NFBPA

What NFBPA does

NFBPA (National Forum for Black Public Administrators) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 and headquartered in Washington, DC. The organization serves Black public administrators and aspiring public-sector leaders, claiming 2,500+ members across 350+ jurisdictions supported by 42 local chapters. Its mission is the advancement of public leadership in local and state governments, with a stated focus on minority leadership development, professional networking, mentorship, and career resources.

NFBPA's product surface centers on a membership platform (tiered into Individual $200/yr, Student $35/yr, Retiree $100/yr, and Corporate/Organizational $1,100–$5,500/yr) and a separate Career Center job board. The technology stack is entirely third-party: Higher Logic powers the membership and community platform, and Naylor Association Solutions powers the Career Center, which adds paid featured-employer branding, resume services via TopResume, career coaching at $280 for three sessions, and reference checks at $99–$124. Additional programs include the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), the MENTOR Program, a scholarship program ($2,000–$10,000 per award), i4x Consulting Services, Members in Transition, and the Emerging Leaders Council. The flagship FORUM annual conference and the EPA-funded TCTAC environmental justice program (administered through ICMA) round out the offering.

The business model is a hybrid of subscription-based membership dues, transactional fees from job postings and career services, event registration, corporate sponsorship (notably corporate-funded scholarships from Cigna, Jacobs, Baker Tilly, Hazen and Sawyer, TRC, SAK Engineering, and others), and federal pass-through grant funding via the TCTAC program. The organization is sales-led for membership acquisition, with a self-service channel for employer job postings and a field/chapter network for community engagement. No outside ownership, parent entity, or investment is disclosed.

Name

NFBPA

Legal name

National Forum For Black Public Administrators

Website

https://nfbpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NFBPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 that provides membership, career, leadership development, and scholarship programs to Black public administrators across 350+ U.S. jurisdictions through 2,500+ members and 42 local chapters, with revenue from dues, job postings, events, corporate sponsorships, and an EPA-funded environmental justice program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Public administration leadership
• Membership organization
• Leadership development programs
• Nonprofit professional services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Individual Memberships: Annual membership subscriptions for individual public administration professionals at $200/year, providing access to member benefits, directory, discounted event registration, and career resources.
2. Student Memberships: Discounted annual memberships for full-time undergraduate and graduate students at $35/year, supporting the next generation of public leaders.
3. Retiree Memberships: Annual memberships for retired professionals at $100/year.
4. Corporate Memberships: Business memberships ranging from $1,100 to $5,500 annually based on company size, with employee seat allocations. Includes membership in the National Corporate Council (NCC).
5. Organizational Memberships: Government and non-profit organizational memberships at tiered pricing based on employee count, ranging from $1,100 to $5,500 annually.
6. Career Center Job Postings: Revenue from employers posting jobs on the NFBPA Career Center platform. Pricing tiers: $440 for single 30-day posting, $1,125 for three postings, $1,775 for five postings.
7. Featured Employer Branding: Enhanced employer branding packages with header banners, logo visibility, and featured listings at $400 (30 days), $700 (60 days), $1,250 (90 days).
8. Career Coaching Services: Professional coaching services matching individuals with career coaches at $280 for three 30-minute sessions.
9. Reference Checking Services: Employment verification and reference checking services: Professional at $99, Executive at $124 per check.
10. Resume Writing Services: Partnership with TopResume providing resume writing, LinkedIn makeovers, and career document services with varying price points.
11. Corporate Scholarships & Grants: Corporate partners and donors fund scholarship programs for minority students pursuing public service education, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 per award.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NFBPA operates a tiered membership platform (individual, student, retiree, corporate, and organizational) for Black public administrators, providing access to a national network of 2,500+ members across 350+ jurisdictions, supported by 42 local chapters. The organization delivers leadership development programs (Executive Leadership Institute, MENTOR Program), an annual FORUM conference, career services through the NFBPA Career Center job board, a scholarship program, and the federally funded TCTAC environmental justice technical assistance program.

Product overview

NFBPA operates as a professional membership organization providing a comprehensive suite of services for Black public administrators. The core offerings include the NFBPA Membership Platform with multiple tiers (Individual, Student, Retiree, Corporate, Organizational) and the NFBPA Career Center powered by Naylor Association Solutions. Key programs include the TCTAC Environmental Justice Program, FORUM Annual Conference, Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), i4x Consulting Services, MENTOR Program, and Scholarship Program ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. The Career Center integrates TopResume services for resume writing and provides Career Learning Center resources, career coaching, and job matching functionality. The organization serves over 2,500 members across more than 350 jurisdictions with support from 42 local chapters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NFBPA TCTAC Program: Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program — a national program funded by the U.S. EPA, administered through ICMA as a sub-awardee, dedicated to empowering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities in addressing environmental justice and health issues.

Products and services

• NFBPA Membership Platform Comprehensive tiered membership platform (individual, student, retiree, corporate, and organizational tiers) providing professional development, networking, member directory access, discounted conference registration, and exclusive benefits for Black public administrators across U.S. local and state governments.
• NFBPA Career Center

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• International City/County Management Association (ICMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICMA selected NFBPA as one of four sub-awardees to administer the EPA-funded Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC) Program. NFBPA provides educational resources, training, and technical support to chapters, cities, and community-based organizations for building healthy, safe, and resilient communities.
• CignamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCigna funds multiple named scholarships including the Mike Triplett Undergraduate Scholarship and Harry L. Jones Sr. Graduate Scholarship, supporting minority students in public service education.
• TRC Worldwide EngineeringmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor providing Construction Management Scholarship funding for minority students pursuing public service careers.
• JacobsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor funding the Gabriele Mack Public Service Scholarship supporting diversity in public administration.
• Hazen and SawyermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor providing scholarship support for students pursuing careers in public service and water resource engineering.
• Baker TillymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor funding scholarship awards for minority students in public administration programs.
• SAK Engineering (Jack Boatman)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor providing the Jack Boatman Construction Management Scholarship supporting students in construction management.
• Jamison Group and CPMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor funding scholarships for minority students in public administration and related fields.
• TopResumeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThird-party resume writing service provider powering NFBPA Career Center's resume writing and career document services.
• Naylor Association SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider powering the NFBPA Career Center job board and employer services with recruitment software.
• Higher LogiccoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform provider powering NFBPA's membership management, community platform, and website infrastructure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: National Urban League is a large civil rights and workforce development organization with affiliates, training programs, and corporate partnerships. It shares NFBPA's mission of advancing Black professional opportunity and competes for similar corporate diversity sponsorship dollars.
• Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA): NASPAA is the accreditation body and professional association for public affairs and administration schools. It overlaps with NFBPA in the public-administration student and early-career pipeline, but serves academic institutions rather than practitioners.
• International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR): IPMA-HR is a membership association for public-sector HR professionals with a career center, training, and annual conference. Overlaps with NFBPA on the employer-recruitment and public-sector leadership development side.
• National Association of Counties (NACo): NACo is a major membership association for county government officials with corporate partnerships, training, and policy advocacy. Several of its member counties (e.g., Sarasota County) recruit through NFBPA's Career Center, making it a comparable employer-recruitment channel.
• International City/County Management Association (ICMA): ICMA is the leading association for local government managers and a partner of NFBPA on the EPA-funded TCTAC program. It serves the same employer base (cities, counties) that recruits through NFBPA's Career Center, but operates at substantially greater scale and broader scope.
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): GFOA serves state and local government finance professionals with memberships, training, certifications, and a career center. It competes for the same government employer recruitment dollars as NFBPA's Career Center but in a more specialized finance vertical.

Emerging players

• National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE): NASPE serves senior state government human capital leaders with executive development and networking. Comparable mission overlap with NFBPA's ELI and MENTOR programs, but focused on state-level HR executives.
• National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA): NBMBAA is a demographic-specific professional association for Black business professionals with membership tiers, scholarships, conferences, and a career center. Comparable operating model to NFBPA but focused on private-sector business rather than public administration.

Direct peers

• American Society for Public Administration (ASPA): ASPA is the largest general-membership professional association for U.S. public administrators, offering individual and student memberships, conferences, a career center, and leadership development programs that directly overlap with NFBPA's offerings, but serving the profession broadly rather than a specific demographic.
• National Forum for Latino Public Administrators (NFLPA): NFLPA is the demographic-mirror peer to NFBPA, advancing Latino leadership in local and state government with a comparable mission, member tiers, scholarship program, and annual conference structure. Directly comparable in scale and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BPA83
• Instagraminstagram.com/nfbpa.national
• Xx.com/NFBPA1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 NFBPA