Black Leaders Organizing Communities

What Black Leaders Organizing Communities does

Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) is a Milwaukee-based, community-led nonprofit civic engagement organization serving the Black community in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin. Its mission is to build sustained political power for Black residents through voter registration, voter education, candidate engagement, and issue advocacy on racial equity, criminal justice, voting rights for probationers and parolees, and city-budget priorities including divestment from police funding. The organization operates through door-to-door canvassing and the BLOC Ambassador program, a volunteer structure of trained community organizers supported by a small core staff led by Executive Director Angela Lang, Program Director Keisha Robinson, and Political Director Rick Banks.

BLOC's technology foundation is intentionally conventional and tailored to organizing, not software innovation: field operations run on the Voter Activation Network (VAN) for voter file management, turf cutting, and GOTV data tracking; donations flow through ActBlue across three affiliated entities (BLOC Education Fund, a 501(c)(3); BLOC C4 Election and Issue Advocacy, a 501(c)(4); and BLOC PAC); and petitions and event sign-ups use Change.org, Google Forms, and Pabbly Forms. The notable differentiated program is the Silent Canvass — a 2-3 hour immersive experience in which candidates and elected officials walk the community silently alongside BLOC organizers to experience resident concerns firsthand. The organization also produces advocacy outputs such as the "Still Not Free When They Come Home" report on incarcerated and returning-citizen issues.

BLOC's business model is a nonprofit, contribution-based model operating under fiscal sponsorship by Tides Advocacy (501(c)(4)) and Tides Foundation (501(c)(3)). Revenue streams include one-time and recurring donations to the C4, tax-deductible contributions to the Education Fund, BLOC PAC contributions, a monthly BLOC Membership, and foundation grants (disclosed: Zilber Family Foundation, $25,000 in 2022). All community-facing programs and services are free. Distribution and field reach are channeled through direct field canvassing, coalition-based advocacy with 45+ partner organizations (LiberateMKE, Freedom to Thrive, St. Joe Accountability Coalition), and earned-media coverage in outlets including CNN, Washington Post, NPR, The New Yorker, and MSNBC.

Name

Black Leaders Organizing Communities

Legal name

Black Leaders Organizing for Communities

Website

https://blocbybloc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC) is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit that organizes the Black community in Milwaukee and Wisconsin through voter registration, field canvassing, candidate endorsements, and racial-equity issue advocacy, operating under fiscal sponsorship by Tides Advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement and Community Organizing

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Voter engagement
• Civic advocacy
• Political canvassing
• Grassroots mobilization

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. BLOC Education Fund (501(c)(3)): Tax-deductible donations supporting issue-based organizing not tied to elections or candidates. Examples include organizing around the MPS referendum or voting rights. Fiscally sponsored by Tides Foundation.
2. BLOC C4 Election and Issue Advocacy (501(c)(4)): Donations to hold elected officials accountable and promote community change. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Fiscally sponsored by Tides Advocacy.
3. BLOC PAC: Political Action Committee that promotes and supports candidates aligned with the Black community in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Not formally affiliated with BLOC or BLOC Education Fund.
4. BLOC Membership: Monthly recurring membership donations supporting the organization. Membership donations are C4 contributions and are not eligible for tax exemptions.
5. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from foundations such as Zilber Family Foundation, awarded to support community organizing, civic engagement, and racial equity initiatives in Milwaukee neighborhoods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BLOC is a community-based nonprofit that organizes Black residents in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin through door-to-door canvassing, voter registration, political education, candidate endorsements, and advocacy campaigns. The organization operates a 501(c)(4) advocacy arm, a 501(c)(3) Education Fund, and a Political Action Committee (PAC), delivering services such as the Silent Canvass immersion program for candidates and officials. All community-facing services are free, funded by donations, membership contributions, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) operates as a community organizing and civic engagement organization with a multi-entity structure including a 501(c)(3) Education Fund, a 501(c)(4) advocacy arm, and a Political Action Committee. The organization offers voter engagement programs, candidate endorsement processes, and advocacy campaigns including Freedom to Thrive, St. Joe Accountability Coalition, and Liberate MKE. Key programs include the Silent Canvass immersive experience for political candidates and comprehensive voter registration and education services across Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BLOC Education Fund: A 501(c)(3) organization that allows BLOC to do work focusing on specific issues rather than elections or candidates, such as organizing around the MPS referendum or voting rights.
• BLOC PAC
• BLOC Education Fund

Products and services

• Silent Canvass Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Knocked 10,000+ doors and engaged 1,000+ Milwaukee residents to inform community priorities and policy demands

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Tides AdvocacycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBLOC is a project of Tides Advocacy, a national nonprofit that provides fiscal sponsorship, infrastructure, and support for progressive advocacy organizations. Tides Advocacy serves as the 501(c)(4) fiscal sponsor for BLOC, enabling the organization to operate under its nonprofit status.
• Tides FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTides Foundation serves as the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for the BLOC Education Fund. Donations to the Education Fund are tax-deductible and support issue-based organizing not tied to elections or candidates.
• Center for Popular Democracy Action (CPD/A)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for Popular Democracy Action serves as BLOC's national partner, providing organizing support, resources, and strategic alignment with a network of progressive community organizations across the country.
• LiberateMKE Coalition (45+ partner organizations)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiberateMKE is a coalition led by BLOC and dozens of partner organizations demanding the City of Milwaukee invest $25 million in communities by divesting $25 million from the Milwaukee Police Department. Over 150 people attended budget forums and 45+ organizations participated in campaign actions.
• Freedom to ThriveflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBLOC participates in the Freedom to Thrive campaign, which works to build a world where safety means investment in people and planet and to end punishment-based criminal and immigration systems. BLOC endorses the campaign's agenda for community reinvestment.
• St. Joe Accountability Coalition (SJAC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJAC is a coalition of community groups and unions committed to ensuring St. Joseph Hospital and its parent Ascension Health live up to their obligations as nonprofit institutions. BLOC is a member coalition partner working on healthcare accountability.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Voces de la Frontera: Wisconsin-based community organizing group focused on immigrant rights and worker power with door-to-door canvassing and electoral mobilization - directly comparable as a state-level organizing nonprofit in the same Wisconsin civic ecosystem.
• New Virginia Majority: Statewide community organizing organization building political power among communities of color, young people, and progressives in Virginia through door-knocking and civic engagement - directly analogous in structure and mission.
• Texas Organizing Project (TOP): State-based community organizing nonprofit in Texas focused on Black and Latino civic engagement, voter mobilization, and issue advocacy - same model of relational organizing and electoral accountability in a competitive state.
• Make the Road Action: Multi-state membership-based community organizing group running voter engagement, policy advocacy, and civic leadership programs for Black, Brown, and working-class communities - comparable in relational organizing model and civic engagement focus.
• Communities for a New California (CNC): California-based civic engagement and community organizing nonprofit focused on registering and mobilizing voters of color - directly comparable as a state-level organizing nonprofit with electoral and issue advocacy missions.
• Forward Justice: Research, policy, and organizing organization advancing racial justice in the South with voter mobilization and movement-building programs - directly comparable in race-centered community organizing and electoral strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Popular Democracy Action (CPD/A): National progressive organizing network that includes BLOC as an affiliate; operates across multiple states with policy, organizing, and electoral programs - comparable as the umbrella infrastructure for community-led organizing at national scale.
• Faith in Action: Large national faith-based community organizing network running nonpartisan canvassing, voter registration, and civic engagement campaigns in multiple states - comparable mission and methods at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): National organization mobilizing white people for racial justice through education, base-building, and partnerships with Black-led groups - adjacent racial justice organizing with overlapping coalition activity.

Others

• Tides Foundation / Tides Advocacy: Fiscal sponsor and infrastructure backbone for BLOC's c3 and c4 entities; comparable as the supporting nonprofit ecosystem that enables community-organizing groups to access compliance, HR, and grantmaking infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blocbyblocMKE
• Xx.com/blocbyblocmke

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Leaders Organizing Communities