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NEW VOICES FOUNDATION
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 823672345 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE T02 · Philanthropy & Grantmaking · Small ($100K-$1M) · newvoicesfoundation.org
revenue
$116K
expenses
$476K
net assets
$36.2M
employees
0
volunteers
4
program ratio
97%
mission · from form 990

TO SUPPORT EMERGING WOMEN OF COLOR ENTREPRENEURS.

profile · synthesized from sources

New Voices Foundation supports women of color entrepreneurs by providing non-dilutive capital, mentorship, and learning opportunities to help them build and scale businesses. The organization operates through pitch competitions, mobile accelerators, and online programming, with a focus on closing the funding gap for underrepresented founders. It partners with events like the ESSENCE Festival and organizations such as KIVA and NMSDC to expand access to resources and networks.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Learning Lab™ LIVE
Online educational workshops led by industry experts covering topics such as customer acquisition, brand storytelling, and holiday sales strategy for entrepreneurs.
Madam CJ Walker Institute PACE Bootcamp
Intensive entrepreneurial training program designed to empower women of color founders through structured curriculum and mentorship.
New Voices Entrepreneur Hub™
On-site space at major events offering Learning Lab workshops, networking events, and curated industry meetups for entrepreneurs.
New Voices Village™
Event-based activation at festivals like ESSENCE, featuring pop-up shops, workshops, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect with consumers and funders.
POWER PITCH! Competition
Annual pitch competition awarding $150,000 in non-dilutive capital grants—$75,000, $50,000, and $25,000—to women of color entrepreneurs, plus post-competition business coaching.
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Startup Acceleration & Business Growth Support 4 activities
    • Delivering entrepreneurial training through Learning Lab™ LIVE webinars and workshops
      Hosts virtual and live educational programming including Learning Lab™ LIVE webinars and workshops on topics such as marketing, customer acquisition, retail strategy, brand storytelling, leadership, and sales conversion. These sessions are designed to support founders in scaling their businesses and navigating economic challenges.
    • Operating the Madam CJ Walker Institute PACE Bootcamp
      Runs the PACE Bootcamp through the Madam CJ Walker Institute to empower entrepreneurs, particularly women of color, by providing structured support, skills development, and access to capital and networks.
    • Providing coaching and mentorship to entrepreneurs of color
      Offers hundreds of hours of one-on-one coaching, mentorship, and professional guidance to entrepreneurs of color through expert sessions and Office Hours with partners such as KIVA, NMSDC, and New Voices Fund.
    • Supporting entrepreneurs through mobile accelerators and online learning
      Provides access to business development resources via mobile accelerators, online learning platforms, and digital communications to a network of over 30,000 registered businesses.
  • Women Entrepreneurs Grant Programs 1 activity
    • Funding women of color-owned businesses with non-dilutive capital
      Awards grants and non-dilutive capital to for-profit businesses founded by women of color, with total investments exceeding $2.92 million across more than 250 companies. Funding is delivered through pitch competitions and brokered grant programs, with individual grants ranging from $5,000 to $75,000.
  • Youth and Student Entrepreneurship Competitions 1 activity
    • Hosting pitch competitions for entrepreneurs of color
      Organizes and hosts pitch competitions at national and regional events such as EssenceFest and CES, providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to win capital and visibility. These events are part of broader programming to support access to funding and growth.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$116K
Contributions & grants$115K99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1K1%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$476K
Program expenses97%
Admin / overhead3%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$174K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$36.25M
Cash$25K
Investments$30.04M
Liabilities$37K
Net assets$36.21M
Liquid reserves757.2 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -89.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 4
  • MARTHA DENNIS — SECRETARY
  • MARY DENNIS — DIRECTOR
  • RICHELIU W DENNIS JR — PRESIDENT
  • RICHELYNA HALL — TREASURER
relationships · 18

Who they work with

  • CES Partner — Hosted pitch competitions at CES
  • DigiToast Talent Partner — Partners with Vanessa Beals of DigiToast Talent as panelist in Learning Lab™ LIVE event.
  • ESSENCE Magazine Partner — Channel partner for communications outreach and community engagement.
  • ESSENCE Studios Partner — Channel partner for communications outreach and community engagement.
  • Essence Festival Partner — Hosted pitch competitions at Essence Festival
  • Good Moose Partner — Collaborated with Good Moose to host a Learning Lab™ LIVE on optimizing Black Friday/Cyber Monday strategies.
  • Health Atelier Partner — Partner organization whose representative led a Learning Lab™ LIVE workshop on customer persona development.
  • KIVA Partner — Provided financial expertise and guidance during New Voices Office Hours at the Festival.
  • MelanBrand Skin Partner — Features Patrice Chappelle of MelanBrand Skin as panelist in Learning Lab™ LIVE event.
  • Mobile Accelerators Partner — Collaborates with Mobile Accelerators to provide resources and support to entrepreneurs.
  • NMSDC Partner — Provided ecosystem support and guidance during New Voices Office Hours at the Festival.
  • New Voices Family Network — Refers to the community of women of color entrepreneurs and businesses supported by New Voices Foundation.
  • New Voices Fund Partner — Provided one-on-one professional guidance during New Voices Office Hours at the Festival.
  • Nia Ford Consulting Partner — Collaborates with panelist from Nia Ford Consulting for Learning Lab™ LIVE event.
  • READ Fragrances Partner — Moderates Learning Lab™ LIVE events with New Voices Foundation.
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Partner — Sponsored the New Voices Health Innovators Hub at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
  • Townsend & Lockett Partner — Provided legal expertise during New Voices Office Hours at the Festival.
  • With Wonder Creative Co. Partner — Collaborates with With Wonder Creative Co. to deliver a Learning Lab™ webinar on brand storytelling.
strategies · 3

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-First Peer Learning and Trust-Based Networking
    methodology: community_first_networking
    By replacing transactional networking with community-first, trust-based relationships and peer-driven learning, we improve entrepreneurial resilience and knowledge sharing, because authentic connection reduces isolation and enables more effective navigation of post-launch challenges and scaling pitfalls.
  • Equity-Focused Venture Support via Non-Dilutive Funding
    methodology: equity-focused_venture_support
    By providing non-dilutive funding and tailored support to entrepreneurs of color—particularly African-American and Latina women—we increase their capacity to grow and scale businesses, because systemic inequities in venture capital limit access for these founders despite their potential.
  • Experiential Ecosystem Activation
    methodology: experiential_product_engagement
    By embedding entrepreneurs in high-visibility cultural events through pop-ups and hands-on workshops, we enable direct consumer engagement and ecosystem integration, because experiential product interaction builds market validation, consumer trust, and investor interest more effectively than traditional pitch-based models.