A Bitcoin-funded fundraiser for the arts.
A one-day, 4.5-hour Bitcoin podcast livestream featuring 21 artists, leading into one in-person night at Pubkey DC, Washington, DC. September 2026 — the first 501(c)(3) Bitcoin arts benefit.
Art + Zap Weekend
Art + Zap Weekend is a Bitcoin-funded fundraiser for Bitcoin For The Arts, our 501(c)(3) that funds artists nationwide through quarterly Bitcoin micro-grants. The event has two halves: a one-day, 4.5-hour livestream featuring 21 artists across music, dance, theater, visual art, film, writing, and storytelling — hosted by Bitcoin podcasters and broadcast on YouTube, X, and Nostr — leading into one in-person night at Pubkey DC in Washington, DC with live performance, a silent art auction, and a Broadway-caliber headliner. A handful of the stream’s 21 artists also perform live at the Pubkey night.
Audience donations route to BFTA and flow through our public 55/30/10/5 allocation. Featured artists also receive 100% of any optional direct tips sent to their personal Lightning addresses during their livestream segments and at the in-person night.
Why this matters
Federal arts funding is collapsing. The NEA was targeted for elimination in two consecutive federal budgets. State arts appropriations are projected to drop 7.7% nationally for FY2026. Artists are being told that the institutional funding model they depend on is no longer reliable.
Bitcoin and the Lightning Network make a non-state-dependent arts funding model possible for the first time. We are the first 501(c)(3) building it. Sponsors at this event are written into the founding narrative.
Sponsorship tiers
9 slots totalAll tiers are payable in USD (card / wire / ACH) or Bitcoin (on-chain or Lightning). Bitcoin For The Arts, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3); all sponsorships are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
- Co-branding: "Art + Zap Weekend, presented by [Sponsor]"
- Persistent on-screen logo throughout the 4.5-hour livestream
- 5-minute branded segment during the livestream
- Title billing on the in-person night at Pubkey DC
- Persistent on-stage branding + stage banner + step-and-repeat at the in-person night
- Title billing on all event collateral (digital + print) and post-event recap
- 6 reserved seats / VIP table at the in-person night
- Named silent-auction lot ("The [Sponsor Name] Lot")
- 6 dedicated co-promotion social posts before, during, and after
- Permanent listing in BFTA 2026 transparency report and Sponsors page
- Rotating on-screen logo throughout the livestream
- Logo on the live donation / zap overlay during the stream
- Logo on signage at the in-person night
- Brief on-stage thank-you with sponsor logo card at the in-person night
- 3 reserved seats at the in-person night
- 3 dedicated co-promotion social posts
- Listing in BFTA 2026 transparency report
- Logo on the rotating sponsor card during the livestream
- Hosts read sponsor name in a thank-you scroll during the stream
- Logo on signage at the in-person night
- 1 reserved seat at the in-person night
- 1 dedicated co-promotion social post around the event
- Listing on BFTA Sponsors page
In-kind sponsorship
Credited dollar-for-dollarIn-kind contributions are credited dollar-for-dollar at the corresponding tier. We strongly encourage Bitcoin-native businesses, hardware vendors, and creative-services providers who can give in-kind.
On-site sound + lighting at the Pubkey DC in-person night (~$2,000–$4,000 value).
Coverage of the livestream and the in-person night + edited recap reel (~$2,000–$4,000 value).
A great fit for any hardware vendor who wants to put their device in the hands of working artists who will talk about it on the livestream (~$1,000–$3,000 value).
Bar tab, beer/wine, or light food at the in-person night (~$2,000–$5,000 value).
Step-and-repeat, posters, printed sponsor signage for the in-person night (~$500–$1,500 value).
Hotel rooms or travel for performing artists at the in-person night (~$1,500–$5,000 value).
Hardware wallets, art prints, services, experiences for the in-person auction. Each donor publicly named.
How donations flow
Honest framing: this is a fundraiser FOR Bitcoin For The Arts, not a real-time direct-patronage event. Audience donations route to BFTA and feed our nationwide quarterly artist micro-grant cycle. Featured artists also receive 100% of any optional direct tips sent to their personal Lightning addresses during their livestream segments and at the in-person night.
Why sponsors care
- First-mover story
Sponsors are written into the founding narrative of an arts-funding model built on Bitcoin rails.
- Permanent on-brand content
Logos visible on every event clip and recap on YouTube, X, and Nostr — long after the event.
- High-signal audience
Bitcoin + arts overlap = high-intent, high-net-worth, deeply loyal to brands that show up early.
- Tax-deductible
501(c)(3) with public governance, on-chain transparency, and EIN 41-2642260.
Email us to start a conversation, request the full sponsor proposal, or ask about in-kind opportunities. We respond within 24 hours.