The North Broad Renaissance

What The North Broad Renaissance does

The North Broad Renaissance (NBR) is a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization founded in 2016 that manages both the North Broad Business Improvement District (NBBID) and the North Broad Special Service District. The organization is the officially designated manager of the NBBID, established by unanimous Philadelphia City Council ordinance in November 2022, providing NBR with statutory authority over corridor management along North Broad Street from Spring Garden Street to Indiana Avenue. NBR's functional mandate is urban revitalization: cleaning, greening, safety, business attraction, business retention, and employment programming that directly impacts more than 50,000 residents across eight neighborhoods from City Hall to Butler Street.

The organization's core product portfolio combines physical infrastructure, community programming, and a technology-enhanced engagement layer. Physical assets include 41 North Poles public art installations (55-foot LED-lit fixtures spanning Hamilton Street to Glenwood Avenue, featuring 800 LED lights with full color and animation capability), 61 maintained planting beds, and a Camera Program supporting business security. The technology layer is the Lights of North Broad augmented reality mobile app, developed in partnership with Fairmount-based AR/VR design agency Dream Syndicate and launched in 2022. The app hosts the Summer aBroad AR Tour (a refreshed 2026 version launched May 1, 2026) and the Sea ABroad underwater-themed AR feature, plus the #ThinkBroad Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

NBR's revenue model is a hybrid of three streams: (1) recurring BID assessments levied on commercial properties within the NBBID boundaries, (2) corporate sponsorships and major donations from anchor supporters including Comcast, Live Nation, Target, Bank of America, DoorDash, Visit Philadelphia, Philadelphia 250, and IBX Blue Crew/High Mark Blue Shield, and (3) annual fundraising events such as the State of North Broad Fundraiser, which raised more than $100,000 in December 2025. Direct delivery is supported by partnerships with TWB Cleaning (six-day-per-week corridor cleaning) and All Seasons Landscaping (planting bed maintenance), with a small core staff of 5 employees and a volunteer base approaching 100 for signature events. Board governance draws senior executives from Temple University, Wells Fargo, Live Nation East, Philadelphia Housing Authority, Philadelphia Ballet, Philadelphia OIC, Shift Capital, and EB Realty.

Name

The North Broad Renaissance

Legal name

The North Broad Renaissance

Website

https://northbroad.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The North Broad Renaissance is a Philadelphia non-profit managing the North Broad Business Improvement District and Special Service District, delivering urban revitalization through cleaning, greening, safety, and business attraction programs that serve more than 50,000 residents across eight neighborhoods along North Broad Street.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Revitalization & Business Improvement District Management

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN), State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM), Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Urban revitalization services
• Business improvement district
• Community development
• Corridor maintenance
• Public art installation

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. BID Assessments: Annual assessments on commercial properties along North Broad Street corridor within the North Broad Business Improvement District boundaries, providing sustainable supplemental funding for enhanced services and programming.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Annual State of North Broad Fundraiser and general donations from individuals and organizations. 2025 fundraiser exceeded $100,000 goal.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Financial support from corporate donors including Comcast, Live Nation, Target, Bank of America, DoorDash, Visit Philadelphia, Philadelphia 250, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The North Broad Renaissance is a non-profit manager of the North Broad Business Improvement District (BID) and North Broad Special Service District in Philadelphia. It delivers urban revitalization services along the North Broad Street corridor from City Hall to Butler Street, including cleaning, greening, hospitality and safety programming, business attraction and retention support, marketing/communications, and community events. Operations impact more than 50,000 residents across eight neighborhoods.

Product overview

The North Broad Renaissance is a non-profit organization that manages both the North Broad Business Improvement District (BID) and North Broad Special Service District. Rather than offering a unified software platform, the organization delivers community revitalization through a portfolio of programs, services, and technology-enhanced experiences. Core offerings include the Lights of North Broad App with its Summer aBroad AR Tour and Sea ABroad features (augmented reality experiences developed with Dream Syndicate), the #ThinkBroad Podcast, annual State of North Broad reports, a commercial property listings portal, the North Poles public art installation (41 LED-lit poles spanning the corridor), and the North Broad Camera Program. Supporting services include cleaning ambassadors, landscaping across 61 planting beds, hospitality and safety initiatives, business attraction programs, and signature events like the Health Fest, Block Party, and Music and Morsels Fest. The organization focuses on transforming North Broad Street from City Hall to Butler Street across eight neighborhoods impacting over 50,000 residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lights of North Broad App
• Sea ABroad AR Feature
• Summer aBroad AR Tour
• Clean & Safe Corridor Services
• Business Attraction and Retention Services
• Commercial Property Listings Portal

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Temple UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2025Temple University, led by President John Fry, serves as a key anchor institution on the North Broad corridor. John Fry was appointed to NBR's Board of Directors in January 2025. Temple's Main Campus at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue is a major focal point of NBR's revitalization efforts, with Iron Hill Brewery opening on campus and the university pursuing $1.5 billion fundraising campaign under Forward with Purpose strategic plan targeting 2034.
• Dream SyndicatecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Fairmount-based AR and VR design agency that partnered with NBR in 2022 to create the Lights of North Broad mobile app, featuring augmented reality experiences including Sea ABroad underwater tours and walking tour functionality. The app engages the community and visitors with immersive content about North Broad's past, present, and future.
• Visit PhiladelphiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDesignated North Broad as a place to visit, promoting the corridor for tourism and hospitality.
• Philadelphia 250coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for America's 250th Celebration in 2026; NBR is actively planning events and activations to attract visitors to the corridor during this major celebration.
• TWB CleaningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TWB Cleaning for the North Broad Cleaning Team, providing six-day-per-week cleaning services along the corridor including garbage removal, gutter/curb cleaning, and graffiti removal.
• All Seasons LandscapingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with All Seasons Landscaping for the North Broad Landscaping Team, maintaining 61 planting beds and green spaces throughout the corridor.
• Philadelphia Department of CommercemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity agency partner supporting North Broad revitalization and economic development efforts.
• Philadelphia OICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheila Ireland, President & CEO of Philadelphia OIC, serves on NBR's Board of Directors. OIC provides workforce development and economic opportunity programs.
• Philadelphia BID AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBR participates in the Philadelphia BID Alliance, a coalition of 16 business improvement districts representing 14,000 businesses, collaborating on shared agenda for commercial corridor quality of life improvements.
• IBX Blue Crew and High Mark Blue ShieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth insurance partners supporting community wellness initiatives and health programming along North Broad.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Visit Philadelphia: Philadelphia's official tourism marketing organization and NBR corporate sponsor. Comparable as a tourism/destination marketing peer whose visitor-promotion mandate overlaps with NBR's Lights of North Broad app and Summer aBroad programming along North Broad.
• Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: Philadelphia nonprofit coalition supporting cultural organizations and place-based programming. Comparable as a peer nonprofit focused on civic/cultural ecosystem building along urban corridors, intersecting with NBR's cultural programming and public-art activities.
• International Downtown Association: Industry association for place management organizations including BIDs, SSAs, and downtown districts. Comparable as an ecosystem peer; NBR participates in the Philadelphia BID Alliance and shares the trade association that disseminates best practices across comparable corridor managers.

Direct peers

• Center City District: Philadelphia-based Business Improvement District and Special Services District managing downtown cleaning, greening, safety, and economic development. Directly comparable as a city-ordained corridor manager with cleaning ambassadors, public-space programming, and BID assessment funding model.
• Central Atlanta Progress / Atlanta Downtown Improvement District: Atlanta-based nonprofit managing the Downtown Improvement District with ambassador-based cleaning and safety programs, economic development, and BID assessments. Directly comparable as an urban-corridor manager combining BID governance with public-space services.
• Old City District: Philadelphia BID managing the Old City historic district with cleaning, safety, marketing, and business support services. Directly comparable as a Philadelphia-based corridor manager with a tourism/hospitality orientation and BID assessment revenue model.
• University City District: Philadelphia-based BID and SSD managing the University City corridor west of the Schuylkill. Comparable to NBR as a Philadelphia corridor-focused nonprofit combining cleaning, public space, business support, and BID assessments with university anchors (Penn, Drexel).
• Downtown Cleveland Alliance: Nonprofit managing Cleveland's downtown BID and special improvement district with cleaning, safety, economic development, and event programming. Comparable to NBR as a mid-sized American city corridor manager combining BID governance with nonprofit service delivery.
• River North Chicago Business Association: Chicago-based SSA / BID managing the River North corridor with cleaning, greening, marketing, and business attraction programming. Comparable to NBR as a dense urban-corridor special-service district using assessments for amenity services.
• DowntownDC BID: Washington, DC-based Business Improvement District managing downtown with cleaning, safety, economic development, and BID assessment funding. Comparable to NBR as a city BID with ambassador-based services and corridor revitalization focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/summerabroadphl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-broad-renaissance

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 North Broad Renaissance