National Black Harm Reduction Network

What National Black Harm Reduction Network does

The National Black Harm Reduction Network (NBHRN), founded in 2020 and previously known as the Black Harm Reduction Network, is a US-based 501(c)-style nonprofit and the first and only national network specifically dedicated to Black-centered harm reduction. Its mission targets Black communities disproportionately harmed by public health initiatives, the criminal legal system, and drug policies. NBHRN's core deliverables are programmatic rather than technological: it produces advocacy and policy services at federal and state levels, provides technical assistance and mentorship to community-based organizations and government entities, runs a Workforce Development and Mentorship Program (applications opened Spring 2025), publishes resource toolkits such as the 'Building Power to Black Health & Wellness Toolkit', hosts virtual and in-person conferences (2021 virtual conference with 200+ participants; 2022 Black Harm Reduction Network Institute in Puerto Rico with 100+ participants), and runs educational webinar series including the 2025 'Know Your Supply' dialogue on drug checking tools. The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform; it relies on consumer SaaS including Squarespace (e-commerce and website), Eventbrite (event registration), YouTube (webinar video hosting), Google Drive and Canva (resource distribution), and Google Calendar (event integration).

NBHRN's revenue model is a small-dollar donation and merchandise operation. The donation platform at nbhrn.org/donate accepts preset contributions of $25, $50, $100, and $250 with custom amounts on one-time, weekly, or monthly recurring cadences. A separate Squarespace storefront (nbhrn.org/merch) sells branded merchandise including t-shirts ($25), crewneck sweatshirts ($38), tote bags ($35), mugs ($19.99), and bucket hats ($32). No revenue figures are publicly disclosed, no headcount is reported, and the organization's own website states it is "still building to provide direct services, forthcoming in 2025." Operations are national (USA), supported by a board chaired by Tamika Spellman, with Tracie M. Gardner appointed as first Executive Director in December 2024 and Eileen Liang-Massey as Finance & Operations Manager leading a planned 2026 transition to full fiscal independence.

Strategic positioning reflects mission-driven community lock-in rather than commercial defensibility. NBHRN partners with NASTAD, the Opioid Response Network, and the National Coalition to Liberate Methadone on educational programming, and leverages earned media including The New York Times and Roland Martin Unfiltered to amplify its national voice. Customer segments are not transactional but mission-aligned: Black harm reductionists and advocates, Black-led harm reduction organizations, and Black individuals impacted by drug policies. Distribution is direct to community members through events, technical assistance, and digital content, with no traditional sales motion.

Name

National Black Harm Reduction Network

Legal name

National Black Harm Reduction Network

Website

https://www.nbhrn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Black Harm Reduction Network (NBHRN), founded in 2020, is a US nonprofit and the only national network dedicated to Black-centered harm reduction, providing advocacy, policy, technical assistance, workforce development, and resource toolkits to Black harm reductionists, Black-led organizations, and Black communities impacted by drug policies, funded by small-dollar donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Claymont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: NBHRN accepts tax-deductible donations at various levels ($25, $50, $100, $250, and custom amounts) on a one-time, weekly, or monthly basis. The organization emphasizes that contributions support naloxone training, public education materials, and general operational costs.
2. Merchandise Sales: The organization sells branded merchandise including t-shirts ($25), crewneck sweatshirts ($38), tote bags ($35), mugs ($19.99), and bucket hats ($32) through its e-commerce store to generate revenue and promote its mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NBHRN is a nonprofit advocacy and technical assistance organization that advances harm reduction principles for Black communities in the United States. It delivers services through advocacy at federal and state levels, technical assistance to community-based organizations, workforce development and mentorship programs, network building, and educational resources including toolkits and webinars.

Product overview

NBHRN is a Black-led harm reduction advocacy and technical assistance organization offering a platform of interconnected programs and services. The core offerings include: the Building Power to Black Health & Wellness Toolkit as a foundational resource; the Workforce Development and Mentorship Program for professional development; Know Your Supply webinar series for community education; annual virtual conferences; and policy advocacy services. The organization also operates a merchandise program (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, mugs, tote bags) and donation platform as revenue-generating add-ons to support operational sustainability. All programs are designed to serve Black communities disproportionately harmed by public health initiatives, the criminal legal system, and drug policies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Power to Black Health & Wellness Toolkit A comprehensive resource toolkit providing guidance on overdose issues within Black communities, harm reduction principles, advocacy efforts, and GIS mapping for Black harm reduction agenda, directed at Black harm reductionists and community organizations.
• Workforce Development and Mentorship Program A structured program equipping Black harm reductionists with mentorship, training, and professional development opportunities, with applications opening in Spring 2025 to support the next generation of Black harm reduction leaders.
• Know Your Supply: A Black Harm Reduction Dialogue A webinar and dialogue series focused on drug checking tools and harm reduction technology, exploring how to bring these tools into Black communities with care, dignity, and purpose.
• Black Harm Reduction Network Virtual Conference (2021) A two-day virtual conference gathering over 200 participants to discuss Black harm reduction, protect Black-led harm reduction history, and center Black people in national drug policy changes.
• National Harm Reduction Conference - Black Harm Reduction Network Institute An institute convened during the National Harm Reduction Conference in Puerto Rico, gathering over 100 harm reductionists and criminal legal system reform advocates to discuss Black harm reduction history and coordination.
• Post-Overdose Survival Toolkit A toolkit created by partners at WAFRIENDSFORLIFE providing resources for individuals and loved ones after someone survives an overdose, supporting the beginning of another chance at recovery.
• NBHRN Merchandise Branded merchandise including t-shirts ($25), crewneck sweatshirts ($38), tote bags ($35), mugs ($19.99), and bucket hats ($32) sold to support the organization's work and reduce dependence on external funding sources.
• Advocacy & Policy Services Advocacy services positioning NBHRN as the national voice for Black-centered federal and state public health, criminal legal system, and drug policies.
• Technical Assistance Technical assistance on substance use and intersecting issues provided to community-based organizations and government entities, including supportive mentorship and technical assistance to Black harm reductionists.
• Network Building Support for regional networks of Black-led and Black-centered harm reduction initiatives to build community and coordination across the nation.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASTADcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2024NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) partnered with NBHRN to host educational webinars on advancing Black harm reduction leadership, including the Workforce Development and Mentorship Program webinar. NASTAD provides support for technical assistance and mentorship program development.
• Opioid Response NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2024The Opioid Response Network collaborated with NBHRN and NASTAD on the webinar series addressing methadone liberation and Black harm reduction, providing expertise and resources for the Workforce Development and Mentorship Program.
• National Coalition to Liberate MethadonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024NBHRN partnered with the National Coalition to Liberate Methadone and other organizations for the 'Past, Present, and Possible Futures of the Methadone Treatment System' webinar series focusing on methadone liberation in Black communities.
• WA Friends for LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that created the Post-Overdose Survival Toolkit featured and shared through NBHRN's communications and resources for post-overdose support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NASTAD: NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) is a current core partner of NBHRN and addresses HIV and harm reduction through state and territorial health agencies. It is comparable as a national technical-assistance and policy organization working on intersecting drug user health and HIV issues.
• Drug Policy Alliance: Drug Policy Alliance is the largest U.S. organization advocating for drug policy reform and harm reduction. It overlaps with NBHRN on federal/state drug policy advocacy and harm reduction framing but operates at much broader scale and is not Black-centered.
• ACLU (Drug Law Reform Project): The ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project is a major civil liberties effort advocating for decriminalization and harm reduction approaches to drug policy. It is comparable as a federal and state policy advocate on overlapping harm reduction and criminal legal reform issues.
• AIDS United: AIDS United is a national HIV/AIDS policy and grantmaking organization with overlapping interest in harm reduction and drug user health. It is comparable as a national advocacy and capacity-building intermediary working on intersecting public health and policy issues.

Direct peers

• National Harm Reduction Coalition: The National Harm Reduction Coalition is the closest direct peer to NBHRN, operating as the leading U.S. harm reduction advocacy and capacity-building network. Both organizations advance harm reduction principles, run workforce and resource programs, and serve as national voices on drug policy reform, though NBHRN uniquely centers Black communities.
• Black AIDS Institute: Black AIDS Institute is a Black-led HIV/AIDS and health equity organization that, like NBHRN, centers the health of Black Americans disproportionately affected by public health failures. It runs advocacy, capacity-building, and education programming addressing intersecting drug policy and health justice issues.

Emerging players

• HIPS (DC): HIPS operates harm reduction services including drug checking, overdose prevention, and community-based programs in Washington, DC. It is comparable as a harm reduction service provider and advocacy organization, with overlap on drug-checking dialogues through NBHRN's Know Your Supply series.
• National Coalition to Liberate Methadone: The National Coalition to Liberate Methadone is a current NBHRN partner focused on reforming methadone treatment policy in the U.S. It is comparable as an advocacy coalition on a drug-policy issue that NBHRN has prioritized in its programming and webinars.

Regional players

• VOCAL-NY: VOCAL-NY is a New York-based grassroots organization that combines harm reduction, drug policy reform, and advocacy for people impacted by HIV, hepatitis C, and the criminal legal system. It is comparable in mission to NBHRN but operates primarily in New York State.
• Whitman-Walker Health: Whitman-Walker Health is a Washington, DC-based community health center providing harm reduction, HIV care, and substance use services. It is comparable as a service-delivery and advocacy organization on intersecting harm reduction and health equity issues, though it operates regionally rather than nationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/nbhrn
• Xx.com/TheNBHRN
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-black-harm-reduction-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Black Harm Reduction Network