Every participant gets a job and a paintbrush
Youth research and select the issue, work with subject-matter experts to understand it, then take on a real role — ambassador, coordinator, fundraiser, scout — with visible responsibility.
501(c)(3) nonprofit · since 1989
$100 is a gallon of paint. That is forty square feet of a kid’s neighborhood.
Young people pick the issue, take a real role, and make public art alongside professional artists.
Individual giving is the smallest share of how CITYarts is funded and the one with the most room to grow — which is why a monthly gift is worth more than its size suggests. Murals take a season; budgets take a year.
380+projectscompleted since 1989as reported in CITYarts' FY26 grant filings
100,000+youthhave made work with CITYartsas reported by CITYarts across four organisational documents
600+artistsprofessional artists collaborated withas reported in CITYarts' Organizational History
80%+of participantsfrom underserved BIPOC communities or economically disadvantagedas reported in CITYarts' FY26 grant filings
Those numbers are made of gallons of paint, boxes of pencils and tiles. Pick one.
Give nowEvery line, exactly
What each amount pays for
No overhead percentages, no vague “supports our mission.” These are the things CITYarts buys.
| Gift | Buys | Which means |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | A box of colored pencils | for one young artist |
| $25 | A pack of large brushes | the ones that cover a wall |
| $50 | A gallon of graffiti coating | so the mural survives the street |
| $100 | A gallon of outdoor mural paint | roughly forty square feet of wall |
| $250 | Tiles and grout | for youth restoring a mosaic |
| $500 | A photographer for a day | so the work is documented and shareable |
| $1,000 | A day of volunteers | connecting with local youth |
| $2,000 | An exhibition of youth artwork | their work, on a real wall, in public |
For institutions
Corporate, foundation and major gifts
Gifts above the amounts on this page are arranged directly, not through a form. CITYarts co-brands walls, schools and traveling exhibitions, and reports on youth reached, square footage completed and press generated.
Multi-year commitmentSponsor a wall, a school or a city over two to five years, with reporting against the outcomes your institution is accountable for.
Donor-advised fundRecommend a grant through your DAF using the legal name and EIN below.
Stock or wire transferAsk for transfer instructions — appreciated securities are accepted.
BequestCITYarts can be named in a will or trust using the legal name and EIN below.
Talk to a person
REPLACE — named development contact
CITYarts, Inc. · REPLACE — EIN
REPLACE — mailing address, New York, NY
For artists
Work with us
CITYarts projects are led by professional artists working alongside young people. Every mural and mosaic on this site was made with an artist in the room.
For schools and young people
Bring a project to your school
Schools and community organisations host CITYarts projects. Young people research and select the issue, then take a real role in making the work — CITYarts brings the artist, the materials and the process.
Not ready to give today?
Leave a way to reach you.
A mural takes a season. We will tell you when this one is finished, and we will not sell your address to anyone, ever.
How it works
Three things that happen on every project
Art becomes the conversation where words are not enough
A mural or a mosaic says what words may not be able to convey. It sparks dialogue locally between youth and neighbors — and globally, where murals on opposite sides of the world speak to the same theme.
A sustained practice, not a one-off
Not a single workshop or a single grant cycle — a sustained creative practice, project by project, that changes a young person's trajectory and leaves a lasting mark on their community.
Recently finished
Where the last gallon went
In their words
The young people who painted them
The artist did not just teach us to paint. He taught us to live together, to work together, and help one another.Jennifer, age 14
CITYarts gave me purpose to come to school because I wanted to finish my creation.Mike, age 14
I've learned how to mix colors and how specific colors can have such a huge impact. It's taught me how to work with other people.Nicassey, age 16
Not here to give?
See exactly whose life you're changing.Give now →Your gift funds a specific mural, made by a specific kid whose story you can follow.We deliver what you're accountable for.Partner with us →CITYarts translates the creative process into the outcomes that matter to you and your institution.Your craft, put to work for something bigger.Work with us →A craft-first collaboration where your skill directly shapes what a young person believes is possible.Your story. Your say. Your wall.Join a project →You pick the issue. You have a role. You help make something the whole neighborhood will see.
About
Youth and professional artists, making public art with real ownership.
When kids create art, they create meaning — and a place for themselves in the world. CITYarts gives youth real ownership of public art, made alongside professional artists, that turns creative expression into dialogue within communities and across them. The result isn't a single mural or a single season — it's a sustained practice that changes the artists who make it, and the places that hold what they made.
When kids create, they don't destroy — they inspire us all.Tsipi Ben-Haim, Founder, Creative & Executive Director
We don't just create murals, mosaics, and sculptures - we ignite transformation.Tsipi Ben-Haim · Founder, Executive & Creative Director
- CITYarts archives are held by the New-York Historical Society.
- Contributor to Vision for the Future, a Global Partnerships Forum book inspired by the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
- Honorary Member, Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators.
- Featured by NYU Arts and Sciences as an alumna.