The Jackson Ward

What The Jackson Ward does

The Jackson Ward is the legal entity behind BLCK Street, a Richmond, Virginia-based nonprofit program platform supporting Black business owners through a portfolio of culturally relevant offerings. The organization, founded in 2020 and operating under The JWC Foundation for donations and grant administration, runs three core programs: BLCK Street Business Lab, a 9-month intensive cohort-based incubator with sliding-scale fees of $270–$1,800 over six months and access to coaching, micro-grants, and seed funding (replacing the prior Community Business Academy in 2026); BLCK Street Exchange, free monthly workshops and co-working sessions covering finance, strategy, and operations; and BLCK Street Summit, an annual national full-day conference for Main Street businesses (on a 2026 gap year, returning in-person in 2027). Complementary assets include BLCK Owned Richmond, a directory platform for discovering Black-owned businesses in the region, and The Rundown, a bi-weekly email newsletter reaching 1,000+ subscribers.

BLCK Street's business model is donation-led with sliding-scale earned revenue. The JWC Foundation collects individual and corporate donations on its behalf (suggested gifts ranging from $35 to $1,000 monthly or one-time), while program fees are limited to the Business Lab incubator; Exchange and Summit are offered free or at variable cost, indicating grant and donor subsidization. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: programs are accessed via self-registration with no formal sales process, demand is generated through word-of-mouth within Richmond's Black business community, and the annual Summit serves as the flagship demand-generation event. Since 2020, the organization reports supporting 500+ Black business owners, graduating 78 incubator participants, launching or strengthening 120 businesses, and convening 725 Summit attendees. The organization operates with 1–10 employees and is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds.

Name

The Jackson Ward

Legal name

The Jackson Ward

Website

https://thejwcfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jackson Ward operates BLCK Street, a Richmond, Virginia nonprofit platform supporting Black business owners through a 9-month incubator (Business Lab), free monthly workshops (Exchange), and an annual conference (Summit), funded via The JWC Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Small business incubation
• Entrepreneur education programs
• Minority business assistance
• Community business development
• Nonprofit business services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vausseroux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual and corporate donations support operational costs and program delivery. The JWC Foundation collects donations on behalf of BLCK Street, with suggested amounts ranging from $35 to $1,000 monthly or one-time contributions designated for specific purposes (incubator scholarships, consulting resources, workshop materials).
2. Program Fees (Sliding Scale): Business Lab incubator program charges $270–$1,800 on a sliding scale basis, payable over 6 months. Exchange workshops and Summit are offered free or at variable cost, indicating grant-funded delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Jackson Ward (via its BLCK Street brand under the JWC Foundation) supports Black business owners in Richmond, Virginia through a structured set of programs: a 9-month intensive business incubator (Business Lab), recurring skill-building workshops (Exchange), an annual conference (Summit), and an online directory of Black-owned local businesses (BLCK Owned Richmond). Offerings are delivered as nonprofit services, with program participants paying on a sliding scale and the broader directory and newsletter serving the wider community free of charge.

Product overview

BLCK Street is a multi-program business support organization offering a portfolio of culturally relevant programs for Black business owners in Richmond at various stages. The core offerings include the Business Lab (9-month intensive incubator), Exchange (monthly workshops and co-working), and Summit (annual conference), complemented by BLCK Owned Richmond (business directory) and The Rundown (newsletter). This is a platform of programs and services, not a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BLCK Street Business Lab: 9-month intensive incubator program for Black business owners with comprehensive training, coaching, micro-grants, and seed funding.
• BLCK Street Exchange
• BLCK Street Summit
• BLCK Owned Richmond

Products and services

• BLCK Street Business Lab A 9-month intensive business incubator program for Black business owners in Richmond, Virginia, providing structured training, mentorship, and access to micro-grants/seed funding to help participants launch and grow their businesses.
• BLCK Street Exchange A monthly workshop series for Black entrepreneurs in Richmond, Virginia, delivering ongoing skill-building training and peer learning opportunities on a recurring basis.
• BLCK Street Summit An annual conference bringing together the Richmond Black business community for networking, learning, and visibility, providing a flagship gathering point for founders, supporters, and consumers of Black-owned businesses.
• BLCK Owned Richmond An online directory of Black-owned businesses in Richmond, Virginia, providing free consumer-facing visibility and a discovery resource for residents seeking to support Black-owned local businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ Black business owners supported since 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Virginia Black Business DirectoryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral and resource partnership directing members to the Virginia Black Business Directory for additional discovery and support resources for Black-owned businesses in Virginia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ureeka: Ureeka is a community and resource platform for underrepresented small business owners, sharing BLCK Street's focus on culturally relevant support, education, and peer connection for Black entrepreneurs.
• SCORE: SCORE is a national nonprofit network providing mentoring, workshops, and resources to small business owners, directly comparable to BLCK Street's incubator, Exchange workshops, and community support model.
• Black Owned Everything: Black Owned Everything is a directory and marketplace platform promoting Black-owned businesses, directly comparable to BLCK Owned Richmond's directory model for connecting consumers to Black-owned businesses.
• Village Capital: Village Capital runs cohort-based incubator and accelerator programs for early-stage entrepreneurs, directly comparable to the Business Lab's 9-month cohort structure with coaching and peer support.
• Small Business Development Centers (SBDC): The SBA-funded SBDC network provides no-cost advising, training, and incubation support to small business owners, paralleling BLCK Street's free Exchange workshops and Business Lab coaching.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: The National Urban League operates economic empowerment and entrepreneurship programs within Black communities at a national scale, comparable to BLCK Street's mission of supporting Black business owners through targeted programming.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is a national CDFI supporting small businesses and economic development in underserved communities, comparable to BLCK Street's focus on building sustainable Black-owned businesses in Richmond.

Others

• BLCK VC: BLCK VC is a nonprofit advancing Black participation in venture capital and supporting Black founders, thematically aligned with BLCK Street's mission of economic empowerment in the Black community.

Emerging players

• Fearless Fund: Fearless Fund provides grants and venture funding specifically to Black women founders, comparable to BLCK Street's micro-grants and seed funding components within the Business Lab incubator.

Regional players

• HBCU Entrepreneurship Centers: HBCU-affiliated entrepreneurship centers provide training, incubation, and pitch competitions for Black student and alumni founders, comparable to BLCK Street's Business Lab in audience and programming focus but serving a different institutional context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/blckstreet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacksonwardcollective
• Facebookfacebook.com/jacksonwardcollective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Jackson Ward