African-American Community Roundtable

What African-American Community Roundtable does

The African-American Community Roundtable (AACR) of Howard County, Maryland, founded in 2013, is a nonprofit community coalition that organizes and advocates on behalf of African-American residents across Howard County, a high-income jurisdiction between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The organization functions as a coordinating body rather than a service delivery operator: it convenes 25+ member organizations (including Black fraternities and sororities such as Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho, along with churches and civic groups) and aligns them around five programmatic areas — Education, Health, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Social Justice. Its activities include Health Expos, Youth Basketball & Life Skills Clinics, Economic Development Forums, Expungement Clinics, Adopt-A-Road Cleanups, Housing Crisis Town Halls, and an Annual Fall Celebration, executed at community venues such as schools, churches, and community centers across Columbia, Laurel, Ellicott City, and Jessup.

The organization does not build, sell, or license technology products. Its core "products" are community programs (e.g., community health workers, affordable care registration, pre-diabetes support, diversity training, affordable housing advocacy), a Community Grants information portal that surfaces funding opportunities from third parties (Dell Foundation, IGT After School, Waste Management, Charles Lafitte Foundation), a Community Events Program, and a Member Organization Network. Distribution is entirely analog and partnership-based, with no proprietary software platform, mobile app, or API. Outreach relies on a Wix-hosted website (aacr-howard.org), an email newsletter, and organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), with no paid acquisition or self-serve product funnel.

AACR's revenue model is that of a small donor-funded nonprofit: programs and services are provided free of charge, and operating support comes from individual donations via PayPal and from grants. The only quantified funding signal is a $10,000 grant from the Horizon Foundation in January 2022, followed by a $0-amount Horizon Foundation entry in January 2023; total disclosed funding is therefore minimal. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, headcount is in the 11–50 range, and the organization carries no debt, no parent company, and no institutional/PE backing. Strategically, AACR's model is best understood as a community-advocacy intermediary whose value derives from its coalition breadth, county-level institutional access (Howard County Government, Howard County Public Schools, Howard County General Hospital, Howard County Health Department, Maryland Food Bank), and sustained credibility with the local African-American community.

Name

African-American Community Roundtable

Legal name

African-American Community Roundtable of Howard County

Website

https://aacr-howard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The African-American Community Roundtable (AACR) of Howard County, Maryland is a nonprofit coalition of 25+ civic, religious, and member organizations that advocates for and delivers community programs to African-American residents of Howard County across Education, Health, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Social Justice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Community advocacy
• Civic engagement
• Health equity
• Economic development
• Education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

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

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The AACR is a nonprofit community coalition that delivers programs, events, and resources to African-American residents of Howard County, Maryland across five focus areas: Education, Health, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Social Justice. It operates as a coalition of 25+ member organizations (sororities, fraternities, churches, civic groups, and advocacy organizations), coordinates community events such as Health Expos, expungement clinics, and scholarship ceremonies, and connects residents with grant opportunities through a Community Grants Portal. All programs and services are provided free of charge and funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

The African-American Community Roundtable of Howard County is a community coalition organization (not a technology company) that offers community programs and services rather than technology products. The organization provides a portfolio of community-facing programs including: a Community Programs platform offering health, diversity, and housing initiatives; a Community Grants Portal connecting community members with funding opportunities; a Community Events Program hosting health expos, scholarship ceremonies, and skill-building clinics; and a Member Organization Network coordinating with over 25 civic, social, and professional groups. The organization also operates five focused program areas: Education, Health, Public Safety, Economic Development, and Social Justice initiatives. These are community service programs, not technology products or SaaS offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Programs Community programs including community health workers, affordable care registration, diversity and inclusion initiatives, pre-diabetes program, diversity trainings, COVID listening sessions, sugary drinks campaign, town halls, and affordable housing advocacy, delivered to African-American residents of Howard County.
• Community Grants Portal Information portal connecting local students, organizations, nonprofits, and community-driven initiatives with available grant opportunities including youth support grants, tech and learning grants, environmental grants, education and arts grants, and literacy funding.
• Community Events Program Organizes and hosts community events including Senior Scholarship & Awards Ceremony, Health Expos, Youth Basketball & Life Skills Clinics, Expungement Clinics, Economic Development Forums, Adopt-A-Road Cleanups, and Annual Fall Celebrations for Howard County residents.
• Member Organization Network Coalition of social, civic, professional, religious, and cultural groups including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and other member organizations committed to enhancing quality of life for African-Americans in Howard County.
• Health Initiative Focuses on improving health outcomes through personal lifestyle changes, regular medical physicals, disease prevention, and health education, partnering with health advocacy groups like Horizon Foundation, Howard County General Hospital, and the County Health Department.
• Education Initiative Aims to increase academic achievement, reduce achievement gaps, support BSAP and MESA programs, advocate for African-American educator hiring and retention, and support scholarship programs including the United Negro College Fund-Howard County Scholarship.
• Public Safety Initiative Advocates for hiring, mentoring, and promoting African-American and minority officers, cultural proficiency training, and community policing strategies that reflect community demographics in Howard County.
• Economic Development Initiative Promotes entrepreneurship, economic stability, and wealth creation through initiatives covering business planning, diversified marketing, personal and business finance, wealth building, access to capital, and networking for African-American residents and businesses in Howard County.
• Social Justice Initiative Collaboratively raises awareness and takes action to eliminate social inequalities in housing, health, education, public safety, economic development, and political systems affecting African-Americans in Howard County.

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Horizon FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth advocacy partner working with AACR on health initiatives in Howard County. The Horizon Foundation supports AACR's health programs aimed at tackling wellness concerns including obesity, disease prevention and management, and insurance access in the African-American community.
• Howard County General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner collaborating with AACR on countywide health initiatives. Howard County General Hospital participates in AACR's health programming and educational information sharing about health resources available to the community.
• Howard County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment health agency partner working with AACR to share educational information and resources about countywide health initiatives targeting the African-American community.
• Howard County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner collaborating with AACR on initiatives including BSAP & MESA Programs, reducing suspensions of African-American students, advocating for African-American educator hiring and retention, and supporting scholarships including the United Negro College Fund-Howard County Scholarship.
• Howard County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner working with AACR on community initiatives including public safety improvements, economic development programs, and social justice advocacy in Howard County.
• Maryland Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood security partner collaborating with AACR on addressing food access challenges in the community through potential food distribution and nutrition programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• National Medical Association: Professional society representing African-American physicians and advancing health equity. Comparable to AACR's Health Initiative through its focus on reducing health disparities in the African-American community.
• National Black Child Development Institute: National nonprofit focused on early childhood education, literacy, and family support in African-American communities. Comparable to AACR's Education Initiative and youth programming but with a narrower age range.

Direct peers

• National Council of Negro Women: Member-based coalition of African-American women's organizations and community groups pursuing economic empowerment, health, and education. Highly comparable governance and coalition structure to AACR's membership model.
• National Action Network: Civil rights advocacy organization with local chapters pursuing racial justice, policing reform, and economic equity — directly comparable to AACR's Social Justice and Public Safety initiatives.
• 100 Black Men of America: Coalition of African-American male leaders running mentoring, education, health, and economic development programs through local chapters. Closely mirrors AACR's Divine Nine-rooted coalition model and program verticals.
• The Links, Incorporated: National member organization of professional African-American women running programming in health, education, and economic empowerment. Many of AACR's member sororities overlap with The Links' network, making this a structurally similar peer.
• NAACP: The nation's largest and most recognized civil rights organization for African-Americans. NAACP operates local branches (including Howard County) that pursue the same multi-issue agenda — education, health, economic equity, public safety, and social justice — making it the closest direct functional peer to AACR's coalition model.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: A national civil rights and direct-services organization focused on economic empowerment, education, health, and civic engagement for African-Americans. Operates local affiliates that overlap AACR's programmatic verticals at significantly greater scale.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: National civil rights legal and advocacy organization focused on racial justice, education equity, and economic justice. Comparable mission scope to AACR's Social Justice Initiative but at vastly larger scale and budget.
• ACLU: National civil liberties and civil rights organization pursuing systemic reform in housing, education, criminal justice, and economic opportunity — adjacent to AACR's social justice and public safety work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aacrhoward
• Facebookfacebook.com/AACRHoward
• Instagraminstagram.com/aacr_howard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about African-American Community Roundtable