction funding initiative.
- NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Government — City agency providing funding support for youth and community programs.
- National Endowment for the Arts Government — Federal arts funding agency providing financial support.
- New York City Board of Education Government — Founding partner of ArtsConnection, along with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYC Youth Bureau.
- New York City Department Cultural Affairs Government — Municipal government agency providing public funds for arts programming.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Founding partner of ArtsConnection, along with the NYC Youth Bureau and NYC Board of Education.
- New York City Department of Education Government — Partnered with ArtsConnection to deliver arts education programs in public schools.
- New York City Youth Bureau Government — Founding partner of ArtsConnection, along with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYC Board of Education.
- New York Public Library Partner — Provides in-kind donations to support ArtsConnection's work.
- New York State Council on the Arts Government — State-level arts funding agency providing financial support.
- Pinkerton Foundation Funder — Private foundation providing financial support.
- Queens Museum Partner — Collaborated with ArtsConnection on student art exhibitions and interdisciplinary workshops.
- Sony Corporation of America Funder — Corporate entity providing financial support.
- Sony Music Group Funder — Corporate entity providing financial support.
+ 7 more
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Arts Integration with Teaching Artistsmethodology: arts-integrationBy embedding working artists into classrooms through long-term partnerships, we enhance student engagement and academic learning because authentic, discipline-based arts experiences deepen understanding and make learning more relevant.
- Culturally Inclusive and Equitable Arts Educationmethodology: culturally_inclusive_arts_educationBy integrating diverse global art forms and research-based practices into programming, we create socially just learning environments because cultural representation and equity in arts access strengthen student identity, literacy, and collaboration.
- Student-Centered Inquiry Through the Artsmethodology: inquiry-based-learningBy using inquiry-based, project-based learning rooted in students' lived experiences, we build critical thinking, self-confidence, and agency because sustained creative work grounded in personal and social relevance fosters deeper engagement and ownership of learning.