Future Impact

Future Arts is a women-led non-profit on a mission to place artists at the forefront of technology in Seattle and globally. Their programs fit into three main areas: public art events, youth education, and artist residencies at tech companies. In 2025, their programming will center on the theme “Other Earth” — delving into the intersections of art, technology and nature. 

Yuliya and her co-founders were inspired to create Future Arts in 2021, based in part on the City of Seattle’s 2019 Creative Economy Reports and other consecutive research around it. Despite boasting a vibrant arts scene, the report showed that Seattle has the highest wage gap between the arts and computer occupations across the country, with workers in tech making roughly $48/hour on average and workers in the arts making roughly $11/hour. In 2024, the Seattle Times reported that wages for Seattle’s tech workers were higher than ever, with the median annual salary for tech workers at around $157,000. 

Since their founding, Future Arts’ has received funding one project at a time. In the past few years, they’ve received support from the Paul G Allen Community Accelerator Arts Fund, Downtown Seattle Association, and recently the historic Doors Open Grant. They have created large-scale commissioned artworks, such as with Cornish College of the Arts students, and acquired sponsorships for various public exhibitions. While excellent for supporting pilot projects and new efforts, this funding model has not covered their operational costs, which has largely been donated time by the founders and a volunteering program. Future Arts is currently focused on establishing repeatable programming and future-forward team planning to ensure #FairWagesFor all funding models in the non-profit ecosystem and solid benefits that would create a secure team core.