Arkansas Community Organizations

What Arkansas Community Organizations does

Arkansas Community Organizations (ACO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organizing entity headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with a secondary office in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County). It was officially incorporated on December 7, 2009, following the dissolution of the national ACORN network, and carries forward the organizing tradition of the former Arkansas ACORN chapter. ACO serves low-income and working families across Arkansas through three local chapters (Southeast Little Rock, Southwest Little Rock, and Pine Bluff) and a statewide renters association, Arkansas Renters United (ARU), which reports over 1,000 members across Northwest, central, and Southeast Arkansas. Membership is dues-supported: full members pay $10 or more per month and associate members contribute what they can. The organization is led by Executive Director Neil Sealy and operates with a stated 1-10 employee headcount.

ACO's core offerings combine direct community services with systemic advocacy. Direct services include free tax preparation through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites that have prepared over 16,027 returns across 12 years, helping community members access $12.3 million in Earned Income Tax Credit and $25 million in federal refunds; COVID-19 vaccination clinics co-coordinated with the Arkansas Minority Health Commission; debt relief guidance; and a Financial Resources Hotline operated jointly with Our House and the City of Little Rock (501-291-0584). Advocacy campaigns focus on three pillars: healthcare access (notably the March 2022 "Sick of Waiting" Medicaid barriers report with the Center for Popular Democracy), secure and healthy housing (including the 2023 "No Shelter in Place" eviction report), and livable incomes (debt, medical bills, court fines — the "From the ER to the Courtroom" report co-published with the Asset Funders Network and Hope Policy Institute). A sister 501(c)(3), Arkansas Community Institute (ACI), founded in 1985, conducts supporting research on fair housing, predatory lending, healthcare access, and landlord-tenant law.

ACO is privately funded, with no disclosed revenue, parent company, funding rounds, or investment. Its go-to-market is community-led: members are recruited through neighborhood chapters, community meetings (including recurring Healthcare for ALL meetings every third Tuesday), Facebook groups, email newsletters via NationBuilder, and published research reports. Marketing channels are predominantly grassroots and earned-media-driven rather than paid acquisition. The organization participates in national coalitions including the Center for Popular Democracy, Renters Rising, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt, alongside Arkansas-based academic and policy partners such as UAMS, the UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law, and Hope Policy Institute. Technology infrastructure is minimal — a Squarespace-hosted website, a NationBuilder calendar/email platform, and a Facebook group — reflecting a human-organizer-driven model rather than a software-platform business.

Name

Arkansas Community Organizations

Legal name

Arkansas Community Organizations

Website

https://arkansascommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arkansas Community Organizations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organizing entity serving low-income and working families in Arkansas. Founded in 2009 after the dissolution of ACORN, it operates chapters in Little Rock and Pine Bluff, running campaigns on healthcare, housing, and livable income alongside direct services like free tax preparation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community organizing services
• Grassroots advocacy campaigns
• Tenant rights organizing
• Nonprofit healthcare advocacy
• Financial assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Full members pay $10/month, associate members pay what they can. Membership dues support ongoing work on campaigns benefiting low-income communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arkansas Community Organizations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes low-income and working families in Arkansas around three core campaigns — affordable healthcare (including Medicaid expansion and enrollment navigation), secure and healthy housing (including tenant rights, eviction defense, and renter protections), and livable income (debt relief, economic security). It also delivers direct services such as free VITA tax preparation at offices in Little Rock and Pine Bluff, COVID-19 outreach clinics, and operates the Arkansas Renters United membership association.

Product overview

Arkansas Community Organizations (ACO) is a grassroots community organizing nonprofit that operates as a multi-program advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include community organizing campaigns focused on healthcare access, secure housing, and livable incomes; direct service programs including free tax preparation (VITA), COVID-19 outreach, and debt relief assistance; and advocacy initiatives like Arkansas Renters United. The organization also maintains a sister nonprofit, Arkansas Community Institute (ACI), which conducts research and provides additional community services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arkansas Renters United (ARU): A statewide renters organization founded by ACO members to fight for balanced landlord-tenant laws and give Arkansas renters a voice. ARU currently has over a thousand members across Northwest, central, and Southeast Arkansas.

Products and services

• Healthcare for ALL Campaign
• Secure & Healthy Housing Campaign (Arkansas Renters United)
• Livable Income / Families for Economic Security Campaign
• Free Tax Preparation Services (VITA)
• COVID-19 Shot Clinics & Outreach
• Community Organizing Chapters
• Community Resources Hub
• Eviction Defense & Debt Relief Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 16,027 tax returns prepared free of charge over 12 years, helping community members receive $12.3M in EITC and $25M in federal refunds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Central Arkansas Re-Entry CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered with Central Arkansas Re-Entry Coalition, UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law Consumer Protection Clinic, and UAMS College of Public Health on housing inequality and health impacts report.
• Center for Popular DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022National partner for healthcare advocacy. Collaborated on March 2022 report 'Sick of Waiting: Barriers to Medicaid Keep Healthcare Out of Reach' detailing struggles Arkansans face accessing Medicaid services.
• Renters Rising (Center for Popular Democracy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with Renters Rising, a project of Center for Popular Democracy and Center for Popular Democracy in Action, to support tenant organizing and social housing vision for Arkansas communities.
• Asset Funders NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaborated on report 'From the ER to the Courtroom' examining how medical bills and court costs trap people in debt cycles, with Asset Funders Network.
• Hope Policy InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-published research with Hope Policy Institute on medical debt and court costs trapping Arkansans in debt cycles.
• UAMS Boozman College of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnered on research examining Little Rock residents' opinions about school closures and resource distribution fairness across district schools.
• Arkansas Minority Health CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Coordinated COVID-19 shot clinics in communities underserved during the pandemic with Arkansas Minority Health Commission.
• Our HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Our House and City of Little Rock to operate Financial Resources Hotline (501-291-0584) providing 30-minute no-cost sessions addressing job training, finances, housing, family stability, public benefits, and reentry.
• City of Little RockcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in Financial Resources Hotline initiative with Our House and Financial Navigators to provide support to residents during the pandemic.
• Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt (Annie E. Casey Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Part of Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt initiative launched in 2017 by Annie E. Casey Foundation, a multi-state effort to close racial-ethnic wealth gap. Partners include Aspen Institute, National Consumer Law Center, National League of Cities, Prosperity Now, and Urban Institute.
• Arkansas Community Institute (ACI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization of ACO. ACI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that improves housing opportunities in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. ACO and ACI collaborate on reports, advocacy, and community organizing. ACI releases reports on fair housing, predatory lending, healthcare access, and tenant laws.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ArkansasComm
• Xx.com/arcommorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Arkansas Community Organizations