named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
BLAC Land Trust
501(c)(3) community land trust established to safeguard historic Black-owned land, cultural assets, and community spaces from speculative development and displacement.
BlackOUT Year
An intergenerational, interdisciplinary fellowship program that educates and trains Black people to collectively develop, design, and steward healthy and racially equitable communities through three phases: Design it, Create it, and Grow it.
Mapping Black History
Partnership project extending the Black History + Heritage Corridor through increased signage, revitalization of green spaces, oral history interviews, and community writing and art.
The BLAC Ecosystem
A model for collective stewardship that keeps Black communities rooted, resourced, and resilient through cultural preservation, land-based practice, and alliance-building.
Youth Design Challenge
Annual competition for young artists of color to create designs for community signage, with winners receiving mentorship, supplies, and cash prizes.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Youth Cultural and Educational Travel Programs 1 activity
- Black diaspora travel and educational exchange programsOrganizes travel programs to Africa and across the African Diaspora, including trips to Cuba, Ghana, and other locations, to reconnect members of the diaspora with ancestral and global communities. Includes a 12-week program for fellows focused on equitable development and cultural reconnection.
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Land Bank Property Revitalization 1 activity
- Community land and cultural stewardship in BrooklynAcquires and stewards land in gentrifying historically Black neighborhoods to remove it from the speculative market and support collective ownership models. Develops and maintains cultural and economic ecosystems to prevent displacement and preserve Black history and culture, including through the establishment of the BLAC Land Trust.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Cultural programming and heritage preservationProduces community art exhibits, heritage events, and public programming that honor and sustain Black historical presence in Brooklyn, including Juneteenth celebrations, the Nine Nights event, and the Black Utopia event at the Flatbush African Burial Ground. Organizes AFROFUTURA, a free intergenerational event exploring emerging art and technology.
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Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
- Documentary and audiovisual storytelling projectsProduces audiovisual content and podcasts, including the project "going O.T." and the podcast "vanguard," which document creative processes and moments in Brooklyn’s history from the perspectives of underserved youth.
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Architecture and Design Public Education Programs 1 activity
- Youth and community design education initiativesEducates and trains an intergenerational cohort of Black people in community design, stewardship, and equitable development through programs like the BlackOUT Year and the Youth Design Challenge, which awards prizes and mentorship to young artists. Hosts visioning workshops and design competitions involving AI and public space.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Advocacy for protection of sacred Black spacesSent an open letter to local elected officials in 2023 advocating for the safety of the Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition leadership, volunteers, and supporters amid threats and vandalism.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$165K
Contributions & grants$164K100%
Program service revenue$2080%
Investment income$350%
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$64K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$100K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$98K
1 years on record · 2025–2025
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Robinson | Board Member | 10 | $540 |
| Lindsee Downer | Board Member | 10 | $240 |
board members · 3
- Diana Ferguson — Board Member
- Shanna Sabio — Co-Founding Director
- Warner Sabio Jr — Co-Founding Director
relationships · 28
Who they work with
- Bailey’s Cafe Partner — Community partner in the rain garden stewardship and cleanup event in Bed-Stuy.
- Black Exhale Partner — Co-facilitated the first session of the Nine Nights event series.
- Bunna n BK Partner — Provided food at the Black Utopia event in Brooklyn.
- CCCADI Partner — Community organization whose participant engaged in a GrowHouse art session.
- CEANYC Partner — Collaborated on the "Spirit + Currency: Financial Healing" curriculum.
- Center for Brooklyn History Partner — Collaborating partner in the Mapping Black History project, providing archival and research support.
- Cooper Square CLT Partner — Cited as a precedent and model for the BLAC Land Trust's community acquisition strategy.
- Creative Urban Alchemy Partner — Co-led a visioning workshop on reparations in public space using AI tools.
- Creative Urban Alchemy Partner — Collaborated on the design and facilitation of a community art session.
- Creative Urban Alchemy Partner — Partner organization that supported the development of the Flatbush African Burial Ground activation and Corridor Activation Plan.
- East New York CLT Partner — Cited as a precedent and model for the BLAC Land Trust's community acquisition strategy.
- Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition Partner — Collaborates with the Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition on advocacy and community events at the burial ground.
- Friends of Jackie Robinson Place Playground Partner — Local partner organization involved in the Jackie Robinson Park Playground cleanup and environmental education.
- LIFT Economy Partner — Collaborated on the "Spirit + Currency: Financial Healing" curriculum.
- Lefferts Historic Houses Partner — Partner in the Mapping Black History project, co-hosting site visits and cultural programming.
- Lenape Nation Government — Recognizes the Lenape Nation and their tribal governments in land acknowledgment and historical interpretation.
- Mott Haven–Port Morris CLT Partner — Cited as a precedent and model for the BLAC Land Trust's community acquisition strategy.
- NYC DEP Stewardship Team Partner — Partner in environmental stewardship activities, including rain garden maintenance and park cleanups.
- NYCCLI Partner — Collaborated on the "Spirit + Currency: Financial Healing" curriculum.
- Parsons School of Design Partner — Collaborated on the Community Design School program with researchers and professors.
- Pratt Institute Partner — Collaborated to host a visioning workshop on reparations in public space.
- Pratt Institute Partner — Hosting an upcoming exhibit featuring artworks created by GrowHouse and participants.
- Salieu Suso Partner — Performed traditional kora and balafon music at the Black Utopia event in Brooklyn.
- Trauma of Money Partner — Collaborated on the "Spirit + Currency: Financial Healing" curriculum.
- Voice of Lefferts Partner — Partner organization collaborating on oral history workshops and the Mapping Black History project.
- Wadadli Jerk Partner — Provided food at the Black Utopia event in Brooklyn.
- Weeksville Heritage Center Partner — Partner in the Mapping Black History initiative, hosting art and writing events and contributing to historical documentation.
- Yawdieq Partner — Provided food at the Black Utopia event in Brooklyn.
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.
- Community Land Trust for Collective Ownershipmethodology: community_land_trustBy placing culturally significant properties into a community land trust, we prevent displacement and speculation because permanent community governance ensures long-term racial and economic justice in historically Black neighborhoods.
- Cooperative Economics for Racial Equitymethodology: cooperative_economicsBy pooling capital through cooperative economics, we enable collective wealth-building in Black communities because shared ownership models redistribute access to resources and counter historical exclusion.
- Healing-Centered Cultural Reclamationmethodology: cultural_reclamation_healingBy reclaiming ancestral traditions, storytelling, and collective rituals, we advance community healing and resistance because cultural reclamation restores narrative authority and strengthens collective identity.
- Integrated Empowerment Modelmethodology: integrated_empowerment_modelBy interconnecting travel, education, entrepreneurship, activism, art, and technology, we foster community design and development because these domains collectively build capacity, identity, and agency within Black and Indigenous communities.
- Liberatory and Decolonial Praxismethodology: liberatory_designBy applying liberatory design and decolonial acknowledgment, we co-create equitable futures because centering Indigenous stewardship and historical repair disrupts dominant narratives and enables self-determined community development.