West Oakland Cultural Action Network

What West Oakland Cultural Action Network does

West Oakland Cultural Action Network (WOCAN) is a nonprofit cultural preservation and community advocacy organization founded in 2020 by David Peters and operating under fiscal sponsorship by Alkebulan Fiscal Sponsors (DBA W.O.C.A.N., EIN 86-2489204). It serves residents of West Oakland's Hoover-Foster, Clawson, McClymonds, and Prescott neighborhoods along the San Pablo Corridor, with a stated mission to preserve and uplift the cultural, political, economic, and social conditions of African Americans in the area. Its flagship offering is the Black Liberation Walking Tour (BLWT), a guided historical tour covering approximately 10 blocks of the Hoover-Foster neighborhood, led by Peters and historian Gene Anderson and integrating oral history components. The organization also runs the Clean Ports Program, an environmental justice initiative that co-hosts quarterly community forums with the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) around electrification and zero-emission efforts at the Port of Oakland, alongside recurring community events including West Fest, the Land is Liberation Blues & Culture Festival, farmer's market presence, and Earth Day shoreline cleanups.

WOCAN's technology footprint is modest and consists of standard nonprofit web infrastructure rather than a proprietary platform: a Squarespace-hosted website with integrated donation checkout, an on-demand e-commerce storefront for branded merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, water bottles), Eventbrite for event registration, Patreon for recurring donations, and Endaoment for cryptocurrency donations. The "methodology" referenced is cultural heritage documentation — oral history capture and guided narration — rather than software.

The organization is funded through a mix of one-time donations, recurring Patreon subscriptions across eight tiers ($5 to $500 per month), merchandise sales ($10 to $45), and corporate sponsorships from EBALDC, Penumbra, Flourish, Community Vision, Oakland Roots SC, and the Oakland Roots Justice Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The customer base consists of West Oakland community residents, cultural-tourism visitors, and a long tail of individual donors rather than enterprise accounts.

Name

West Oakland Cultural Action Network

Legal name

Alkebulan Fiscal Sponsors DBA W.O.C.A.N.

Website

https://thewocan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

West Oakland Cultural Action Network (WOCAN) is a 2020-founded nonprofit that operates the Black Liberation Walking Tour, the Clean Ports environmental justice program, and community events for residents of West Oakland's Hoover-Foster, Clawson, McClymonds, and Prescott neighborhoods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL), Cultural Heritage & Indigenous-Led Visitor Services (Tribal Tours, Heritage Sites, Co-management) (THAAAGAL)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage preservation
• Historical walking tours
• Community advocacy programs
• Environmental justice organizing
• Nonprofit cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, and mugs through the organization's website. Products are made on-demand to reduce overproduction.
2. Patreon Recurring Donations: Monthly recurring donations through Patreon at tiered levels from $5 to $500 per month, supporting WOCAN programs and events.
3. One-Time Donations: Direct monetary donations through the website checkout, supporting preservation of West Oakland's history and culture.
4. Cryptocurrency Donations: Crypto donations accepted via Endaoment platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WOCAN operates the award-winning Black Liberation Walking Tour through Oakland's Hoover-Foster neighborhood, celebrating multi-generational Black history and culture across approximately 10 blocks with oral history components. The organization also runs the Clean Ports Program for environmental justice advocacy at the Port of Oakland, community forums, cultural festivals (West Fest, Land is Liberation Blues & Culture Festival), branded merchandise sales, and tiered donation programs supporting cultural heritage preservation in West Oakland.

Product overview

West Oakland Cultural Action Network (WOCAN) operates as a cultural preservation and community advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of the award-winning Black Liberation Walking Tour (BLWT) as a flagship program, the Clean Ports Program environmental initiative, an event calendar showcasing community activities, branded merchandise, and donation programs. The organization uses Squarespace-based web infrastructure and leverages Eventbrite for event registration and Patreon for recurring donations. The core mission focuses on preserving African American cultural heritage in the Hoover-Foster, Clawson, McClymonds, and Prescott neighborhoods of West Oakland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Liberation Walking Tour (BLWT): Award-winning walking tour through Oakland's Hoover-Foster neighborhood celebrating Black History and culture. Guided by local native David Peters and historian Gene Anderson.

Products and services

• Black Liberation Walking Tour (BLWT) An award-winning guided walking tour through Oakland's Hoover-Foster neighborhood celebrating multi-generational Black history and culture, covering approximately 10 blocks with oral history components and historical site visits, led by founder David Peters and historian Gene Anderson.
• Clean Ports Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $500 million in clean energy investments facilitated at Port of Oakland
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026WOEIP and WOCAN co-host quarterly Clean Ports community forums to bring West Oakland residents together for discussions about a greener future and zero-emission vehicles at the Port of Oakland.
• Nurture NatureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized the Earth Day Shoreline Cleanup at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, working with WOCAN on community environmental initiatives.
• Port of OaklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOCAN actively advocates for the Clean Ports Program at the Port of Oakland, facilitating community dialogue about electrification efforts and $500 million in clean energy investments.
• West Oakland Library Friends (WOLF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with WOCAN for Taste of the West events at the West Oakland Library, co-organizing family-friendly community gatherings.
• Mandela PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizers of Taste of the West events, providing fresh produce and community resources at West Oakland community gatherings.
• St. Mary's CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOCAN brings EPA Clean Ports conversations directly to the St. Mary's Center community in West Oakland through quarterly forums.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Black Heritage Trail (Boston): Curated heritage walking trail preserving African American history in Boston's Beacon Hill. Highly comparable to BLWT in that it is a fixed-route, volunteer/narrator-led heritage walk with educational and tourism functions.
• The Unity Council: Oakland-based nonprofit driving community development, equity, and quality-of-life initiatives in the Fruitvale and surrounding neighborhoods. Comparable as a place-based Oakland nonprofit pursuing cultural and economic uplift through community programs and partnerships.
• Mandela Partners: Oakland-based nonprofit advancing food access, economic opportunity, and community wellness. Comparable as a place-based Oakland community nonprofit, and already an active partner on WOCAN's Taste of the West events.
• Oakland Heritage Alliance: Oakland-based nonprofit focused on preserving and interpreting the city's architectural and cultural heritage. Comparable in mission (heritage preservation in Oakland), nonprofit structure, and educational programming overlap with WOCAN.
• West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP): West Oakland-based environmental justice nonprofit advancing air quality and zero-emissions initiatives. Directly comparable to WOCAN's Clean Ports Program advocacy and is already a strategic co-host partner for WOCAN's quarterly forums.
• Sankofa Tours: African diaspora walking/heritage tour operator offering guided cultural tours rooted in Black history. Directly comparable in product format (guided walking tours), target audience (cultural-heritage tourists), and storytelling-driven model to WOCAN's Black Liberation Walking Tour.
• Black Tour Guide NYC: Network of Black-led cultural walking tours in New York City. Comparable as a community-rooted Black history tour operator using local narrators and storytelling to drive engagement and earned media.

Broad incumbents

• Greenlining Institute: California-based racial-justice and environmental-justice policy organization. Comparable in mission (community-led EJ advocacy for Black and Brown communities) though operating at a much broader statewide policy scale.
• Visit Oakland: Destination marketing organization promoting Oakland as a tourism and events destination. Comparable in driving cultural-tourism demand for Oakland experiences like BLWT, though operating at a much broader portfolio level.

Others

• Oakland Roots SC: Community-rooted Oakland soccer club with an explicit social-impact mission. Comparable in operating as a community-identity-driven Oakland organization; functions as both a strategic sponsor and adjacent ecosystem participant to WOCAN.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oakblwt
• Facebookfacebook.com/OakBLWT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-oakland-cultural-action-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 West Oakland Cultural Action Network