named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Career Development Workshops
Offers training and leadership development programs in media, archiving, and Hip-Hop culture
Curriculum Development
Creates and disseminates educational curricula rooted in Hip-Hop pedagogy for academic and community settings
Digital Archiving Initiative
Builds and maintains a living archive of Hip-Hop history, including audiovisual materials and digital collections
Exhibitions Program
Curates and produces traveling and pop-up exhibitions on Hip-Hop culture and history, such as "From The Streets To The Olympics" and "Who Cares About Hip-Hop"
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Arts Education Professional Development 1 activity
- Develop and deliver Hip-Hop-based educational curricula and teacher trainingDesigns and delivers culturally responsive Hip-Hop courses, curricula, and professional development workshops for educators, including a free four-part workshop series on implementing the K–12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines. The organization co-published these guidelines with Music Will and the Hip-Hop Education Roundtable and leads their national rollout.
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Film Festival and Screening Programming 1 activity
- Host community engagement events and film seriesOrganizes a monthly film series—Made You Look: Hip-Hop Odyssey—in partnership with Maysles Documentary Center, including curation, screening events, and panel discussions. Also hosts an annual free Earth Day community festival celebrating Hip-Hop culture.
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Arts and Cultural Workforce Training 1 activity
- Provide youth leadership and career development programsRuns a Youth Fellowship Program in Brooklyn supporting 10–12 young creatives annually with monthly stipends, tech equipment, workshops, mentorship, career coaching, and access to a digital learning platform. Also implements a two-year STEAM education and workforce readiness initiative for young adults.
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Artist Legacy Preservation and Documentation 1 activity
- Steward community-led archives and cultural exhibitionsManages archival initiatives including the Fresh, Bold & So Def Women in Hip-Hop Digital Archive and supports community-led archives through symposia, workshops, and hands-on training. Develops exhibitions and digital archiving projects to preserve Hip-Hop’s cultural legacy.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Conduct research to advance Hip-Hop education and cultural preservationProduces research reports, books, curricula, and exhibitions to preserve and elevate Hip-Hop culture. Conducts a pilot study of the K–12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines (2026–2027) and develops a living archive and comprehensive hip-hop film database to support programming and scholarship.
- Facilitate virtual forums on Hip-Hop, education, and activismHosts weekly virtual meetings for discussion on current events, activism, music, and education, fostering community dialogue through a Hip-Hop lens.
- Produce wellness-integrated Hip-Hop education resourcesAuthored a wellness-based guidebook with trauma-informed, culturally responsive lesson plans and strategies for integrating Hip-Hop into learning environments for grades 5–12, aimed at supporting educators and mental health professionals.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$141K
Contributions & grants$141K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$124K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$36K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$36K
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue +5.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARTHA DIAZ | EXEC DIRECTOR | 40 | $37K |
| SIMMA BAKARE | VICE CHAIR | 0 | $1 |
relationships · 34
Who they work with
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Partner — Collaborated on curating the first Hip-Hop film series presented by the Academy.
- Arts Administrators of Color Network — Active member, supporting racial equity in arts administration.
- Association of Moving Image Archivists Partner — India Mallard is affiliated with the Association of Moving Image Archivists as part of her professional network.
- Dillard University Partner — Previously served as Adjunct Professor, contributing to arts education.
- Evolution Management Consultants Partner — Co-founded and serves as Managing Partner, leading strategic initiatives in the arts and culture sector.
- Hip Hop Congress Partner — Collaborates with Hip Hop Congress to co-create HHCU as a joint educational initiative.
- Hip Hop Education Center Partner — Simma Baka serves as Chief Therapy Officer and Vice President of the Board of Directors, integrating trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices into the organization's programming.
- Hip-Hop Education Center Partner — Stacey L'Air Easiley served as COO, indicating a formal leadership role and operational partnership with the organization.
- Hip-Hop Education Roundtable Partner — Co-published the K-12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines
- Hip-Hop Education Roundtable Partner — Collaborated with HHEC on the development of the K–12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines.
- Latinx Theatre Commons Network — Active member, supporting Latinx representation in theatre.
- Lincoln Center Partner — Partnered with the Education Department at Lincoln Center for a 3-part Fresh, Bold & So Def series.
- Loyola University-New Orleans Partner — Serves as Adjunct Professor, contributing to arts education.
- Maysles Documentary Center Partner — Partner organization for the Made You Look: Hip-Hop Odyssey Film Series
- Museum of the Moving Image Partner — Co-curated the Made You Look documentary series on Hip-Hop culture.
- Music Will Partner — Co-published the K-12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines
- Music Will Partner — Collaborated with HHEC on the development of the K–12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines.
- National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Network — Active member, supporting Latino arts and cultural organizations.
- National Grid Foundation Partner — Co-developed the PowerTheFuture initiative with the Hip-Hop Education Center.
- National Honor Society of Leadership and Success Network — India Mallard is a member of the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success.
- National Jazz Museum in Harlem Partner — Provided archival services including data migration and metadata schema development.
- Parent Artist Advocacy League Network — Serves on the National Board, advocating for parents and caregivers in the performing arts.
- Parkwood Entertainment Partner — Provided archival and curatorial services for the Beyoncé Knowles-Carter Collection and Lemonade Book Box Set.
- Playwrights’ Center Partner — India Mallard is affiliated with the Playwrights’ Center as part of her professional network.
- Pockets Change Partner — Collaborated to challenge youth through financial and business literacy programming.
- Save The Music Foundation Partner — Collaborated with HHEC on the development of the K–12 Hip-Hop Music Education Guidelines.
- The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture Partner — Partnering with HHEC on the development of an open-source archiving platform.
- The Paley Center for Media Partner — Collaborated to create a Hip-Hop Collection, acquiring and processing episodes of Video Music Box and Graffiti NYC TV.
- The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the NYPL Partner — Curated the Hip-Hop 4.0 initiative and processed archival materials including 2,200 vinyl records.
- Tupac Amaru Shakur Estate Partner — Served as Project Archivist, Research Lead, and Education Consultant, including curriculum development for the "Wake Me When I'm Free" exhibition.
+ 4 more
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.
- Culturally Responsive and Interdisciplinary Integration 5 orgsmethodology: culturally_responsive_steam_educationBy integrating Hip-Hop’s cultural forms—like lyricism, beatmaking, and storytelling—with academic disciplines such as STEAM, we produce deeper student engagement and relevance because it affirms cultural identity and enables interdisciplinary, experiential learning.shared approach: Hip-Hop Pedagogy →
- Hip-Hop as Pedagogical Framework 5 orgsmethodology: hip_hop_pedagogyBy using Hip-Hop culture as a foundational pedagogical framework, we produce more engaging, equitable, and transformative education because it centers student identity, expression, and lived experience, fostering agency and liberatory learning.shared approach: Hip-Hop Pedagogy →
- Knowledge-of-Self for Identity and Emotional Development 5 orgsmethodology: knowledge-of-self_pedagogyBy centering the Fifth Element of Hip-Hop—Knowledge of Self—we produce resilience, emotional growth, and identity development in youth because expressive arts and storytelling grounded in self-reflection foster healing and personal empowerment.shared approach: Hip-Hop Pedagogy →
- Integrated Education, Research, and Leadership Developmentmethodology: integrated-education-and-preservationBy combining curriculum development, research, career workshops, digital archiving, and leadership training, we produce sustainable cultural preservation and social change because this integrated model advances both individual growth and systemic equity.
- Student-Centered Liberatory Learningmethodology: student-centered_learningBy centering student voice, interest, and passion, we produce academic and personal growth alongside career development because this student-centered approach fosters agency and liberatory consciousness.