Be Present

What Be Present does

Be Present, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 (with roots in a 1983 workshop by Lillie P. Allen at Spelman College) that delivers social justice leadership development through a proprietary methodology called the Be Present Empowerment Model® (BPEM). The BPEM is a three-realm framework, Know Yourself Outside the Distress of Oppression, Listen to Others in a Conscious and Present State, and Build Effective Relationships and Sustain True Alliances, deployed through in-person retreats, multi-day training institutes, peer-led support groups of 3-5 people, and 18-month cohort programs. The product portfolio is organized into Legacy Leadership Programs (Black & Female: What is the Reality?®, Sisters & Allies®), Family Engagement Programs, Training Institutes, the Be Present Consulting Consortium (organizational consulting), and the signature Black & Female weekend retreat limited to 50 participants.

The organization serves a mixed customer base: individual participants (primarily Black women and girls, plus men/boys, interfaith groups, and families) who pay sliding-scale retreat fees ranging from $450 for youth to $2,100+ for high earners, and institutional partners (foundations, nonprofits, government agencies, and educational institutions such as ACLU, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Emory, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the State of Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice) who receive consulting services and contribute donations. Distribution occurs through five Regional Organizing Core Groups spanning the U.S. Southeast, Northeast, West, Pacific Northwest, and Mid-West, plus Zoom-based monthly meetings. The revenue model is hybrid: individual retreat/training registration fees (sliding scale with installment options), fee-for-service consulting, and a diversified donation base (individual giving, workplace matching, bequests, stock, IRA charitable gifts, in-kind contributions) processed via Network for Good. Be Present holds multiple registered trademarks, has placed its archives at Emory University's Rose Library, and operates with a small staff of approximately 11-50 employees.

Name

Be Present

Legal name

Be Present, Inc.

Website

https://bepresent.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Be Present, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers social justice leadership development through its trademarked Be Present Empowerment Model®, serving Black women, families, and institutional partners via retreats, training institutes, and consulting across five U.S. regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Be Present receives financial contributions from individuals, workplaces offering donation matching programs, bequests, gifts of stock, real estate, annuities, and IRA charitable gifts for individuals 73 years or older. Donations can be allocated to General Fund or specific scholarship funds.
2. Event and Training Registration Fees: The organization generates revenue through registration fees for events such as the Black & Female: What is the Reality? retreat and various training institutes. Fees are charged on a sliding scale based on income levels and include installment payment options.
3. Consulting Services: The Be Present Consulting Consortium provides consulting services to partner organizations, offering expertise in equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, organizational transformation, and HR services. This represents fee-for-service revenue.
4. In-Kind Donations: The organization receives in-kind donations of goods and services including frequent flyer miles, printing, meeting spaces in SF Bay Area, New York, and Atlanta areas, and office supplies. These donations support operations without generating direct cash revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Be Present delivers social justice leadership development through the trademarked Be Present Empowerment Model® Training, which guides participants through three realms: self-knowledge outside oppression, conscious listening, and building authentic alliances. This core methodology is operationalized through training institutes, multi-day retreats, family engagement programs, support groups, regional organizing core groups, and a consulting consortium that provides equity, diversity, inclusion, and organizational transformation services to nonprofit, foundation, government, and education sector clients.

Product overview

Be Present is a nonprofit organization that offers a comprehensive portfolio of social justice leadership development programs centered on the Be Present Empowerment Model® Training. The core product is the Empowerment Model Training, which provides three leadership realms: Know Yourself Outside the Distress of Oppression, Listen to Others in a Conscious and Present State, and Build Effective Relationships and Sustain True Alliances. This core training feeds into multiple specialized programs including Legacy Leadership Programs (Black and Female: What is the Reality?®, Sisters & Allies), Family Engagement Programs (Children & Youth Learning & Play Program, Family Camp, Mothers & Sons/Daughters & Fathers Workshop), and Training Institutes (National Training Institutes, Black & Female Leadership Institute, Race/Gender/Power/Class Institute, Education Training Institute, Trailblazing Institute). Additional offerings include Other Programs (Train-the-Trainers, Girls' Leadership, Men & Boys Leadership, Breaking Silences Workshop), the Be Present Consulting Consortium for organizational consulting, Be Present Support Groups as the basic unit of leadership development, and Regional Organizing Core Groups for community organizing. Events such as the Black & Female Weekend Retreat provide intensive training experiences. The organization is structured as a platform-plus-programs model where the core Empowerment Model Training underpins all specialized offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Be Present Empowerment Model® Training The core training program providing a safe environment where participants explore how personal histories and social contexts of race, gender, class, and religion influence attitudes and behaviors. The training is organized around three realms: Know Yourself Outside the Distress of Oppression, Listen to Others in a Conscious and Present State, and Build Effective Relationships and Sustain True Alliances. Available to individuals participating in Be Present programs and institutes.
• Legacy Leadership Programs Programs including the Black & Female: What is the Reality?® workshop (exploring the realities of being Black and female in society tainted by racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other oppressions) and the Sisters & Allies® workshop (providing safe spaces for all women and girls to acknowledge and celebrate similarities and differences across lines of race, gender, power, class, identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, and religion). For Black women, women of color, and allies.
• Family Engagement Programs
• Training Institutes Intensive training programs including the National Training Institutes (cohort-based with six four-day sessions over 18 months), Black & Female Leadership Institute, Race/Gender/Power/Class Institute, Education Training Institute, Trailblazing Institute, and Sustaining a Community of Practice for Engaged Transformative Philanthropy. For adult leaders, activists, educators, and philanthropists seeking intensive social justice leadership development.
• Be Present Consulting Consortium A multidisciplinary consulting group that develops transformative leadership for sustaining healthy, thriving relationships, organizations, and communities. Services include organizational change, transformational HR, and regenerative programs and alliances, grounded in the Be Present Empowerment Model. For foundations, nonprofits, government agencies, and educational institutions.
• Be Present Support Groups Peer-led groups of 3-5 people who meet regularly for personal growth and leadership development. Groups provide safe environments for members to speak honestly and openly, develop personal plans for change, and receive support. Free entry point for engagement with Be Present.
• Regional Organizing Core Groups Community-building vehicles for diverse leaders, activists, and community members to organize, mobilize, and support local efforts. Groups include Atlanta Sisters & Allies, Greenville SC, New York/New Jersey, San Francisco Bay Area, Pacific Northwest, and Yellow Springs Regional Organizing Core Groups. Facilitate monthly leadership development meetings.
• Black & Female: What is the Reality?® Weekend Retreat A celebration and training retreat for Black women and Black girls that honors legacies and current realities as community organizers, social change makers, movement builders, and paradigm shifters. Features the Be Present Empowerment Model with sliding scale fee structure from $450 (youth/students) to $2,100+ (individuals earning $150K+) and organizational pricing from $1,600 to $3,500 per person based on budget size. Limited to 50 participants.
• Other Programs (Men & Boys, Girls' Leadership, Train-the-Trainers, Breaking Silences) Programs including the National Network Train-the-Trainers (annual event for advanced leadership training), Girls' Leadership Training Program, Men & Boys Leadership Training Program (building capacity of men and boys to deliver training to other men and boys and male-serving organizations), and Breaking Silences, Building Relationships Workshop (bringing together Jews, Blacks, Whites, and People of Color to explore the impact of racism, anti-Semitism, gender, power, and class).

Quantifiable outcome

• The Black & Female workshop held at Spelman College in 1983 drew over 1,000 Black women and girls
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Emory University School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner working with Be Present on social justice leadership development initiatives. Collaboration on research and training programs.
• Morehouse School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic medical institution partner collaborating on health equity and leadership training initiatives.
• Marguerite Casey FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting family economic security and social justice movements. Works with Be Present on capacity building for families and communities.
• ACLU Drug Law Reform ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil liberties organization partnering on drug law reform and social justice advocacy initiatives.
• Fulton County (GA) Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment health agency partner working on community health initiatives and equity-centered approaches.
• City of OaklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partner supporting community organizing and social justice initiatives in the Oakland region.
• Women Donors NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of women philanthropists partnering to advance progressive social change and leadership development.
• National Network of GrantmakersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic network partnership supporting social justice funding and movement building.
• Southern Partners FundflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional philanthropic organization supporting social justice work across the Southern United States.
• National Advocates for Pregnant WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization partnering on reproductive justice and health equity initiatives.
• State of Georgia, Department of Juvenile JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner working on juvenile justice reform and youth development programs.
• Cooperative ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural and community development partners including Coastal Roots Farm, Pie Ranch, and Planting Justice working on sustainable food systems and community education.
• Fellowship of ReconciliationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterfaith organization working for peace, justice, and reconciliation partnering on interfaith dialogue initiatives.
• Wisdom & MoneyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Trailblazing Institute: Creating and Sustaining Inner Transformation, Partnerships and Social Justice, co-leading transformative practices combining the Be Present Empowerment Model with Wisdom Spiritual Practices and Transformative Money Practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Winters Group: The Winters Group is a DEI and leadership development consultancy that provides organizational change, equity assessments, and executive coaching, broadly comparable to Be Present Consulting Consortium's transformational HR and organizational change engagements.
• Cook Ross: Cook Ross is an established U.S. DEI consulting and leadership development firm serving Fortune 500 clients, providing broader-scale and more diversified consulting capacity that competes for the same organizational equity engagements as Be Present's Consulting Consortium.
• Catalyst: Catalyst is a global nonprofit that works with CEOs and companies to build workplaces that work for women, with related DEI consulting and leadership development offerings that overlap with Be Present Consulting Consortium's equity and inclusion services.

Direct peers

• National Coalition Building Institute: NCBI leads diversity and inclusion leadership training programs across communities and organizations; its peer-led workshop model and cross-racial alliance building closely parallel Be Present's Breaking Silences and Sisters & Allies workshops.
• The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond: The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond is a national anti-racism training organization offering multi-day intensive workshops rooted in a historical analysis of racism, directly comparable to Be Present's slide-scale, cohort-based, methodology-driven approach to dismantling oppression.
• Interaction Institute for Social Change: IISC builds capacity for social change through facilitation, leadership development, and equity-centered consulting, mirroring Be Present's Empowerment Model training, organizational consulting consortium, and Regional Organizing Core Group model.
• Grassroots Leadership: Grassroots Leadership is a community-organizing and leadership development nonprofit serving directly impacted communities, comparable to Be Present's Regional Organizing Core Groups and social justice movement-building model.
• Center for Racial Justice Innovation: CRJI develops racial justice research, narrative, and training infrastructure, comparable to Be Present's social justice leadership development work with foundations and grassroots organizers across multiple U.S. regions.

Emerging players

• Showing Up for Racial Justice: SURJ organizes and trains white people to act as accomplices in racial justice movements, partially overlapping Be Present's Breaking Silences Building Relationships workshop and cross-racial alliance-building programs with foundations and grassroots communities.
• Crossroads Antiracism: Crossroads Antiracism provides anti-racism training and organizational consulting built on a structured methodology, comparable to Be Present's slide-scale Empowerment Model workshops and consulting consortium in the U.S. nonprofit and faith-based markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/be-present-inc-76702162438

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Be Present