Open Architecture Collaborative
Open Architecture Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers equity-centered design training, fellowships, and community engagement consulting for architects, built-environment professionals, architecture firms, and community organizations primarily in the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Open Architecture Collaborative does
Open Architecture Collaborative, Inc. (OAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 and headquartered in Oakland, California, operating as a global learning community that mobilizes architects, designers, and built-environment professionals to build capacity with communities experiencing systemic racism and marginalization. The organization serves four primary segments: architecture and design firms seeking racial equity and belonging within their practices; individual design professionals seeking equity-centered skills; community-based organizations undertaking participatory design projects; and government entities pursuing inclusive planning. It is governed by a board of 11 directors alongside two co-directors, Almas Haider (Programs & Partnerships) and Shalini Agrawal (Consulting), with founding director Garrett Jacobs serving as Finance & Compliance Manager.
OAC's core technology is its proprietary, facilitator-led pedagogy that integrates racial justice, healing justice, and land/climate justice frameworks. The product portfolio spans cohort-based training (OAC Pathways, a 10-week interdisciplinary program), two fellowships (Equity in Practice Fellowship and Rooted Design Fellowship), land-based workshops (Land (In)Site), and organizational consulting services (Pathways @ Work, Client Projects). Notable product components include the Lotería Engagement Activity Toolkit — a culturally responsive community engagement tool designed for the PODER Emma project. The organization has completed 11 OAC Pathways cohorts, 235 training sessions, 498 hours of training, 7 community partner projects, and 9 architecture firm equity engagements since September 2018, reaching a cumulative 1,164 participants and a 330+ alumni community.
The business model combines philanthropic funding — from the National Endowment for the Arts, Autodesk Foundation, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Community Solutions Fund, and Knight Foundation — with earned revenue from organizational consulting and training delivered to architecture firms (Perkins Eastman, Noll and Tam, WRT, LPA, Leddy Maytum Stacy, AIA), government (San Mateo County), and non-profit partners (PODER Emma, Daarna, 4Culture). Go-to-market is community-led, leveraging the alumni network for referrals, and distribution operates through direct enterprise consulting, virtual self-serve cohort enrollment, and field-based community projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the organization received the 2020 NOMA NAACP SEED Award for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Open Architecture Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Architecture Collaborative
- Legal name
- Open Architecture Collaborative, Inc.
- Website
- https://openarchcollab.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Open Architecture Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers equity-centered design training, fellowships, and community engagement consulting for architects, built-environment professionals, architecture firms, and community organizations primarily in the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Architecture Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Equity-centered Design Education and Community Engagement Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Architecture Schools (within Arts & Design institutions) (EDAHAJAG), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Open Architecture Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Open Architecture Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Non-profit receives donations from individuals and organizations through its website donation portal and third-party platforms like AmazonSmile and eBay Charity
- Organizational Consulting and Training: Provides equity training programs, workshops, and consulting services to architecture firms, organizations, and government entities through Pathways @ Work program and custom workshops
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Open Architecture Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Architecture Collaborative delivers equity-centered educational programs and consulting services to architecture firms, individual designers, nonprofits, and government entities. Its portfolio includes cohort training (OAC Pathways, Equity in Practice Fellowship), land-based workshops (Land (In)SITE, Rooted Design Fellowship), organizational equity consulting (Pathways @ Work, Client Projects), and community engagement toolkits. Core revenue is generated from organizational consulting/training engagements and grants/donations from foundations.
Product overview
Open Architecture Collaborative is a global learning community that offers an integrated portfolio of programs and services focused on equity in the built environment. The core offerings include OAC Pathways (a 10-week cohort training program), Land (In)SITE (land-based workshops), the Rooted Design Fellowship (in partnership with Foxfire Ranch), and the Equity in Practice Fellowship. These educational programs are complemented by Organizational Consulting services that include Pathways @ Work training and Client Projects for community engagement. The organization also produces resource toolkits like the Loteria Engagement Activity Toolkit. Programs focus on racial justice, healing justice, and land and climate justice through community engagement, embodied design practices, and relationship-driven approaches.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pathways to Equity: A 10-week interdisciplinary cohort program that trains design practitioners in equity-centered community engagement and design practices.
- Land (In)Site
- Rooted Design Fellowship
- Equity in Practice Fellowship
Products and services
- OAC Pathways A 10-week interdisciplinary cohort program where design practitioners meet weekly to build skills, community, and chart a course for their design practice. Includes modules on historical and systemic context, community engagement and designing for belonging, embodied design practice, and defining one's design practice.
- Land (In)SITE A workshop series calling built environment professionals, community organizers, land stewards, and agrarians to engage in spatial design thinking on the land. Gathers on Indigenous, Black, and people of color stewarded land collectives and community gardens with reflection and interactive exercises.
- Rooted Design Fellowship A leadership pathway for interdisciplinary built environment professionals, land stewards, and artists in the movement for design, land, and climate justice. Run in partnership with Foxfire Ranch, fellows receive residencies, skill-building workshops, mentorship, and capital support.
- Equity in Practice Fellowship A virtual 12-week, interdisciplinary fellowship for practitioners ready to deepen community engagement practices in the built environment. Through a cohort experience, fellows trained in relational practice, community engagement, design justice, and project planning.
- Organizational Consulting From assessments to customized workshops, OAC works with organizations to build internal capacity and commitment to cultivating belonging as an ongoing practice. Includes training topics such as systems thinking, power and dominant norms, equity pause, and community engagement practices.
- Pathways @ Work
Quantifiable outcome
- Organizations report increased employee retention after OAC training participation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Open Architecture Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Open Architecture Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Open Architecture Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Foxfire RanchcorePartnership between OAC and Foxfire Ranch (Black-owned farm and retreat venue in North Mississippi) to run the Rooted Design Fellowship. The collaboration bridges designers of the built environment with BIPOC agrarians, provides residencies for practitioners, and supports regional building projects on BIPOC-controlled land.
- DaarnacorePartnership emerged from the 2023-2024 Equity in Practice Fellowship. OAC supports Daarna's traveling teach-in project capturing Palestinian architectural history while inviting participants to explore memories of belonging. OAC commits to inviting its network to Daarna's regional teach-ins and educating on complicity of built environment profession with colonization.
- Community Solutions FundminorFunding partner supporting OAC's programs and operations
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)minorFederal arts funding agency providing grant support to OAC's equity-centered design programs
- Walter and Elise Haas FundminorPrivate family foundation providing financial support to OAC's equity initiatives
- Autodesk FoundationminorProvides software support and foundation funding to OAC, supporting design technology access for equity-centered practice
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Open Architecture Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Van Alen Institute: New York-based design nonprofit that uses design to inform public discourse and shape more just communities. Comparable to OAC as a mission-driven design organization that runs programs bridging architecture, equity, and community engagement.
- Public Design for Equity: Equity-centered design consulting practice founded by OAC Co-Director Shalini Agrawal. The organizations share leadership and methodology, and both deliver equity consulting to architecture firms and planning contexts.
- Public Architecture: Nonprofit that mobilizes the architecture profession to serve the public good through pro bono design services and equity-centered programming. Shares OAC's mission of broadening architecture's social impact and engaging practitioners in equity work.
- Designing Justice Designing Spaces: Oakland-based nonprofit designing restorative justice hubs and built environments that interrupt the prison-industrial complex. OAC's founding director Garrett Jacobs serves as Director of Research & Evaluation there, and both organizations share an equity-centered design mission serving impacted communities.
- Dark Matter University: A collective of design educators and practitioners working to decolonize design education and expose racism in architecture. OAC's Co-Director Shalini Agrawal is a Core Organizer; both organizations work at the intersection of equity pedagogy and design practice.
Broad incumbents
- National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA): The largest U.S. organization advocating for equity and representation among minority architects. NOMA awarded OAC its 2020 SEED Award and both organizations work to advance racial equity in the architecture profession, though NOMA operates at broader industry scale.
- Center for Architecture Foundation: New York-based nonprofit focused on public engagement with architecture and design education. Comparable as a nonprofit running educational programming for design professionals and the broader public.
- Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit creating affordable housing and advancing equitable development. Comparable as a large nonprofit working at the intersection of built environment, equity, and community development, though operating at much greater scale.
- AIA Foundation: The philanthropic arm of the American Institute of Architects, focused on equity, education, and community-centered architecture. AIA is also an OAC customer; both organizations work to advance equity within the architecture profession.
Others
- Code for America: Nonprofit building technology for civic good. Garrett Jacobs previously led programs there; comparable as a small-impact nonprofit operating with community-led GTM, though focused on civic tech rather than design.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open Architecture Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Architecture Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Open Architecture Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Open Architecture Collaborative 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 Open Architecture Collaborative
What does Open Architecture Collaborative do?
Open Architecture Collaborative delivers equity-centered educational programs and consulting services to architecture firms, individual designers, nonprofits, and government entities. Its portfolio includes cohort training (OAC Pathways, Equity in Practice Fellowship), land-based workshops (Land (In)SITE, Rooted Design Fellowship), organizational equity consulting (Pathways @ Work, Client Projects), and community engagement toolkits. Core revenue is generated from organizational consulting/training engagements and grants/donations from foundations.
Is Open Architecture Collaborative a public or private company?
Open Architecture Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Open Architecture Collaborative founded?
Open Architecture Collaborative was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Open Architecture Collaborative based?
Open Architecture Collaborative is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Open Architecture Collaborative make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are organizational Consulting and Training.
Who are Open Architecture Collaborative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Van Alen Institute, Public Design for Equity, Public Architecture, Designing Justice Designing Spaces and Dark Matter University. Broad incumbents are National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), Center for Architecture Foundation, Enterprise Community Partners and AIA Foundation. Code for America is listed as an others.
Does Open Architecture Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Architecture Collaborative.
What industry is Open Architecture Collaborative in?
Open Architecture Collaborative's product category is Equity-centered Design Education and Community Engagement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts, with a secondary code of EDAHAJAG, Architecture Schools (within Arts & Design institutions). Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8742.