The Black Earth Institute

Name

The Black Earth Institute

Legal name

Black Earth Institute

Website

https://blackearthinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Arts Nonprofit Organization

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Arts nonprofit organization
• Literary journal publication
• Artist fellowship programs
• Environmental literature essays
• Writer residency retreats

Headquarters

HQ city

Black Earth

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt education and charitable organization, BEI primarily relies on donations from individuals and supporters. The organization accepts memorial contributions and general donations via mail and PayPal.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Black Earth Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports progressive artists, writers, and scholars through a fellowship program, publishes the About Place Journal literary publication focused on place and environment, and operates Brigit Rest, a retreat center in Wisconsin's Driftless Area that hosts residencies, retreats, internships, and land-stewardship programs. Core beneficiaries are individual artists whose work addresses the intersection of art, spirit, earth, and social justice.

Product overview

The Black Earth Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that operates primarily as a fellowship program supporting progressive artists. Its core products include the About Place Journal, a literary publication exploring place and environment, and the BEI Fellowship Program for writers, poets, and scholars. Additional offerings include residential summer internships and administrative internships, reading series events, and periodic retreats at the organization's property Brigit Rest in Wisconsin. The portfolio centers on fostering art that connects spirit, earth, and society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• About Place Journal: BEI's online literary journal focused on place-based literature, poetry, and art
• Brigit Rest
• BEI Summer Internship

Products and services

• About Place Journal A peer-reviewed literary journal published by BEI that explores themes of place, environment, ecology, and the relationship between humans and the natural world through poetry, prose, and visual art. Targeted at writers, poets, and readers of place-based and environmental literature.
• BEI Fellowship Program An artist fellowship program supporting writers, poets, and scholars whose work focuses on the intersections of art, spirit, earth, and social justice. Fellows receive recognition, community, and opportunities for collaboration and publication.
• BEI Summer Internship A residential summer internship at Brigit Rest involving land work (garden, vineyard, orchard, prairie restoration) combined with BEI organizational tasks including social media, IT, communications with fellows, and book tour support. Room, board, and $1,500/month stipend provided to selected candidates.
• Administrative Internship A part-time internship (20 hours/week) facilitating BEI operations including social media monitoring, About Place Journal promotion, event coordination, donor correspondence, and grant assistance. Located in the Black Earth area with option for college credit.
• Reading Series Virtual and in-person reading events featuring BEI fellows, scholars, and guest artists presenting their work, often tied to new issues of About Place Journal or special themes. Hosted via YouTube and Zoom.
• Retreat Programs at Brigit Rest Retreat gatherings held at BEI's headquarters in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, bringing together fellows and scholars for workshops, discussions, and collaborative work on BEI's mission.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 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 minor.

• The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating alignment and mutual support between organizations focused on literature and environment.
• Split This Rock Poetry FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating alignment with poetry and social activism organizations.
• New Verse NewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating shared interest in poetry and current events.
• Aldo Leopold CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating shared focus on environmental writing and conservation.
• Center for Whole CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating shared values around community and environment.
• Voices from the American LandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating shared focus on American literary and environmental traditions.
• Web of Creation (Statement of Environmental Justice)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of 'Other organizations' on BEI's website, indicating shared commitment to environmental justice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bread Loaf Writers' Conference: Long-running residential writers' conference affiliated with Middlebury offering workshops and residencies; comparable to BEI's Brigit Rest in providing immersive retreat-style programming for writers and poets.
• Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Literary nonprofit using poetry as a vehicle for social justice; BEI explicitly lists Split This Rock as a partner, and both organizations overlap on the intersection of progressive poetry and activism.
• CantoMundo: Nonprofit literary organization supporting Latinx poets through writing retreats and fellowships; closely comparable fellowship-plus-retreat format targeting identity-rooted poetics, akin to BEI's ecopoetry focus.
• Cave Canem Foundation: Nonprofit literary organization that supports Black poets through residencies, fellowships, and publications; highly comparable to BEI's fellowship-plus-journal model with a similarly community-led, mission-driven structure.
• Kundiman: Nonprofit dedicated to nurturing Asian American writers and literature through fellowships, retreats, and community programs; mirrors BEI's artist-fellowship-and-retreat architecture and identity-based literary mission.
• The Loft Literary Center: Independent literary nonprofit offering classes, events, residencies, and a magazine; shares BEI's community-led approach to supporting writers and producing literary content.
• Aldo Leopold Foundation: Nonprofit preserving Aldo Leopold's legacy through land stewardship, education, and writing programs at the Shack and Farm; BEI lists Aldo Leopold Center as a partner, and both connect environmental ethics with literary and educational programming.
• Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE): Scholarly nonprofit at the intersection of literature and environment; BEI lists ASLE as a partner, and both organizations center ecocriticism, environmental writing, and place-based literary scholarship.
• Hedgebrook: Nonprofit retreat center on Whidbey Island that hosts women writers for residencies; comparable to BEI's Brigit Rest model combining a physical retreat property with literary programming and fellowship support.

Broad incumbents

• Academy of American Poets: Largest US-based nonprofit supporting poets through prizes, fellowships, and Poem-a-Day; a broader incumbent operating nationally in the same poetry-support space as BEI, but at substantially larger scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blackearthinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-black-earth-institute

Compliance1 record

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 The Black Earth Institute