BlackSpace
BlackSpace Urbanist Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides capital, capacity, and community support to Black place-based founders through its national Studio KIN accelerator, neighborhood strategy projects, customized workshops, and the BlackSpace Manifesto methodology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BlackSpace does
BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 83-4620589) founded in Brooklyn in 2015 by Executive Director Emma Osore. The organization invests capital, capacity, and community support in place-based entrepreneurs and projects advancing "culture-first" community development — an approach that begins with the histories, values, and creative expressions of Black residents and centers Black joy and lived experience in the design of public space. Its core products comprise Studio KIN, a 6-month national accelerator selecting 8 founders per cohort to receive a $5,000 philanthropic micro-grant plus mentorship and culminating in a Pitch Night awarding up to $15,000; Neighborhood Strategy projects deploying direct capital into co-designed neighborhood interventions; Customized Learning workshops sold on a fee basis to universities and community groups; and Urbanist Experiences (walking tours, lectures, design workshops). Underpinning the program stack is a content layer consisting of the BlackSpace Manifesto (14 guiding principles reaching an estimated 22 million people) and the Heritage Conservation Playbook, supported by a Slack community and three Cousins affiliate groups in Chicago, Oklahoma, and Indianapolis.
The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack: tax-deductible philanthropic donations from individuals, grants and foundation support for culture-first urbanism and Black community investment, fee revenue from customized workshops and bespoke Urbanist Experiences, and event-related corporate sponsorship (e.g., Amalgamated Bank participation in Pitch Night). Studio KIN itself is free to participants, with capital deployed in the form of unrestricted micro-grants and Pitch Night awards rather than tuition. Go-to-market is event- and ecosystem-driven: an annual competitive application cycle, annual Pitch Night events in NYC co-presented with BRIC Brooklyn (drawing 100+ attendees and 300+ People's Choice votes), earned-media coverage in Fast Company, Black Enterprise, and Planning Magazine, and ongoing organic distribution via Instagram, LinkedIn, X, a quarterly newsletter, and the Slack community. BlackSpace has cumulatively invested $1.03M through its public design portfolio into Roxbury, Brownsville, Red Hook, and East Orange.
Operationally, BlackSpace is a small organization with three named senior staff (Executive Director, Director of Program, Development Manager), board-circle consensus governance, no parent company, and active operations across NYC, Chicago, Oklahoma, Indianapolis, and a national footprint via Studio KIN. Strategic pillars include a research partnership with the Kinder Institute at Rice University (data on 1,036+ majority-Black U.S. zip codes), venue partnership with BRIC Brooklyn, and a published IP library (Manifesto + Playbook) that doubles as marketing collateral and licensable curriculum. The organization is not a technology company: there is no proprietary software, AI/ML capability, API, or app product; the "platform" is human capital, methodology, and community.
BlackSpace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BlackSpace
- Legal name
- BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, Inc.
- Website
- https://blackspace.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BlackSpace Urbanist Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides capital, capacity, and community support to Black place-based founders through its national Studio KIN accelerator, neighborhood strategy projects, customized workshops, and the BlackSpace Manifesto methodology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BlackSpace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Development Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)
Keywords
Where BlackSpace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BlackSpace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting BlackSpace's mission. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit (EIN: 83-4620589) and registered NY State Charity. Donations expand programming and operational capacity.
- Program Fees/Sponsorships: Revenue from accelerator program operations, workshop fees for customized learning sessions, and potential corporate sponsorships for events and programs.
- Grants and Foundation Support: Grant funding from foundations supporting culture-first community development, urban equity initiatives, and Black community investment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Accelerator Program - Free with $5,000 grant provided |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Pitch Night Awards - Up to $15,000 in prizes |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
BlackSpace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that invests capital and capacity in Black urbanist founders and place-based ventures through its Studio KIN accelerator (6-month hybrid program with $5,000 micro-grants and up to $15,000 in Pitch Night awards), Neighborhood Strategy co-creation projects, Customized Learning workshops, and Urbanist Experiences. Its work is grounded in the proprietary BlackSpace Manifesto (14 principles) and Heritage Conservation Playbook, and supported by a national Slack community plus regional Cousins affiliates in Chicago, Oklahoma, and Indianapolis.
Product overview
BlackSpace is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating as a culture-first community development collective. The organization functions as a platform-plus-program model with Studio KIN (Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods) as its flagship accelerator program, complemented by Neighborhood Strategy, Customized Learning workshops, and Urbanist Experiences. The ecosystem includes the BlackSpace Manifesto (14 guiding principles) and Heritage Conservation Playbook as foundational resources, supported by a national Slack community of Black urbanists and Cousins network affiliates in Chicago, Oklahoma, and Indianapolis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Studio KIN (Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods): National entrepreneurship accelerator providing technical assistance and capacity building for place-based ventures at the intersection of culture, community, and the built environment.
Products and services
- Studio KIN (Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods) Accelerator
- Neighborhood Strategy
- Customized Learning
- Urbanist Experiences
- BlackSpace Manifesto
- Heritage Conservation Playbook
- Cousins Network
Quantifiable outcome
- $1.03M invested in neighborhoods through public design projects
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use BlackSpace
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BlackSpace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
BlackSpace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BRIC BrooklyncoreCo-presenter and host of Kinfolx Imagining Neighborhoods: Pitch Night event. BRIC Brooklyn is a leading Brooklyn cultural institution that provides venue and partnership for BlackSpace's annual pitch competition and celebration event.
- Amalgamated BankminorJudge at Pitch Night event. Community banking institution supporting urban development and Black community initiatives.
- Kinder Institute (Rice University)coreResearch partner providing data on majority-Black U.S. zip codes (over 1,036) that inform BlackSpace's programming and place-based professional practices initiatives.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BlackSpace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BlackSpace social profiles
Digital presenceBlackSpace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BlackSpace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
BlackSpace subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
BlackSpace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BlackSpace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BlackSpace
What does BlackSpace do?
BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that invests capital and capacity in Black urbanist founders and place-based ventures through its Studio KIN accelerator (6-month hybrid program with $5,000 micro-grants and up to $15,000 in Pitch Night awards), Neighborhood Strategy co-creation projects, Customized Learning workshops, and Urbanist Experiences. Its work is grounded in the proprietary BlackSpace Manifesto (14 principles) and Heritage Conservation Playbook, and supported by a national Slack community plus regional Cousins affiliates in Chicago, Oklahoma, and Indianapolis.
Is BlackSpace a public or private company?
BlackSpace is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BlackSpace founded?
BlackSpace was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BlackSpace based?
BlackSpace is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does BlackSpace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Donations are the primary driver. The others are program Fees/Sponsorships and grants and Foundation Support.
Does BlackSpace have an API?
No public API is recorded for BlackSpace.
What industry is BlackSpace in?
BlackSpace's product category is Community Development Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAO, Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAD, Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations. Its NAICS code is 81341.