The Black School
The Black School is a New Orleans-based nonprofit art school that trains BIPOC youth ages 14-24 through a paid design apprenticeship while operating a youth-powered graphic design studio, e-commerce shop selling educational tools and apparel, and the annual Black Love Fest festival.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Black School does
The Black School is a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization founded in 2015/2016 that operates an experimental art school teaching Black radical politics, social justice, and African diasporic history through paid youth design apprenticeship, community programming, and professional design services. Co-directed by artists Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters, the organization targets BIPOC youth ages 14-24 with a paid 6-month Design Apprenticeship Program that combines graphic design, creative entrepreneurship, fashion design, agriculture, and design activism, supported by the Liberation Library reading group. The organization serves a broader community through the annual Black Love Fest (a free art and music festival), workshops, exhibitions, and a Liberation Library curriculum rooted in texts by historical Black revolutionaries.
The Black School's product portfolio centers on the WooCommerce-powered e-commerce shop (theblack.school/shop), which sells educational tools (Process Deck #2 at $65, Playing Cards at $25, Magazine Issues #3-#5 at $20), apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, jumpsuits, caps ranging $20-$125, produced on-demand to reduce overproduction), and accessories. The proprietary Process Deck is a tarot-style interactive methodology card deck for brainstorming creative activism projects, originally featured at the New Museum in 2018 with a second edition released in 2024. Adjacent offerings include TBS: Design Studio (a youth-powered professional graphic design firm serving mission-driven clients including University of Georgia Athenaeum, Mississippi Museum of Art, Vera List Center, and Shop St. Bernard), free consultation services, and downloadable educational resources including the Soil Remediation Manual and lesson plans.
The business model combines e-commerce revenue (merchandise sales, both one-time purchases and made-to-order production), professional services revenue (Design Studio project fees), event revenue (Black Love Fest tickets, vendor fees, sponsorship), and philanthropic revenue including the 'We Fund Us' monthly recurring donor program, Legacy Brick capital campaign ($500-$1000 per brick engraving for schoolhouse construction), and grant funding such as the 2022 Instagram x Brooklyn Museum #BlackVisionaries Grant. The organization is constructing The Black Schoolhouse, a permanent community arts center at 1660 N. Roman St in New Orleans' Seventh Ward, designed by LOT-EK with Whawn Allen Architects, expected to open in 2026 to coincide with the 10th anniversary and unify all programming under one facility featuring art/design studios, gallery, garden, kitchen, library, digital fabrication lab, and meditation room.
The Black School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Black School
- Legal name
- The Black School, Inc.
- Website
- https://theblack.school
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Black School is a New Orleans-based nonprofit art school that trains BIPOC youth ages 14-24 through a paid design apprenticeship while operating a youth-powered graphic design studio, e-commerce shop selling educational tools and apparel, and the annual Black Love Fest festival.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Black School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)
Keywords
Where The Black School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Black School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Merchandise and E-commerce Sales: Online shop selling educational tools (Process Deck, Playing Cards), publications (magazines), clothing (t-shirts, hoodies, jumpsuits, caps), and accessories (tote bags, bandanas). Made-to-order production model reduces overproduction.
- Graphic Design Services: The Black School: Design Studio provides professional graphic design services to mission-driven organizations including branding, web, packaging, art direction, exhibition design, and consulting.
- Event Revenue: Black Love Fest annual art and music festival generates revenue through ticket sales, vendor fees, sponsorship, and community donations.
- Donations and Fundraising: We Fund Us monthly donor program, Legacy Brick campaign ($500-$1000 per brick), general donations, and grant applications for capital campaigns and endowment building.
- Educational Programming: Design Apprenticeship program provides paid training to young creatives, combining graphic design, activism, entrepreneurship, and life skills education.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Process Deck #2 - Tarot-style creative activism tool |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Playing Cards - Educational card game for social change learning |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Magazine Issues - Design apprentice publications |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | T-shirts - Various designs including vintage, radical, and flower child series |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Jumpsuit - Limited edition screen printed work suit |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hoodies and apparel accessories |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Legacy Brick Campaign for schoolhouse construction |
| Subscription | Annual | Development Manager position salary |
| Subscription | Annual | Communication Associate position salary |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Black School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Black School is an experimental art school and community organization that delivers paid design apprenticeship training to BIPOC youth ages 14-24, operates a youth-powered professional graphic design studio serving mission-driven organizations, and runs an e-commerce shop selling educational tools (Process Deck card deck, Playing Cards), branded apparel, and magazines. It also hosts the annual Black Love Fest community festival and the Liberation Library reading group, with all programming grounded in African diasporic pedagogies and Black radical traditions.
Product overview
The Black School operates as an experimental art school and community organization offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services united by a mission to transform social realities through Black Love, healing, and self-determination. The core product is The Black School: Shop, an e-commerce platform (powered by WooCommerce) selling educational tools (Process Deck #2, Playing Cards), publications (Magazine Issues #3, #4, #5), clothing and accessories, and branded merchandise—all generating independent funding for programming. Adjacent offerings include the youth-powered Design Studio (a professional graphic design firm), the Design Apprenticeship Program (paid 6-month training for ages 14-24), the annual Black Love Fest (free art and music festival), design consultation services, and free community educational resources (Liberation Library, lesson plans, Process Deck worksheets). The organization is constructing The Black Schoolhouse, a 21st-century community arts center in New Orleans' 7th Ward, anticipated to open in 2026, which will physically unify all programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TBS: Design Studio: A youth-powered professional graphic design firm that harnesses art and culture to create innovative design solutions for mission-driven brands.
- Black Love Fest
- TBS 10th Anniversary Collection
- Free the Land
Products and services
- The Black School Shop
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple apprenticeship cohorts trained with junior designers progressing through 1st-6th year programs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Black School
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Black School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
The Black School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Sheleen JonesflagshipNew Orleans-born sculptor commissioned to create TBS's inaugural public art sculpture and bike rack for the Black Schoolhouse. Work inspired by historic Black metal smithing legacy and Haitian/Caribbean architecture influences.
- Instagram and Brooklyn MuseumcoreInstagram x Brooklyn Museum 2022 #BlackVisionaries program providing grant funding and visibility to TBS: Studio as a Black visionary organization advancing design and creative activism.
- Friends of the Freedom HousecorePartnership for Artist Roundtable Dinners fostering conversation among BIPOC artists on support needed from NOLA's visual art landscape.
- Helis Foundation John Scott CentercoreCo-host of Artist Roundtable Dinners for BIPOC visual artists in New Orleans.
- LOT-EKflagshipLead Design Architects for Black Schoolhouse construction project. Created initial plans featuring recycled shipping containers with metallic copper paint, reclaimed wood shutters, and solar roof.
- Whawn Allen ArchitectsflagshipArchitect of Record and Construction Consultants for Black Schoolhouse development in Seventh Ward.
- University of Georgia - AthenaeumminorBranding project for contemporary art gallery including TBS lecture and workshop on human-centered design and pedagogy.
- Mississippi Museum of ArtcoreBranding identity design for Call Home: 2025 Mississippi Invitational exhibition.
- Vera List CenterminorBranding and publication design for Vera List Forum, an international annual convening of artists, curators, and activists in art and politics.
- NewCorp Inc. - Shop St. BernardminorBranding and web design for commercial corridor revitalization project connecting businesses along St. Bernard Avenue.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Black School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- A Blade of Grass: National nonprofit that supports socially engaged art through fellowships, residencies, and public programming. Comparable hybrid model of artist support, fellowship cohorts, and public programming rooted in social justice outcomes.
- Project Row Houses: Houston-based community arts organization that combines artist residencies, neighborhood revitalization, and BIPOC-centered programming across a campus of historic row houses. TBS Curator-at-Large Ryan N. Dennis previously served as Curator and Programs Director, making staff/cultural overlap with TBS.
- The Laundromat Project: NYC-based nonprofit that creates community-based art projects and artist residencies in laundromats and other neighborhood venues, with deep BIPOC community focus. TBS Board President Ayesha Williams serves as its Executive Director, evidencing overlapping mission, governance, and operational structure.
- Creative Capital: National nonprofit supporting innovative artists with grants and professional development to advance social justice. Co-director Shani Peters has been a Creative Capital grantee, evidencing shared artist-support ecosystem and funding-architecture overlap.
- Allied Media Projects: Detroit-based incubator for media-based and arts-based organizing with an explicit mission of using creative practice for social change, supporting youth and BIPOC-led projects. Directly comparable mission architecture (creative activism + education + community organizing + paid programming) to The Black School.
- The Heidelberg Project: Detroit-based community art organization using found-object installations and neighborhood-based programming as platforms for education, healing, and economic development. Similar community-led art activism, free public engagement, and grassroots fundraising approach.
Emerging players
- Black Artists + Designers Guild: Membership collective advancing visibility and resources for Black artists and designers across disciplines including graphic design, branding, and editorial. Overlaps with TBS Studio's mission of advancing authentic Black representation in commercial design.
Broad incumbents
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD): Detroit contemporary art museum with comparable urban, BIPOC-engaged programming and education focus, but operating as a larger established institution rather than a grassroots nonprofit school.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Black School social profiles
Digital presenceThe Black School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Black School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
The Black School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Black School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Black School
What does The Black School do?
The Black School is an experimental art school and community organization that delivers paid design apprenticeship training to BIPOC youth ages 14-24, operates a youth-powered professional graphic design studio serving mission-driven organizations, and runs an e-commerce shop selling educational tools (Process Deck card deck, Playing Cards), branded apparel, and magazines. It also hosts the annual Black Love Fest community festival and the Liberation Library reading group, with all programming grounded in African diasporic pedagogies and Black radical traditions.
Is The Black School a public or private company?
The Black School is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Black School founded?
The Black School was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Black School based?
The Black School is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Black School make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Merchandise and E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are graphic Design Services, event Revenue, donations and Fundraising and educational Programming.
Who are The Black School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are A Blade of Grass, Project Row Houses, The Laundromat Project, Creative Capital, Allied Media Projects and The Heidelberg Project. Black Artists + Designers Guild is listed as an emerging player. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Black School have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Black School.
What industry is The Black School in?
The Black School's product category is Community Arts Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAA, Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture). Its NAICS code is 611610 and its SIC code is 8200.