What BDPA does

BDPA (legal name: National BDPA, Inc.) is a US nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and currently headquartered in Largo, Maryland. The organization serves African American professionals and students in computer science, data science, information technology, and broader STEM fields, addressing underrepresentation through a network of 50 local chapters organized across four US regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, West). It operates a portfolio of programs including SITES (Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship), the High School Coding Competition (HSCC), IT Showcase (ITSC), Mobile App Showcase, BDPA Cloud Academy, and BDPA Data Science Academy. Its flagship annual event is BDPACON, a national conference that rotates cities and includes a career expo, with the 2025 edition in Atlanta marking the organization's 50th anniversary and the 2026 edition planned for Indianapolis.

BDPA does not develop proprietary technology products. Its distribution is community-led and event-driven: monthly Tech & Career Talks, regional conferences, and chapter meetings serve as primary engagement touchpoints, supplemented by the bdpatoday industry news publication (founded 2007), Popular Technology TV media platform, and a career center portal at careers.bdpa.org. BDPA generates revenue from three streams: individual membership dues ($25 student / $100 adult / $1,000 lifetime), BDPACON and regional event registration and exhibitor fees, and corporate sponsorships. Sponsors include Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Deloitte, Oracle, AWS, Cardinal Health, Molson Coors, State Farm, Prolifics, and Accenture, with Accenture specifically supporting the affiliated BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), which administers scholarships. Online professional development is delivered through a partnership with MindEdge.

Name

BDPA

Legal name

National BDPA, Inc.

Website

https://bdpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BDPA is a US nonprofit founded in 1975 that operates 50 chapters to support African American professionals and students in STEM/IT through membership programs, the annual BDPACON conference, academies, coding competitions, scholarships, and corporate-sponsored career opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Organization and Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)

Keywords

• Professional membership organization
• STEM workforce development
• Diversity in technology
• IT professional association
• Career development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Upper Marlboro

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from $25 for students to $100 for adult members and $1000 for lifetime members. Corporate memberships are also available through employer or sponsor payment.
2. Conference and Event Fees: Revenue from annual BDPACON national conferences and regional events, including registration fees for attendees and exhibitors.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors pay for partnership opportunities, job postings, career fair booths, and brand visibility at conferences and on the website. Major sponsors include Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Deloitte, Oracle, Cardinal Health, Molson Coors, State Farm, Prolifics, and Amazon Web Services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BDPA is a nonprofit professional membership organization that delivers career development, networking, education, and scholarship programs to African American students and professionals in STEM and IT fields. Its primary offerings include tiered individual and corporate memberships, the annual BDPACON national conference with career expo, the BDPA Career Center job portal, training academies in cloud computing and data science, coding competitions for K-12 and college students, monthly Tech & Career Talks, and scholarships administered through the affiliated BETF foundation.

Product overview

BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) is a non-profit professional organization, not a software product company. It operates a portfolio of programs and services focused on advancing Black professionals in STEM and IT fields. The core offerings include the annual BDPACON national conference (featuring career expos, panels, workshops, and awards), the BDPA Career Center for job matching, BDPA Tech & Career Talks (monthly virtual sessions with industry experts), and specialized academies (Cloud Academy, Data Science Academy). Competitions include the High School Coding Competition (HSCC), IT Showcase (ITSC), and Mobile App Showcase for students. The organization also publishes bdpatoday® industry news and operates Popular Technology TV™ media. BETF Scholarships provides financial support to students. Professional development is enhanced through MindEdge online courses. BDPA maintains regional chapters across the U.S. organized into four regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, West).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BDPA Cloud Academy: Training program for cloud computing skills and certifications
• BDPA Data Science Academy
• BDPA High School Coding Competition (HSCC)
• BDPA IT Showcase (ITSC)
• BDPA Mobile App Showcase
• BDPACON
• CyberEarth™
• Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES)

Products and services

• BDPA Membership Program Tiered annual membership program for African American IT professionals, students, and corporate supporters, with student memberships at $25/year, adult memberships at $100/year, lifetime memberships at $1,000, and corporate memberships paid by employer or sponsor.
• BDPACON Annual National Conference BDPA's flagship annual national conference featuring career expos, technology panels, workshops, awards ceremonies, and networking events for members and corporate sponsors; recent editions held in Atlanta (2025) and Indianapolis (2026).
• BDPA Tech & Career Talks Monthly virtual talk series featuring subject matter experts from universities and corporations presenting topics of interest to BDPA members, connecting professionals and students with local chapters.
• BDPA Career Center Online job board at careers.bdpa.org connecting BDPA IT professional and student members with career opportunities posted by corporate sponsors and partner organizations.
• BDPA Cloud Academy Training program focused on cloud computing skills and certifications for IT professionals pursuing cloud credentials.
• BDPA Data Science Academy Educational program designed to build data science competencies among BDPA members and students.
• BDPA High School Coding Competition (HSCC) Coding competition for high school students to develop and showcase programming skills.
• BDPA IT Showcase (ITSC) Collegiate IT showcase allowing college students to present technology projects and innovations.
• BDPA Mobile App Showcase Platform for showcasing mobile application development projects by students and professionals.
• BETF Scholarships Scholarship program administered by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to support students pursuing technology education; awarded yearly.
• bdpatoday® Publication Industry news publication providing technology updates to BDPA members and STEM associates in local communities, founded in 2007.
• Popular Technology TV™ (PTTV) Video media platform producing tech content including conference recaps and docuseries for the BDPA community.
• Online Courses with MindEdge Professional development courses offered in partnership with MindEdge for BDPA members seeking skill advancement.
• SITES (Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship) Programs for student technology education and scholarship support targeting K-12 and college students from underrepresented communities.
• CyberEarth™ Earth Day Tech Summits BDPA's annual Earth Day Tech Summits featuring presentations and panels with interactive working groups on technology and sustainability topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of continuous operation empowering diverse talent in STEM
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Johnson & JohnsonflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate sponsor of BDPA, appearing prominently on the careers section and conference sponsorships. Supports BDPA's mission to advance diverse talent in technology.
• IBMflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor featured on BDPA careers page and conference materials. Supports BDPA events and provides career opportunities for members.
• DeloitteflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor consulting firm sponsor supporting BDPA conferences and career fair with recruitment presence at BDPA events.
• OracleflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor with Oracle Scholars Program, supporting BDPA's educational mission and providing career pathways for members.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCloud computing sponsor supporting BDPA conferences and member career development through technology training and certification opportunities.
• Cardinal HealthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare solutions company sponsoring BDPA career events and providing employment opportunities for BDPA members.
• Molson CoorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor hosting events at BDPACON including happy hour networking, supporting BDPA's member engagement activities.
• State FarmcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance company sponsoring BDPA with recruitment presence at career fairs and conference support.
• ProlificscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology consulting firm sponsoring BDPA conferences and providing career opportunities for members.
• AccenturecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal professional services company sponsoring BETF (BDPA Education and Technology Foundation) for scholarships and grants.
• World Wide TechnologyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology solutions provider sponsoring BDPA events and supporting member career development.
• BETF (BDPA Education and Technology Foundation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe official foundation of BDPA providing scholarships and grants to students pursuing technology education. A core component of BDPA's mission.
• ITSMFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformation Technology Senior Management Forum partnership for professional development and networking events.
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance with NSBE for cross-promotion of events and mutual support of STEM professionals. BDPA Chicago hosted congratulations for NSBE's 50th anniversary.
• Indiana University Purdue University IndianapolisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity partner sponsoring BDPA events and supporting educational programs.
• BrooksourceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStaffing and recruiting firm sponsoring BDPA conferences and providing placement services for members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): NSBE is one of the largest student-governed STEM organizations in the US, with a mission and chapter-based operating model that closely mirrors BDPA. BDPA's data even names NSBE as a strategic alliance partner, and both compete for the same African American STEM talent pool and corporate sponsors.
• Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF): ITSMF is an executive-level IT leadership association for underrepresented professionals and is explicitly named in BDPA's data as a strategic partner. Both organizations target Black IT professionals, run corporate-sponsored programming, and pursue overlapping corporate partnerships.
• Year Up: Year Up is a workforce-development nonprofit connecting young adults from underrepresented communities to corporate IT and business careers through training, mentorship, and internships. It directly competes with BDPA's SITES and academy programs for the same student-to-corporate pipeline.
• INROADS: INROADS is a nonprofit providing STEM internships and leadership development for underrepresented college students, with corporate sponsor relationships at firms like BDPA's partners (Deloitte, IBM, J&J). It competes for the same paid-internship-to-corporate-hire outcomes BDPA's HSCC/SITES alumni pursue.
• Blacks in Technology: Blacks in Technology is a digital-first community organization for Black technologists offering conferences, local meetups, and an online job platform. It competes with BDPA's networking and career-center offerings, particularly among younger professionals, with a much leaner cost structure.
• https://bdpa.org/dev/color: /dev/color is a nonprofit community for Black software engineers focused on career advancement, mentorship, and technical upskilling. Its conferences, A.R.M. mentoring program, and corporate partnerships overlap with BDPA's Data Science and Cloud Academies for mid-career Black technologists.

Emerging players

• 100 Black Men of America: 100 Black Men is a national mentorship and education organization with local chapters across the US. While broader in mission than BDPA, it overlaps in mentoring African American students into STEM and professional careers and competes for similar corporate and member-attached philanthropic dollars.
• Women in Technology International (WITI): WITI is a membership-based professional organization advancing women in technology through events, networking, and corporate partnerships. Its operating model parallels BDPA's chapter-and-sponsor structure, but it targets a different demographic and is therefore an adjacent rather than direct competitor.
• Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC): HITEC is a premier global executive organization for Hispanic IT professionals, providing leadership development, networking events, and corporate partnerships. Its membership model mirrors BDPA's, but it targets a different demographic and therefore competes only indirectly for the same corporate DEI budgets.

Others

• Black Enterprise: Black Enterprise is a media and events company covering Black business, investing, and entrepreneurship. It is adjacent to BDPA through shared audience (African American professionals) and overlapping event sponsorship pools, but is not a direct peer in workforce development or STEM pipeline programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bdpa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0qtWB8YdX_XPFlWzXXlftw
• Facebookfacebook.com/nbdpaconference
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalbdpa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-bdpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 BDPA