15 Percent Pledge

Name

15 Percent Pledge

Legal name

15 Percent Pledge Inc.

Website

https://15percentpledge.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Advocacy and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Racial equity advocacy
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Corporate partnership programs
• Black business grants
• Retail diversity initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

New City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly donation option of $15 helps fund advocacy work and grant programs. Donations from individuals support general operations and organizational growth.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Partnerships with major retailers who commit to the 15% pledge. Corporate partners fund organizational operations and grant programs through their commitment.
3. Grant Funding: External grant funding from partners like Shop with Google, Sephora, Nancy Twine's Dream Makers Founder Grant, a16z Cultural Leadership Fund, and Hartbeat Ventures to distribute to Black-owned businesses.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fifteen Percent Pledge is a nonprofit advocacy organization that asks major retailers and corporations to commit 15% of their shelf space, spend, and revenue to Black-owned businesses, mirroring the approximate 15% Black share of the US population. It operationalizes this commitment through a Business Equity Community directory of Black-owned brands and a portfolio of grant and accelerator programs (Achievement Award, Sephora Beauty Grant, Dream Makers Founder Grant, Runway to Revenue Accelerator, AI Illumination Grant) that distribute funding and mentorship to Black entrepreneurs.

Product overview

Fifteen Percent Pledge is a racial equity and economic justice non-profit organization operating a platform of programs rather than a traditional SaaS product. The core offering consists of the Business Equity Community—a directory of Black-owned businesses—and multiple grant programs including the Sephora Beauty Grant, Achievement Award, Dream Makers Founder Grant, Runway to Revenue Accelerator, and AI Illumination Grant. The organization has dispersed over $1 million in grants since 2020 and partnered with 35+ corporate partners to shift nearly $14 billion in revenue to Black-owned businesses. Supporting programs include the Consumer Commitment initiative for individual engagement and a donations program for organizational support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Equity Community An online directory and registry of Black-owned businesses across categories including fashion, beauty, food, wellness, art, publishing, and technology, allowing consumers to discover and support Black-owned brands while serving as a vetted pipeline for corporate partner placements.
• Achievement Award Signature grant program for Black-owned e-commerce businesses with $100K+ annual revenue and 2-15 employees, awarding a $200,000 grand prize plus $35,000 and $15,000 runner-up prizes, alongside mentorship and pro-bono consulting services from industry leaders.
• Sephora Beauty Grant A $100,000 grant for underrepresented beauty founders, providing unrestricted funding, pro-bono consulting support, and recognition at the Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala. Open to businesses selling CPG products in beauty, haircare, makeup, skincare, fragrance, or bath and body categories.
• Dream Makers Founder Grant A $1 million multi-year grant fund established by Nancy Twine, distributing five $25,000 grants annually to outstanding female and BIPOC business owners in consumer goods (excluding beauty category).
• Runway to Revenue Accelerator A 12-week virtual accelerator program powered by Victoria's Secret providing $10,000 grant funding, expert-led workshops on scaling, operations and business strategy, networking opportunities, and a pitch competition with additional funding up to $50,000 for BIPOC and women entrepreneurs in intimates, apparel, and activewear categories.
• AI Illumination Grant Educational grant program in partnership with a16z Cultural Leadership Fund and Hartbeat Ventures, designed to educate Black-owned businesses on AI tools for growth and innovation, with a $35,000 total grant pool split between a $20,000 winner and $15,000 runner-up following educational webinars.
• Consumer Commitment A three-step program for individual consumers to support Black-owned businesses by taking inventory of current spending, committing 15% of monthly budget to Black-owned businesses, and donating monthly to support organizational advocacy work.
• Donations Program Donation program supporting Fifteen Percent Pledge's operations and long-term organizational growth, including a monthly $15 donation option, with over $1 million in grants dispersed to underserved entrepreneurs since 2020.

Quantifiable outcome

• $14B revenue shift to Black-owned businesses through pledge commitments
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Victoria's SecretcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Victoria's Secret pledged in June 2022 and partnered on the Runway to Revenue Accelerator, a 12-week virtual program providing $10,000 grants and pitch competition opportunities up to $50,000 for BIPOC and women entrepreneurs in intimates, apparel, and activewear categories.
• NordstromcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Nordstrom pledged in July 2021 to dedicate 15% of shelf space to Black-owned brands, offering access to premium retail locations for participating businesses.
• ULTA BeautycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021ULTA Beauty pledged in June 2021 to dedicate 15% of shelf space to Black-owned brands, expanding access to the beauty retail market for Black entrepreneurs.
• Macy'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2020Macy's pledged in November 2020 to dedicate 15% of shelf space to Black-owned brands, providing major retail distribution access for Black entrepreneurs.
• SephoraflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020Sephora was among the first major retailers to take the pledge in June 2020. The partnership includes the annual Sephora Beauty Grant providing $100,000 to underrepresented beauty founders, plus significant placement of Black-owned brands in Sephora stores.
• Rent The RunwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020Rent The Runway pledged in June 2020 to dedicate 15% of shelf space to Black-owned brands, committing to support racial equity in the fashion and retail ecosystem.
• Shop with GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Shop with Google for the third year providing $250,000 in grant funding through the Achievement Award program, with winners receiving mentoring and pro-bono consulting services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New Voices Fund: New Voices Fund is a venture capital fund focused on investing in exceptional minority and women founders. Operates in the same economic-equity / venture access lane as 15 Percent Pledge but specializes in early-stage checks rather than grantmaking and retail placement.
• Fearless Fund: Fearless Fund is a venture capital fund and grant program founded by Arlan Hamilton, dedicated to scaling companies led by women of color, particularly Black women founders. Directly comparable to 15 Percent Pledge in its mission of economic empowerment for Black/diverse founders through capital deployment.
• Backstage Capital: Backstage Capital is a venture capital fund founded by Arlan Hamilton to invest in underrepresented founders, including Black entrepreneurs, with a portfolio focused on consumer and tech categories. Overlaps with 15 Percent Pledge on economic-equity mission and capital deployment to underrepresented founders.
• Black Ambition (Pharrell Williams): Black Ambition is a Pharrell Williams-founded nonprofit that awards prizes and mentorship to Black entrepreneurs and HBCU founders. Closely mirrors 15 Percent Pledge in pairing grant funding with corporate mentorship pipelines for Black-owned consumer brands.

Emerging players

• Common Future: Common Future is a nonprofit that mobilizes capital and resources to close the racial wealth gap by supporting entrepreneurs of color through grants, fellowships, and capital partnerships. Shares 15 Percent Pledge's racial wealth-gap mission and entrepreneur-support model but operates through fiscal sponsorship networks rather than corporate retail partnerships.
• Concrete Rose Capital: Concrete Rose Capital is a venture capital fund investing in pre-seed and seed-stage companies led by Black, Latinx, and women founders. Comparable economic-equity mandate to 15 Percent Pledge but delivers capital through venture investment rather than nonprofit grantmaking and corporate retail partnerships.
• SoGal Ventures: SoGal Ventures is an early-stage venture fund investing in diverse and female founders across consumer and tech categories. Comparable to 15 Percent Pledge on the mission dimension but operates as a venture investor rather than a nonprofit grantmaker focused specifically on Black-owned retail brands.
• Founders First Capital Partners: Founders First Capital Partners provides capital, education, and revenue opportunities to underserved founder communities, including people of color and LGBTQ founders. Comparable to 15 Percent Pledge in serving underrepresented founders through multi-pronged support, with overlap in accelerators and grant-style programs.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: The National Urban League is a long-established civil rights and economic empowerment organization with a far broader mandate (jobs, housing, healthcare, education) targeting Black Americans. A broader incumbent racial-equity actor whose entrepreneurship programming partially overlaps with 15 Percent Pledge's supplier-diversity focus.
• NAACP Empowerment Programs: NAACP is a broad-based civil rights organization running grant and economic empowerment programs (e.g., Powershift Entrepreneurship Initiative). Overlaps with 15 Percent Pledge on racial-equity advocacy but with significantly larger scope across civic, legal, and education domains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/15percentpledge
• Xx.com/15PercentPledge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 15 Percent Pledge