Our Business Model

Fractured Atlas's business model is based on a mix of earned and contributed revenue. The model we have developed helps ensure that Fractured Atlas remains a resilient organization, squarely focused on the needs of the community.

Our Approach

In addition to evaluating decisions at Fractured Atlas on their alignment with our mission, strategic goals, core values, or financial impact, we also use the below anchors as lenses towards decision-making:

• Foster a diverse portfolio of activities and revenue streams
• Aggregate and share knowledge and ideas
• Cultivate a right-sized, values-aligned staff
• Build and leverage technology to serve both members and staff

Revenue in a Nutshell

• By design, our core operations are sustained by earned revenue drawn from membership dues and program fees.
  • We believe that if the services we provide create real value for our members, then they will be willing to pay a reasonable amount for them.
  • This approach also provides a built-in evaluation gauge for our work, meaning that our members will tell us — quickly and unambiguously with their buying power — whether our work is having a positive impact on their lives.
• Seed funding for organizational growth, including new program development and the expansion of existing programs' scope, comes primarily from grants made by institutional and/or government funders.

• Where appropriate to our mission, Fractured Atlas initiates special projects of finite duration. Because these projects may have great impact on the field but little opportunity for earned income, they are generally grant-funded.

• When grant funding for growth or special projects is unavailable, we may elect to draw from our Strategic Opportunities Fund (a Board-designated reserve fund built and maintained by a portion of annual operating surpluses) or, if possible, finance them from operating revenue.

Programs, Services, & Activities

Since its founding, Fractured Atlas has worn a number of hats: production company, space finder for artists, insurance provider, technology platform, and more. Right now, we identify as a nonprofit arts service organization. Who do we serve, you ask? 

Fractured Atlas serves a diverse community of artists across a range of creative disciplines. Our programs and services are designed to help our members navigate within the cultural ecosystem through providing assistance with necessary elements of the creative business. Fractured Atlas offers the below services to help meet a wide range of member needs:

Core Programs

• Fiscal Sponsorship provides the means for independent artists or unincorporated groups to apply for funding and receive tax-deductible contributions. The fiscal sponsorship model often serves the long-term needs of arts groups aiming to become institutions better than the traditional path of applying for 501(c)(3) status on their own behalf.
  • Fiscal Sponsorship also gives artists the opportunity to run crowdfunding campaigns with Fundraising by Fractured Atlas
• Artist Visa Letters: For international artists needing an O or P visa to work in the United States, Fractured Atlas provides letters of consultation/no objection that vouch for their artistic excellence.

Nurturing Artist Entrepreneurs

• Professional Development: Fractured Atlas’s website contains a robust library of professional development resources such as Inciter Art. Additionally, there is a robust Knowledge Base giving in depth information about our policies, procedures, and resources to empower creativity.
• The Creative Outpost: The Creative Outpost is an online community built for our members to connect and share insights with each other. 

Fractured Atlas also believes that being a part of the cultural sector means doing what we can to strengthen it, which means sharing our knowledge and resources where we can with other cultural institutions and leaders.

• Transparency and Learning Initiatives: Fractured Atlas has long recognized the virtues of making smart decisions quickly, and seeks to share practices of effective management and strategy as widely as possible both within the organization and across the broader arts field. Fractured Atlas aggregates and shares knowledge, best practices, and insights with the rest of the field through workshops, speaking engagements, conference programming, and blog posts.