AN EDUCATED GUESS
We help nonprofits, arts organizations, creative leaders, and artists articulate what they’re actually about, then build the revenue, governance, operating systems, and career roadmaps to sustain it.
Most nonprofits chase funding that often doesn’t align with their work. We help organizations get clear on their story first, then design revenue models—major gifts, sponsorships, earned income, cash flow planning—that grow from what they’re truly about, not what funders want to hear.
Strategic plans end up in drawers. We help turn strategy into daily operations: designing organizational structure, building realistic staffing plans and budgets, setting meaningful metrics, and creating the operating rhythm that makes plans real instead of aspirational.
When boards and management aren’t aligned, the gap between strategy and execution only widens. We help clarify who decides what, create meeting rhythms that actually work, and sync leadership around what matters—bridging the gap between strategy and execution.
For artists and creatives who’ve realized that staying busy isn’t the same as building the career they actually want. We help articulate their story and what they’re truly about—then define what sustainable means for them. From there, we design income, positioning, and opportunity pipeline around purpose and joy, not just money.
ANDRE KIMO STONE GUESS is a nonprofit and arts executive, cultural strategist, and artist manager with 30+ years of experience helping organizations align mission, revenue, governance, and operations. He has served as Vice President and Producer at Jazz at Lincoln Center, President & CEO of the August Wilson Center, and President & CEO of Fund for the Arts.
CHERYL PETERSON GUESS is an artist relations and management professional with 15+ years of experience supporting artists through high-trust partnership, coordination, and execution. She specializes in artist management, artist relations, and artist logistics—travel and itinerary coordination, hospitality, scheduling, and on-the-ground support.
Signature Initiatives (Fund for the Arts):
I Am An Artist
(i-am-an-artist.com)
— Spearheaded and developed a citywide initiative that uses storytelling to help people see themselves as part of the arts ecosystem.
Cultural Pass App (culturalpass.app) — Spearheaded the development of a digital platform for a longstanding cultural access program (11 years analog before the app).
Foundations + Institutions: Obama Foundation; The Pew Charitable Trusts; William Penn Foundation; Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Aspen Institute.
Theater + Performing Arts: Signature Theatre; MCC Theater; Manhattan Theatre Club; New York City Opera.
Music + Cultural Organizations: Jazz at Lincoln Center; Jazz House KiDS; John and Alice Coltrane Home; Jazz Workshop, Inc. (Estate of Charles Mingus); Orchestra of St. Luke’s; Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra; Soulful Symphony; Wynton Marsalis Enterprises, Inc.; Brooklyn Music School; The Jazz Groove.
International: The Esplanade (Singapore).
Individual Artists: Christian McBride; Aaron Diehl; Sean Jones; Warren Wolf; Nicholas Payton; Marc Cary; Mark Whitfield; Todd Williams; The Baylor Project; Keyon Harrold; Jerome Jennings.
Email: admin [at] aneducatedguess [dot] org
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