United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County is a nonprofit arts organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Operating as the designated local arts agency for Wake County, the organization has worked for more than 50 years to grow cultural offerings across the region. United Arts serves all 1.2 million residents of Wake County through grant programs, education initiatives, and community partnerships. The organization employs 8-9 staff members and operates with the tagline "We Make Art Happen."
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.2M
-13.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$368K
-64.8% YoY
Grant Count
33
-50.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
-29.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: To build better communities through support and advocacy of the arts.
Vision: A future where creativity and innovation are nurtured, where art and artists flourish, and where the arts are celebrated as an integral part of the cultural fabric.
Core Values:
- Community: Engaging and collaborating with diverse partners to be responsive to Wake County's needs
- Equity: Ensuring every individual is treated with respect and has access to participate in all dimensions of the organization's work
- Integrity: Demonstrating honesty, transparency, and accountability
- Stewardship: Managing resources responsibly while pursuing increased funds to adapt, innovate, and expand positive impact
Primary Program Areas:
Arts Education: The Council's arts education program supports performances, workshops, residencies, field trips, and professional development for students and educators in Wake County K-12 schools. In the year ended June 30, 2024, the Council supported more than 446 programs by professional teaching artists, 32 field trips, five 10-week internships, and 21 hours of arts integration workshops for teachers across 159 schools in Wake County. The Artists in the Schools program, established for more than 30 years, reaches more than 100,000 Wake school children annually through theatre, dance, and music performances or week-long artist visits.
Community Development: The Council's community development program supports performances, exhibitions, festivals, and art classes for adults and children outside of school settings. In the year ended June 30, 2024, the Council supported 1,052 music, dance, and theater performances, outdoor festivals, and art exhibitions, in addition to 365 art classes and camps for adults and 1,061 for children outside of school.
Community Initiatives: As the designated arts agency, United Arts prioritizes utilizing the arts as a tool for community connection. The organization supports local municipalities through grant making for local arts initiatives including murals, festivals, public art installations, and classes. The Wake Murals program ensures that every municipality in Wake County has a mural installation representing the people, history, and environment unique to each municipality.
Creative Sector Growth: United Arts supports the growth of the local creative sector through grants to arts organizations and artists, and through the IDEAL internship program, providing resources to younger and smaller organizations to offer diverse and creative cultural programming.
Grantmaking
United Arts distributes grants to schools, Wake municipalities, artists, and arts organizations in support of arts programming.
Review Cycle
. Applications for 2026 Artist Support Grants are open.
Grant Types
Ready to take the next step with United Arts Council of Raleigh?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Wake County, North Carolina, with particular emphasis on serving all 1.2 million residents across the county's municipalities and emerging population centers. The organization works with 159 schools in Wake County and supports arts initiatives in all Wake County municipalities.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Financial Data (2024):
- Total Revenues: $2,166,668
- Total Expenses: $2,209,859
- Total Assets: $1,381,832
Previous Year Data (2023):
- Revenue: $2.25M
- Expenses: $2.15M
- Total Assets: $1.24M
- Total Liabilities: $88.4k
Organization Status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt since May 1966. The organization is required to file IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ annually.
Rating: The organization holds a Four-Star rating (96%) from independent charity evaluators, reflecting strong accountability and financial practices.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,200,087 | $1,381,832 | $1,244,176 |
| Revenue | $1,905,497 | $2,166,668 | $2,248,784 |
| Expenses | $2,004,579 | $2,209,859 | $2,149,392 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $48,171 | $19,512 | $31,615 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
220 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
President: Jennifer McEwen
Development Coordinator: Ms. Laura Montgomery (Fundraising Contact)
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JENNIFER MCEWEN | PRESIDENT | 40 | $114,050 |
| CINDY BOTTS | VP OF FINANC | 20 | $48,704 |
| CHANDA BRANCH | CHAIR | 0.5 | — |
| HEATHER GRAY | VICE CHAIR | 0.5 | — |
| HAZEL EDMOND | TREASURER | 0.5 | — |
| JASMIN CRUELL | SECRETARY | 0.5 | — |
| SLEE ARNOLD | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| LYMAN COLLINS | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| LIZETTE CRUZ WATKO | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| JAMIE DAWSON | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| SEAN GARGAN | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| LORNA KNICK | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| WEST LUDWIG | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| SETH PALMER | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| JOHN SAMUEL | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| JEANNIE SOLLARS | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| ANNA TISON | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| SHANA TUCKER | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| MICHELE TYLKA | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| JESSICA WEST | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**Arts in Communities Program Launch (October 2025):** United Arts announced the launch of Arts in Communities, a new initiative that delivers arts programming to aging and healing populations.
**2025 High School Spoken Word Contest (December 2025):** United Arts partnered with the Raleigh Fine Arts Society and spoken word artist Dasan to announce winners of the 2025 High School Spoken Word Contest.
2026 Artist Support Grant Applications Now Open \u2013 United Arts Wake\**2026 Artist Support Grant Applications:** Applications are currently open for the 2026 Artist Support Grants program.
2026 Artist Support Grant Applications Now Open \u2013 United Arts Wake\**Economic Impact:** The nonprofit arts and culture industry in Wake County generated $543.3 million in economic activity in 2022, with nonprofit arts and culture organizations accounting for $192 million in spending and generating $351.3 million in event-related spending.
Contact Information
Address: 410 Glenwood Ave, Suite 170, Raleigh, NC 27603-1292
Mailing Address: PO Box 26388, Raleigh, NC 27611
Phone: (919) 839-1498
Website: www.unitedarts.org
EIN: 56-0770175
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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