irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $88KSPACE 001 - OCULUS - IN FALL 2023, WE BEGAN THE BUILD OUT OF OUR PHYSICAL ECOSYSTEM STARTING WITH THE OPENING OF THE OCULUS AT WORLD TRADE CENTER. ALTHOUGH BASED WITHIN A RETAIL LANDSCAPE, THE SPACE IS DESIGNED WITH INTENTION TO DEPOSIT - RATHER THAN EXTRACT. THE IBI OCULUS WILL SERVE AS A REFERENCE LIBRARY HOLDING THE LIBRARY ARCHIVE, EXHIBITION SPACE AND PODCAST STUDIO, DESIGNED TO BRING BLACK IMAGINATION INTO SPACE AND TIME.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
SPACE 001 - OCULUS
Physical ecosystem and cultural hub at the World Trade Center housing the IBI Library Archive, exhibition space, and podcast studio, designed to manifest Black imagination in physical form.
Summer School
Archival podcast series revisiting key past episodes, curated as an educational offering to deepen engagement with themes of Black imagination, resilience, and innovation.
The Institute of Black Imagination Podcast
Interview series featuring conversations with Black and Brown creatives, scholars, and leaders across art, technology, science, and culture, exploring imagination, identity, and legacy.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Oral History Collection and Preservation 1 activity
- Conducts an oral history initiativeCollects and shares narratives from creative visionaries and thought leaders as part of its programming to document and preserve Black cultural memory.
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
- Curates cultural exhibitions and installationsProduces interactive exhibitions such as “Source Code: Fashion as Technology,” integrating archival materials and curated installations to explore creativity from the African diaspora.
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Research and Scholarly Fellowship Support 1 activity
- Offers a year-long fellowship program for early-career professionalsProvides a structured fellowship for emerging multidisciplinary practitioners, including the inaugural Archive Fellow position awarded to Bamidele “Bami” Aleshe.
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Artist Marketplace Operations 1 activity
- Operates a retail space integrated with cultural installationsManages a retail environment combined with curated installations to promote cultural engagement and exploration of African diasporic creativity.
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Cultural Facility Development and Management 1 activity
- Operates the OCULUS cultural space at the World Trade CenterManages a physical space featuring a reference library, archive, exhibition area, and podcast studio, opened in fall 2023 at the World Trade Center in New York City.
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Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
- Produces and publishes original podcast programmingCreates and distributes podcast episodes featuring artists, thinkers, and activists exploring Black imagination, spirituality, and creative practice, including recorded conversations with Lena Waithe, Chester Higgins Jr., and Dr. Joy Buolamwini.
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Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
- Provides pre-seed capital to early-career individualsOffers financial support to emerging practitioners for diverse projects that expand global perspective and creative exploration.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Applies interdisciplinary design methodologies to community-focused solutionsUses an interdisciplinary approach combining cognitive science, linguistics, and design to develop solutions informed by the concept of 'Design as a Language,' including the founding of Presq to improve public understanding of design processes.
- Maintains and preserves the Holder and Talley archivesPreserves and provides access to over 1,500–1,900 books and periodicals from artist Geoffrey Holder and over 1,700 volumes from André Leon Talley, housed in New York.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$101K
Contributions & grants$89K88%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$2
expenses
Total expenses$242K
Program expenses94%
Admin / overhead6%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$13K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$168K
Cash$382K
Investments$0
Liabilities$4K
Net assets$33K
Liquid reserves18.9 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2025 · YoY revenue -87.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KEETRA THOMPSON | SECRETARY | 3 | $5K |
board members · 4
- BRYAN LATTIMORE — BOARD MEMBER
- CHRYSI PHILALITHES — BOARD MEMBER
- MEHRET MANDEFRO — BOARD MEMBER
- ZINA REED — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 21
Who they work with
- Adam Radice Partner — Composed original music and served as sound engineer for the Institute of Black Imagination.
- Algorithmic Justice League Partner — Featured Dr. Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, in a podcast episode on AI bias.
- Andre Leon Talley Partner — Source of over 1,700 texts in the IBI Archive.
- André Leon Talley Partner — Collaborates with the personal library and archival materials of André Leon Talley for exhibitions and programming.
- Chester Higgins Jr. Partner — Featured guest in a podcast episode discussing photography and spirituality.
- Dario Calmese Partner — Hosted a podcast episode for the Institute of Black Imagination.
- Geoffrey Holder Partner — Collaborates with the personal library and archival materials of Geoffrey Holder for exhibitions and programming.
- Geoffrey Holder Partner — Hosts and highlights the personal archives of artist Geoffrey Holder as a foundational element of the institute.
- Geoffrey Holder Partner — Source of over 1,500 books in the IBI Archive.
- Hillman Grad Partner — Collaborates with or features individuals affiliated with Hillman Grad, a production company founded by Lena Waithe.
- K.T. Thompson Partner — Served as producer for a podcast episode of the Institute of Black Imagination.
- MoMA.org Partner — Collaborates with or references content from the Museum of Modern Art in its programming.
- Noa Lesche Partner — Served as production assistant for a podcast episode of the Institute of Black Imagination.
- Presq Partner — Organization founded by Adam Saleh to bridge the gap between design conception and perception.
- River Wildmen Partner — Provided visual art direction and design for the Institute of Black Imagination.
- The Future of Storytelling Partner — Collaborates on cross-promoted podcast content featuring the Institute of Black Imagination.
- The Gordon Parks Foundation Partner — Collaborates with the foundation as part of programming, including featuring Gordon Parks Fellowship recipients.
- The Strivers Row Partner — Partners with a multicultural marketing agency for content development and event production.
- Vicky Garcia Partner — Served as Director of Digital Content for the Institute of Black Imagination.
- World Trade Center Oculus Partner — Hosts IBI's Space 001 retail and cultural engagement location.
- support@blackimagination.org Partner — Point of contact for collaboration on grant proposals and sponsorships.
strategies · 4
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.
- Black Imagination as Transformative Frameworkmethodology: black_imagination_as_solutions_frameworkBy centering the Black Imagination as a source of knowledge and innovation, the Institute produces transformative social change and addresses systemic blindspots in dominant Western paradigms, because Black creative thought contains generative, solution-oriented epistemologies that challenge and expand existing worldviews.
- Creative Ascension Through Ecosystemic Supportmethodology: creative-ascension-through-education-and-policyBy advancing education, policy, practice, and funding in tandem, the Institute enables the ascension of Black and Brown creative professionals, because systemic change requires coordinated intervention across multiple institutional domains to sustainably elevate marginalized voices.
- Immersive and Dialogic Learning as Cultural Transmissionmethodology: immersive_learningBy using immersive interactions, oral histories, and reflective conversations as primary modes of engagement, the Institute fosters deep cultural transmission and critical synthesis, because experiential and relational learning enables deeper internalization of Black epistemologies than traditional pedagogical formats.
- Reimagined Cultural Spaces as Community-Centered Hubsmethodology: cultural-space-reimaginingBy transforming retail and public spaces into multipurpose cultural hubs anchored in Black archives, the Institute enables community enrichment and creative participation, because repurposing physical spaces with cultural intentionality fosters belonging, blurs access barriers, and resists extractive models of development.