African Community Center of Denver

What African Community Center of Denver does

The African Community Center of Denver (ACC) is a private non-profit refugee resettlement and integration services organization founded in 1984 and headquartered at 925 South Niagara Street in Denver, Colorado. ACC operates as a regional office of the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), one of only nine federally designated national refugee resettlement agencies in the United States, which gives ACC direct access to the federal Reception & Placement (R&P) Program, Match Grant Program, NRPP Program for Nauru and Papua New Guinea arrivals, and the Preferred Communities Program for vulnerable populations. ACC served a record 1,350 refugees and immigrants in 2023, a 30% year-over-year increase and a 750% increase from 2019, with origin countries spanning Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Venezuela, Uganda, and Nauru/Papua New Guinea.

ACC's core service line is structured around three tiers: (1) up to 90 days of basic reception and resettlement support for newly arrived refugees; (2) up to five years of case management and employment services; and (3) specialized integration programs branded as We Made This (therapeutic sewing/arts program for refugee women), Driving Opportunity (women-led multilingual driving school), and Ready for American Hospitality or RAH (a five-week hospitality career training program run three times per year in coordination with the University of Denver Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management and Sage Hospitality Group as primary employer of graduates). ACC also provides immigration legal services (anchored by its first in-house Immigration Attorney hired in 2022), tax assistance, transitional housing (a studio apartment leased in partnership with Mile High United Way), and a structured volunteer ecosystem including First Friends (six-month one-on-one volunteer pairing), Co-Sponsorship (nine-month, $3,000+ commitment by community teams of at least seven), and Nest a Home (one-time apartment furnishing).

ACC's business model is a hybrid of federal government contracts (R&P, Match Grant, NRPP, Preferred Communities) and philanthropic funding (individual donations, corporate giving, foundation grants such as Rose Community Foundation, in-kind donations, and partner-voucher programs with arc Thrift Stores and More Better Bikes). All services to refugees are provided free of charge. The organization employs over 60 full-time staff collectively speaking nearly 30 languages, with more than half of staff drawn from refugee or immigrant backgrounds, which serves as the primary operational asset. ACC's reach is regional, confined to Colorado, and its existence is contingent on federal refugee admissions policy, a risk the organization explicitly acknowledges on its homepage amid recent changes to U.S. resettlement policy.

Name

African Community Center of Denver

Legal name

African Community Center of Denver

Website

https://acc-den.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

African Community Center of Denver is a non-profit refugee resettlement agency providing reception, case management, employment, legal, and integration services to refugees and immigrants in Colorado. Operating under the ECDC network, it served 1,350+ clients in 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Resettlement Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee Reception & Registration (BPADAHAA), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Refugee resettlement services
• Immigrant integration programs
• Employment placement services
• Immigration legal services
• Community sponsorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Financial Contributions: ACC accepts financial donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donations are used to provide basic needs for refugee families including utilities, emergency rent payments, and innovative integration programs.
2. Government Grants and Federal Programs: ACC operates federal Reception & Placement Program and Match Grant Program through ECDC. For FY2023, ACC anticipated serving up to 550 individuals through the R&P Program. Also operates NRPP Program for refugees from Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
3. In-Kind Donations: ACC accepts in-kind donations including furniture, household items, winter coats, and Amazon Wishlist items that are redistributed to refugee families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACC provides free, comprehensive refugee resettlement services in Colorado — including up to 90 days of Reception & Placement support, up to 5 years of case management and employment services, immigration legal services, tax assistance, and signature integration programs (We Made This sewing program, Driving Opportunity driving school, and Ready for American Hospitality career training). The organization is a regional affiliate of the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies in the US.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• We Made This: A therapeutic arts and sewing program for refugee women, providing weekly classes for 12 weeks where participants create items sold at craft fairs, with participants receiving a portion of sales and those completing the program receiving a free sewing machine.
• Driving Opportunity
• Ready for American Hospitality (RAH)
• Nest a Home
• First Friends
• Co-Sponsorship Program

Products and services

• Resettlement Services Federal Reception & Placement program delivered via ECDC, providing up to 90 days of basic resettlement support plus up to 5 years of case management and employment services for newly arrived refugees in Colorado.
• Employment Services Job development and placement service matching refugee candidates (varying English levels, educational backgrounds, work histories, and career goals) with employer staffing needs, focused on self-sufficiency through employment.
• Immigration Legal Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 1,350 refugees and immigrants in 2023 (30% increase from 2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mile High United WayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022New partnership resulted in ACC signing a lease on a studio apartment for transitional housing. Newly arrived refugee community members can access temporary housing while staff works to secure permanent housing.
• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACC is a local office of ECDC, one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies. ECDC provides organizational oversight, federal program coordination, and the Community Sponsorship Catalyst Fund. ECDC was one of only eight initial grantees of the Community Sponsorship Catalyst Fund.
• University of Denver - Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for Ready for American Hospitality (RAH) program. Refugee participants are paired with DU students from the Human Capital Management course. Program held three times per year, each cohort meets for five weeks. DU students benefit from service learning while refugees receive hospitality career training.
• Sage Hospitality GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge hospitality company that now offers job placements to the vast majority of RAH program participants. Represents major employment pathway for ACC refugee clients completing hospitality training.
• arc Thrift StoresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACC provides refugee families with vouchers that can be used as gift cards at arc stores. Families have the opportunity to decide what they need most and choose their own household items, furniture, and clothing, restoring agency and independence.
• Colorado Refugee Speakers BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization promoting multicultural exchange through storytelling. ACC refugee community members serve as speakers for various events, sharing their experiences and promoting cultural understanding.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants (USCRI)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerACC began partnership with USCRI in July 2022 to provide legal services specifically to Afghan evacuees.
• More Better BikesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide free bikes to refugee community members along with lessons. ACC organizes Bike Day events where refugees receive bikes and cycling instruction.
• Calvary Bible ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for donation drives. Church organized drive contributing 24 linens donation bins and 50 backpacks with school supplies.
• V forge, Inc. and Gate GourmetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal employers recognized at ACC's Employer Appreciation Event for partnering with ACC and hiring refugee community members. Both received awards for their refugee hiring programs.
• Salvation Army, FEMA, Colorado Refugee State Program, Team Rubicon, Americorps NCCC, Just Serve, Habitat for Humanity, International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Family ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for statewide Afghan evacuee response in 2022. Shared warehouse space operational January-April during highest period of Afghan arrivals. Multi-agency coordination for refugee support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): One of nine national VOLAGs operating the federal Reception & Placement Program; IRC has a Denver office providing resettlement, employment, and integration services to refugees — directly competing with ACC for federal contracts and clients in the same metro.
• Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains: Refugee resettlement agency serving Colorado with R&P, employment, and case management services; directly comparable operating model and Denver-area service area, competing for the same federal per-capita funding pool.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): National refugee resettlement agency already partnered with ACC (Afghan legal services partnership); operates similar R&P, employment, and integration programs in competing geographies and shares federal contracting infrastructure.
• Catholic Charities of Denver: Provides refugee resettlement, employment, and case management services in the Denver metro; competes for the same federal R&P funding, employer partnerships, and refugee client base as ACC.

Broad incumbents

• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC): ACC's parent organization and one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies; operates additional affiliate sites across the U.S. and provides the federal contracting umbrella under which ACC operates.
• HIAS: Jewish-American refugee resettlement agency and one of the nine federal VOLAGs; provides comparable Reception & Placement, legal services, and integration support nationally, with overlapping funding sources.
• Church World Service: One of nine national refugee resettlement VOLAGs providing R&P and integration services across multiple states; competes with ACC for federal refugee admissions allocations and shares the same funding mechanism.

Regional players

• Jewish Family Service of Colorado: Colorado-based nonprofit offering refugee resettlement, employment services, and integration support in the Denver metro; directly comparable service portfolio and target population in the same geographic market.

Emerging players

• Upwardly Global: National nonprofit focused on workforce integration for immigrants and refugees with professional backgrounds; comparable employment-services mission and target population, but with a narrower professional/credentialed segment focus.

Others

• Refugee Council USA: Coalition of U.S. refugee resettlement agencies and advocates that influences federal policy on refugee admissions ceilings — directly shapes the funding environment in which ACC and its peers operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecdc-african-community-center-of-denver

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about African Community Center of Denver