BLAC

What BLAC does

BLAC (Building Leaders And Creators) is an independent nonprofit internship community founded in 2020 that operates a 12-week paid summer internship program placing emerging Black and underrepresented talent in leading US advertising agencies. The program recruits applicants nationally through video-based applications (open mid-December through mid-February), matches candidates to host agencies across 11+ US cities plus remote placements, and delivers a structured curriculum: a one-week onboarding (Intro Week), 8.5 weeks of in-agency work with biweekly cohort sessions, a 1.5-week brand pitch project, and a one-week career fair. As of the 2024 cohort, BLAC has supported nearly 300 professionals through the program.

The organization is operated by a three-person staff (Executive Director Nicolet Gatewood, Program Director Emily Elyshevitz, and Operations & Program Coordinator Jaydin Geer) with governance from a Board of Directors drawn from majority-owned agencies and partners including Cornett, Barkley, BVK, Anomaly, TL Communications, and Majority. BLAC also maintains an alumni network for ongoing mentorship and, in 2025, launched DEI Offerings — coaching and training resources for agencies on retaining diverse talent. The organization is governed as a US nonprofit corporation (BLAC Inc., headquartered via a Long Beach, CA mailing address) with no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no venture or private equity backing.

BLAC's revenue model is donation- and sponsorship-based rather than fee-based: host agencies set and pay intern compensation directly, while BLAC itself is funded through Givebutter crowdfunding and corporate sponsorships from advertisers including Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on organic social media (Instagram, LinkedIn), email, the blacinternship.org website, and word-of-mouth referrals from alumni, supporters, and host agencies. Brand partners participate by briefing interns on the Pitch Project and engaging at the annual Career Fair.

Name

BLAC

Legal name

BLAC Inc.

Website

https://blacinternship.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BLAC is a nonprofit that runs a 12-week paid summer internship program placing emerging Black and underrepresented talent in US advertising agencies, supported by donations and corporate sponsors. The organization has served nearly 300 professionals across annual cohorts since 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development / Advertising Internship Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Onboarding & New-Hire Training Programs (BPACANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Team-Building & Offsite Services (HSACADAF), Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Advertising internship program
• Workforce development services
• Diversity talent pipeline
• Creative industry training
• Agency internship community

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: BLAC operates as a nonprofit organization funded by donations from supporters and sponsors. The website includes a donate button linking to givebutter.com/support-blac-h7tyfd. The organization is sponsored by various advertising agencies and brands who support the DEI mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BLAC (Building Leaders And Creators) operates a twelve-week paid summer internship program that recruits, trains, and places emerging Black and underrepresented creative talent into leading advertising agencies across the United States. The program combines agency-based work experience with virtual cohort sessions, a brand pitch project, and a career fair, and is supplemented by ongoing alumni mentorship and DEI coaching resources for host agencies.

Product overview

BLAC (Building Leaders And Creators) is an independent agency internship community that operates as a single, unified program focused on bringing more Black and underrepresented talent into the advertising industry. The core offering is the BLAC Internship Program—a twelve-week summer experience that pays, trains, and places emerging talent in leading agencies. This is supplemented by the Pitch Project component where interns develop creative concepts for national brands, and the Career Fair component for career placement. BLAC also provides ongoing mentorship and community network support to alumni, plus DEI offerings to help agencies support and retain diverse talent. The company does not operate a multi-module software platform; rather, it delivers its mission through a structured internship program with associated components and support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BLAC Internship Program A twelve-week paid summer internship program that recruits, trains, and places emerging Black and underrepresented creative talent into leading advertising agencies across the United States. Interns participate in an onboarding week, in-agency work, twice-weekly virtual cohort sessions, a brand pitch project, and a career fair, with compensation rates set by each host agency. Open to U.S.-authorized workers aged 18+ who can commit 29 hours per week.
• BLAC DEI Offerings Resources and guidance provided to advertising agencies on how to best support and retain Black and underrepresented talent, including coaching and training services on DEI implementation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 300 up-and-coming professionals supported to date, many currently thriving in advertising, marketing, and related creative industries

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• POCstockcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner organization supporting BLAC's mission to increase representation of people of color in advertising.
• TL Communications (Toni Lee)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025President Toni Lee serves on BLAC's Board of Directors, providing strategic guidance.
• Cornett (Emmy Hartley)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025COO Emmy Hartley serves on BLAC's Board of Directors, providing strategic guidance.
• BarkleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Advertising agency partner and supporter of BLAC, with representation on the board.
• BVKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Advertising agency partner and supporter of BLAC.
• AnomalycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Advertising agency partner and supporter of BLAC.
• Majority (Asmirh Davis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Founding Partner & President Asmirh Davis serves on BLAC's Board of Directors.
• Host Advertising AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Agencies across the country host BLAC interns for the 12-week program, providing hands-on experience, training, and mentorship. Includes agencies in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Austin, Atlanta, Birmingham, and Lexington.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• See It Be It (Cannes Lions): Cannes Lions program promoting gender equality in the creative advertising industry through mentorship and exposure at the festival — broader incumbent platform addressing similar diversity-in-advertising talent development that BLAC targets.
• American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's): The primary industry trade association for US ad agencies — runs MAIP and broader DEI initiatives; the institutional incumbent that defines standards and convenes the agencies BLAC depends on for host placements.

Direct peers

• She Runs It: Nonprofit focused on advancing women in advertising and media through mentorship, awards, and talent programs — serves the same host-agency and emerging-talent pipeline as BLAC, with overlapping sponsor base.
• INROADS: Nonprofit providing paid internships and career development to high-achieving underrepresented youth across multiple industries including advertising and marketing — overlaps directly with BLAC's internship, sponsorship, and host-partner model.
• ADCOLOR: Industry coalition advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across advertising, marketing, and media — runs its own awards, mentorship, and career programs that overlap directly with BLAC's diversity-in-advertising mission and host-agency ecosystem.
• Free The Work: Nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity in the commercial directing and production talent pipeline — operates in the same advertising-ecosystem DEI space as BLAC, connecting diverse talent with agencies and brands.
• Lagrant Foundation: Provides scholarships, internships, and mentorship to underrepresented students pursuing careers in advertising, marketing, and PR — directly comparable mission, target audience, and host-agency placement model.
• The One Club for Creativity: Nonprofit supporting the creative advertising industry through awards, education, and diversity initiatives including The One Show and ONE School — comparable nonprofit, advertising-industry focus, and emerging-creative-talent pipeline.
• 4A's MAIP (Multicultural Advertising Internship Program): Operated by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, MAIP is the most established multicultural advertising internship program placing diverse students at host agencies — directly overlapping with BLAC's mission, target talent pool, and host-agency channel.

Emerging players

• Creative Ladder: Nonprofit addressing racial inequity in creative industries through mentorship and exposure programs for underrepresented youth — comparable emerging-talent focus, but broader creative-industry scope than BLAC's advertising-specific placement model.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blac-internship-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/blacinternship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 BLAC