BlackFem

What BlackFem does

BlackFem, Inc. is a Maryland-domiciled 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 by Chloe B. McKenzie and headquartered in Germantown, MD. The organization explicitly positions itself as a wealth justice organization rather than a financial literacy organization, framing its work around addressing the root causes of financial trauma experienced by Black women and girls rather than delivering generic financial education. Its flagship program, WealthRise®, operates as a whole-community system that engages cities, K-12 and higher-education institutions, cultural institutions (churches, community organizations), families, and policymakers across four pillars — Education, Culture, Policy, and Family. Programming is delivered through the Equiddie® digital education platform, community activations, capacity-building trainings, and policy advisory work, with complementary Bank on Us and Activist Investors initiatives providing fee-free bank and brokerage accounts to participants.

Name

BlackFem

Legal name

BlackFem, Inc.

Website

https://blackfem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BlackFem, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that runs the WealthRise® whole-community program delivering wealth-justice and financial-trauma-healing programming to Black women and girls across 22 US cities, supported by the Traumagraph™ research tool and Equiddie® education platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Justice Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students (EDAMAIAH), Financial Education & Coaching (Digital Programs, Tools) (FSAGADAH), Investor Education, Research & Portfolio Analytics Services (Retail) (FSAAAAAO)

Keywords

• Wealth justice programs
• Financial trauma research
• Community wealth building
• Nonprofit education services
• Policy advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Germantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: BlackFem operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. The organization accepts donations through its website and partners with aligned funders to advance its mission of wealth justice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BlackFem operates as a wealth justice nonprofit delivering the WealthRise® whole-community program that addresses root causes of financial trauma through four pillars: Education, Culture, Policy, and Family. Core offerings include the Traumagraph™ interactive research tool that maps financial trauma across U.S. cities, the Equiddie® digital education platform that delivers daily curriculum to students, and complementary initiatives (Bank on Us, Activist Investors) providing fee-free bank and brokerage accounts to participants.

Product overview

BlackFem operates as a wealth justice organization with a portfolio of interconnected programs and initiatives. The core offerings include WealthRise® (the flagship holistic program addressing financial trauma through Education, Culture, Policy, and Family pillars), The Traumagraph™ (an interactive research tool mapping financial trauma), and Equiddie® (an education technology platform delivering curriculum to students). The organization also encompasses two sub-brands: 10Seven (consulting services) and 10Seven Project (non-profit extending programming beyond Black communities). Complementary initiatives include Bank on Us and Activist Investors, which provide fee-free accounts to build material wealth for participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WealthRise®: BlackFem's flagship program taking a bespoke, holistic approach to challenge and dismantle inequities embedded in policy, education, cultural, and familial systems.
• The Traumagraph™
• Equiddie®

Products and services

• WealthRise® BlackFem's flagship holistic wealth-building program that partners with cities and communities to challenge and dismantle inequities embedded in policy, education, cultural, and familial systems. The program delivers programming through four pillars: Education, Culture, Policy, and Family.
• The Traumagraph™ An interactive digital research experience that examines and maps incidences of financial trauma in the U.S., using qualitative and quantitative data to accurately reflect experiences of respondents with a focus on marginalized populations.
• Equiddie® An educational technology platform used by education partners to deliver BlackFem's programming to students up to daily, teaching wealth-building and healing financial trauma.
• 10Seven A consulting brand created in 2021 offering bespoke consulting services to meet increasing client demand for deeper organizational change, operating as the principal research investigation entity for BlackFem's work.
• 10Seven Project A non-profit organization founded alongside BlackFem focused on providing educational programming to groups beyond the Black community that are affected by financial trauma.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000+ Black women and girls served; 750K+ total individuals (students, families, teachers, community members)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 10SevencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202110Seven was created in 2021 to meet increasing client demand for deeper organizational change and offer bespoke consulting services. It is the principal research investigation entity for BlackFem's work and operates alongside BlackFem as part of the organization's family of brands.
• The 10Seven ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021A nonprofit organization founded alongside BlackFem focused on providing educational programming to groups beyond the Black community that are affected by financial trauma. Allows BlackFem to expand reach while staying focused on core beneficiaries.
• Georgetown UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgetown University has leveraged Chloe McKenzie's financial trauma measurement tool as part of their institutional research.
• Temple UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTemple University has applied Chloe McKenzie's financial trauma measurement tool for institutional research purposes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Urban League: Historic civil rights and economic empowerment organization focused on African American communities, with programs spanning education, workforce, entrepreneurship, and health. Comparable on Black economic empowerment mission and policy advocacy orientation.
• Prosperity Now: National nonprofit focused on economic opportunity and asset building for low-income households, especially people of color. Most directly comparable on financial empowerment mission, research-to-policy translation, and direct service delivery.
• National Council of Negro Women: Nonprofit dedicated to empowering Black women and girls through advocacy, education, and economic development programming. Highly comparable target beneficiary base and focus on Black women's leadership and economic advancement.
• PolicyLink: National research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through policy change. Comparable on equity-centered policy research, advocacy, and movement-building approach to systemic wealth inequality.
• National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE): Leading nonprofit dedicated to financial education research and programming. Most comparable on financial wellness curriculum and research, though BlackFem explicitly distinguishes itself from the financial education framing.

Emerging players

• Insight Center for Community Economic Development: Research and policy nonprofit focused on asset-building and economic security for vulnerable households. Comparable on research-driven wealth equity agenda and policy advisory work targeting closing the racial wealth gap.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Community development financial institution supporting underserved communities through investments, grants, and capacity building. Comparable on holistic community-level economic development interventions and city partnerships.
• Greenlining Institute: Public policy, research, and advocacy nonprofit advancing economic opportunity and racial justice for communities of color. Comparable on policy-research-action model targeting wealth inequality and systemic barriers.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: Large-scale nonprofit network funding community-based health, education, and financial stability programs. Comparable on city-level community impact model and philanthropic funding infrastructure, though operates at vastly larger scale.
• NAACP: Largest and oldest civil rights organization with broad programs including economic justice, education, and health. Operates at much larger scale but overlaps substantively with BlackFem's policy and advocacy work on racial equity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/blackfeminc?lang=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlackFemInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackfem-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackfeminc/?hl=en

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 BlackFem