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BLACK FIBER & TEXTILE NETWORK
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 994185106 · Form 990 · FY2025 · NTEE C03 · Environment · Small ($100K-$1M) · blackfibernetwork.com
revenue
$387K
expenses
$257K
net assets
$130K
employees
2
program ratio
51%
mission · from form 990

TO SUPPORT FARMERS, ARTISTS, NATUALY DYERS AND DESIGNERS USING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

profile · synthesized from sources

Black Fiber & Textile Network (bftn) supports Black farmers, artists, natural dyers, and designers working with sustainable and regenerative materials. The organization provides microgrants to members for community workshops, infrastructure, and professional development, prioritizing ongoing labor over new project creation. Through storytelling, skill-sharing, and material innovation, bftn advances cultural preservation, ecological resilience, and racial equity in fiber and textile systems.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $7K
    MEMBERS VIDEOS: UPLIFTING OUR MEMBERS THROUGH A VIDEO SERIES INTERVIEWING THEM AND SHOWING WHERE THEY WORK. WE CREATED 4 SHORT FILMS SHOWCASING OUR MEMBERS WORK, AS WELL AS ONE FILM DOCUMENTING THE PROCESS OF CREATING A NEW VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT. THIS ALLOWED A WIDER AUDIENCE TO EXPERIENCE THE INNOVATIVE WORK OF OUR MEMBERS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.
  2. #2 $6K
    WORKSHOPS: FUNDING OUR MEMBERS TO FACILITATE AND PROVIDE FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS IN URBAN AND RURAL SETTINGS, SO THAT RESIDENTS CAN LEARN CRAFTING, AGRICULTURAL, FIBER AND DYE SKILLS. WE FUNDED 8 COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS IN FIVE STATES IN 2025, ALLOWING PEOPLE IN THOSE REGIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN FREE WORKSHOPS ABOUT NATURAL DYE-ING, NATURAL FIBERS, AND REGENERATIVE FARMING.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Community Workshops
Funds members to facilitate free workshops in urban and rural areas on natural dyeing, fiber skills, regenerative farming, and crafting, reducing financial barriers to participation and knowledge-sharing.
Members Videos
Video series featuring interviews with members and documentation of their work, including short films showcasing member innovations and processes in sustainable fiber and dye practices.
Microgrant Program
Provides small grants up to $2,500 to support ongoing member work including infrastructure, materials, travel, professional development, and community programming without requiring new project proposals.
Regenerative Product Development
Pilots sustainable home décor items like hand-crafted lamps using reclaimed materials, natural dyes, and fibers from Black farmers, demonstrating regenerative design in practice.
activities · 11 groups

What they do

  • Women's Leadership & Career Advancement Networks 2 activities
    • Hosts initiatives celebrating women in Black fiber futures
      Hosted an initiative to celebrate the role of women in shaping Black fiber futures, highlighting leadership and contributions within the network.
    • Maintains member directory and supports women-led participation
      Operates a public directory of member organizations and practitioners within the Black Fiber & Textile Network. As of 2025, 89% of the 73 member organizations or individual practitioners are women-led.
  • Sustainable Fashion & Textile Circularity 2 activities
    • Leads community programming and partnerships for circular fashion and ecological resilience
      Leads membership engagement, partnerships, and community programming with a focus on circular fashion and ecological resilience, including collaborative events and educational initiatives.
    • Operates a global membership network for Black fiber and textile practitioners
      Supports a global network of over 60 members, including farmers, designers, artists, natural dyers, and manufacturers, focused on regenerative fiber, natural dyes, and sustainable textile production. Provides resource sharing, technical assistance, and virtual gatherings to foster knowledge exchange and collaborative projects.
  • Ocean and Plastic Pollution Research and Reduction 1 activity
    • Collaborates on innovative fiber sourcing with marine materials
      Collaborates with Black in Marine Science to integrate sargassum seaweed into fiber and textile production, advancing a community-centered, environmentally regenerative model.
  • Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
    • Funds member-led workshops, events, and infrastructure through microgrants
      Provides funding for member-led programming, skill-building, and infrastructure via microgrants of up to $2,500. Supports operational costs including materials, travel, equipment, community events, professional development, and workshop planning and execution.
  • Film Distribution and Screening Programs 1 activity
    • Hosts film screenings and public events to launch partnerships
      Hosts public film screening events, including the launch of the documentary _Woven From Nature_, to initiate partnerships such as with Black in Marine Science, promoting community-centered, environmentally regenerative models.
  • Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
    • Offers free and low-cost educational workshops in natural fiber and dye practices
      Offers free and low-cost workshops in partnership with members to support skill-building in natural dyeing, natural fibers, regenerative farming, environmental education, and collective art-making. Funded community workshops were held in five states.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Operates a studio practice in natural dyes and earth pigments
      Operates a studio practice focused on natural dyes, earth and soil pigments, and painting as part of its creative and educational programming.
  • Documentary Film Production 1 activity
    • Produces documentary and short films highlighting Black regenerative fiber practices
      Produced a short documentary titled "Woven From Nature," nominated for a Wildseeds Fund Impact Media Award, and four additional short films showcasing member work and value-added products that promote sustainable agriculture and regenerative textile ecosystems. Films are published on a public YouTube channel.
  • Digital Communications and Content Management 1 activity
    • Produces media content to promote Black fiber futures and community upliftment
      Produces and publishes media content, including member profiles and vision statements, on a public YouTube channel to visualize and promote Black fiber futures as part of community upliftment and cultural storytelling.
  • Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
    • Produces podcast on Black material practices and ecological resilience
      Produces the Black Material Geographies podcast, which explores Black material practices and ecological resilience through interviews and storytelling.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Conducts regenerative design projects using sustainable materials
      Piloted the creation of sustainable home décor, including a hand-crafted lamp made with reclaimed walnut lumber, deconstructed metal frames from Goodwill, and a handwoven shade using cotton-wool yarn from Black and small U.S. farmers, dyed with plant-based pigments from High Hog Farm in Georgia.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$387K
Contributions & grants$361K93%
Program service revenue$26K7%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$300
expenses
Total expenses$257K
Program expenses51%
Admin / overhead49%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$109K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$132K
Cash$132K
Investments$0
Liabilities$2K
Net assets$130K
Liquid reserves6.2 mo
1 years on record · 2025–2025
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
TEJU ADISA-FARRAR ECOSYSTEMS DIRECTOR 40 $85K
board members · 5
  • DEANDRA EUBANKS — TREASURER
  • GRACE JOHNSON — BOARD MEMBER
  • PANDORA THOMAS — BOARD CHAIR
  • SHAMIRA COVINGTON — BOARD MEMBER
  • YOLANDA BURRELL — SECRETARY
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • Black in Marine Science Partner — Collaborated on a film and exhibition project connecting marine science and fiber practices.
  • Black in Marine Science Partner — Collaborates with Black in Marine Science to explore the use of sargassum seaweed in sustainable fiber and textile production and to co-host public engagement events.
  • BlackFiberFutures Network — Hosts a YouTube channel featuring member profiles and stories.
  • Center for Craft Funder — Teju Adisa-Farrar is a 2025 Craft Archive Fellow with the Center for Craft, indicating a funding or fellowship relationship supporting bftn-affiliated work.
  • High Hog Farm Partner — Supplied plant-based dyes (cosmos, coreopsis, black scabiosa) grown at the farm in Grayson, Georgia for use in dyeing yarn.
  • New York Textile Lab Partner — Collaborated to develop a cotton and wool blend yarn using cotton from Black farmers and alpaca fiber from small New York farms.
  • Princeton University Partner — Teju Adisa-Farrar has spoken at Princeton University in connection with bftn’s mission and work.
  • Rhode Island School of Design Partner — Teju Adisa-Farrar has spoken at the Rhode Island School of Design in connection with bftn’s mission and work.
  • Seed2Shirt Partner — Collaborated to develop a cotton and wool blend yarn using cotton from Black farmers and alpaca fiber from small New York farms.
  • Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum Partner — Teju Adisa-Farrar has collaborated with the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum as part of bftn’s ecosystem work.
  • Specific Named Organization Partner — Member of the Black Fiber & Textile Network.
  • United States Embassy of Botswana Partner — Teju Adisa-Farrar has collaborated with the United States Embassy of Botswana in bftn-related work.
  • Wildseeds Fund Partner — Administers the Impact Media Award for which the organization's documentary was nominated.
  • bell hooks Partner — Inspired by bell hooks' practice of lowercase naming to center the work over identity, the organization stylizes its acronym as bftn.
  • contracted designer Partner — Collaborates with the contracted designer to support member projects.
  • design studios Partner — Collaborates with design studios seeking regenerative materials, educational trainings, or consulting.
  • events Partner — Collaborates with events seeking regenerative materials, educational trainings, or consulting.
  • funding partners Funder — Organizations or entities that provide financial support to BLACK FIBER & TEXTILE NETWORK.
  • local businesses Partner — Collaborates with local businesses seeking regenerative materials, educational trainings, or consulting.
  • organizations Partner — Collaborates with organizations seeking regenerative materials, educational trainings, or consulting.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Circular, Nature-Based Design Innovation
    methodology: circular_fashion
    By applying regenerative design and circularity principles to textile creation—using abundant natural materials like sargassum—we produce biodegradable, sustainable fashion because aligning with natural ecosystems reduces waste and models alternatives to extractive industrial models.
  • Cultural Reclamation as Environmental Justice
    methodology: cultural_regeneration
    By centering Black women as stewards of fiber and textile traditions, we advance cultural and ecological healing because reclaiming ancestral practices fosters both environmental justice and community resilience in the face of industrial exploitation.
  • Member-Led, Trust-Based Capacity Building
    methodology: trust-based-grantmaking
    By funding and centering member-led education and sustaining existing work through trust-based grantmaking, we produce long-term ecosystem resilience because community-driven initiatives rooted in shared values lead to deeper, more sustainable impact than top-down or competitive models.
  • Regenerative Cultural-Ecological Systems
    methodology: regenerative_systems
    By advancing regenerative fiber and textile practices rooted in cultural reclamation and ecological stewardship, we produce resilient Black communities and sustainable material systems because cultural continuity and environmental health are mutually reinforcing.
  • Relational Production & Ecosystem Networks
    methodology: relational_production
    By building regenerative networks that connect Black producers, designers, and land stewards through collaboration and shared resources, we produce systemic change in textile economies because sustainable transformation emerges from relationship-centered, community-rooted ecosystems rather than isolated interventions.