African American Roundtable

What African American Roundtable does

African American Roundtable (AART) is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2019 that serves as the political home for the city's Black community, with a programmatic focus on Northwest Side Aldermanic Districts 5 and 9. Its core offerings are community organizing programs rather than technology products: a Leadership Development Cohort that trains Black leaders in organizing skills and political education, a Youth Organizing program (including an Activists in Residence fellowship) for ages 13–24, a Membership Program ($5/month or $60/year), the Feed the Change MKE food access campaign, a Participatory Budgeting initiative, the LiberateMKE campaign for police divestment and community reinvestment (being sunset at end of 2025), and the Northwest Side Stories storytelling project. No proprietary technology platform underlies these programs; distribution is field-led via door-to-door canvassing, community meetings, events, and a coalition of 20+ allied organizations.

AART is led by Executive Director Markasa Tucker-Harris and a board of eight Black women including Board President Dr. Cassandra Bowers. The organization grew from 2 to 6 staff between 2019 and 2022. FY2022 revenue was approximately $1,009,068, sourced almost entirely from foundation grants ($998,468 from Greater Milwaukee Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, State Voices, Butler Family Foundation, Milwaukee County Office of Equity, and America Votes) with only $10,600 from individual donations. Membership dues and donations constitute a marginal recurring revenue stream. Quantified 2022 outcomes include 700 petition signatures, 78 youth engaged, 50 Black-owned entities supported, and 27 new members onboarded; a $600,000 participatory budgeting investment was won through the Milwaukee Community Impact Fund in 2024. The organization's go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct engagement, events, email, social media, and coalition partnerships rather than traditional sales channels.

Name

African American Roundtable

Legal name

African American Roundtable

Website

https://aartmke.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

African American Roundtable is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit founded in 2019 that organizes, trains, and advocates for Black residents through leadership development, youth engagement, participatory budgeting, and food access campaigns on the city's Northwest Side.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Organizing and Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Civic engagement
• Leadership development
• Youth organizing
• Political advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Primary revenue source from foundation funding. In 2022, foundations contributed $998,468 in revenue.
2. Individual Donations: Donor contributions from individuals. In 2022, donors contributed $10,600.
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues of $60 per year or $5 per month, providing members with political home, leadership development training, political education, and community building opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

African American Roundtable (AART) is a nonprofit community organizing organization that delivers leadership development, youth organizing, participatory budgeting, and advocacy campaigns for Black residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its core offerings include the Leadership Development Cohort, Youth Organizing program, Feed the Change MKE food access campaign, Participatory Budgeting initiative, LiberateMKE campaign, Activists in Residence fellowship, and a Membership Program serving as a political home for Black people in Milwaukee.

Product overview

African American Roundtable (AART) is a community organization offering a portfolio of organizing programs, leadership development initiatives, and advocacy campaigns rather than a technology product. The core offerings include the Leadership Development Cohort for training Black leaders, Youth Organizing programming for ages 13-24, the Feed the Change MKE food access campaign, Participatory Budgeting initiatives, a Membership Program, the LiberateMKE campaign for police divestment, the Activists in Residence fellowship, and Northwest Side Stories storytelling project. These programs work together to serve as a political home for Black people in Milwaukee, cultivating leaders and organizing for systemic change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feed the Change MKE: Northwest Side-led food access campaign demanding $1 million investment into localized food system in Milwaukee and nutritional education programs.
• Participatory Budgeting
• Youth Organizing
• LiberateMKE
• Northwest Side Stories
• Leadership Development Cohort

Products and services

• Leadership Development Cohort A six-week program training Black leaders on organizing skills, political education, and civic engagement, cultivating the next generation of Black leaders in Milwaukee.
• Youth Organizing Program Organizing programming focused on engaging and empowering young Black people ages 13-24, including youth hangouts, skill-building sessions, and the Activists in Residence (AiR) fellowship to shape and lead future campaigns.
• Feed the Change MKE Northwest Side-led food access campaign demanding a $1 million investment into a localized food system in Milwaukee and nutritional education programs.
• Participatory Budgeting Program Community-led process enabling residents to propose and vote on funding community safety projects, including a won $600,000 investment through the Milwaukee Community Impact Fund.
• Membership Program Political home for Black people in Milwaukee providing leadership development training, political education, and community organizing opportunities with $5/month or $60 annual dues.
• LiberateMKE Campaign Campaign advocating for divestment from Milwaukee Police Department and investment in community programs including jobs for youth, housing, and mental health services.
• Activists in Residence (AiR) Fellowship Fellowship program onboarding new activists to develop their organizing skills within the AART community.
• Northwest Side Stories Social media storytelling project highlighting the work and experiences of people living and working in Milwaukee's Northwest Side communities.
• Field Work Organizing and coalition work focused on building authentic relationships and collective power for Black liberation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700 petition signatures collected for participatory budgeting
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• All in WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for progressive organizing and civic engagement in Wisconsin.
• Milwaukee Freedom FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on criminal justice reform and anti-incarceration work.
• Hmong American Women's AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner representing Asian American community interests in collective organizing.
• Black Educators CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on education equity and Black student success.
• BLOC - Black Leaders Organizing for CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on Black community organizing and leadership development.
• Ubuntu Research & EvaluationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and evaluation partner that collaborated on Northwest Side Asset Map and abundant mindsets work.
• VIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in Milwaukee civic engagement work.
• MICAH - Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based coalition partner for community organizing.
• Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical organization partner for progressive organizing.
• Civilytics ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational consulting partner for data and electoral analytics.
• Community Resource HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner providing resources for community organizing.
• Interrupting CriminalizationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner focused on ending criminalization of communities of color.
• Maximized CommunicationsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite and communications support partner.
• Annie E. Casey FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured AART in report 'Improving Community Safety Through Public Health Strategies: Lessons from Atlanta and Milwaukee' examining community safety approaches.
• RBJ ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner for sustainability, evaluation, and staff management support.
• Mentor MilwaukeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for training young men of color in basic organizing skills.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BLOC - Black Leaders Organizing for Communities: Listed coalition partner; Black-led community organizing group focused on leadership development and civic engagement in Wisconsin, operating a parallel model of cohorts and field campaigns to AART.
• Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) Indiana: Sister BLOC affiliate in Indianapolis running Black-led leadership development, civic engagement, and issue campaigns under the same organizing playbook and national BLOC infrastructure.
• All in Wisconsin: Coalition partner running coordinated progressive civic engagement, leadership development, and Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns in Wisconsin, with overlapping member activation tactics and shared funder base.
• MICAH - Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope: Faith-based broad-based community organizing network in Milwaukee that runs leadership training, accountability sessions with elected officials, and issue campaigns on jobs, schools, and safety, sharing AART's member-driven organizing approach.
• Milwaukee Freedom Fund: Coalition partner focused on criminal justice reform and bail support; comparable Milwaukee-based advocacy nonprofit operating member-driven campaigns and coalition organizing on overlapping issues.
• Voces de la Frontera: Wisconsin-based grassroots organizing group for immigrant and Latinx communities running leadership cohorts, worker centers, and participatory campaigns under a similar member-led model to AART.

Broad incumbents

• State Voices: National civic engagement infrastructure funder for state-based tables; AART is a State Voices grantee, and State Voices affiliates execute overlapping voter engagement and leadership pipelines across the country.
• Milwaukee Urban League: Established Milwaukee civil rights and social services affiliate of the National Urban League offering workforce, youth leadership, and community empowerment programming aligned with AART's Black community serving mission.
• NAACP Wisconsin State Conference: State-level branch of the national civil rights organization, operating advocacy, leadership development, and civic participation programs across Wisconsin with overlapping Black community focus.
• America Votes: National coalition coordination hub funding progressive civic engagement tables; AART sits within its network, and comparable member organizations run parallel field and leadership programs with similar funder relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricanAmericanRoundtable
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-american-roundtable

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 African American Roundtable