Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$3,837,685

Total expenses

$3,437,762

Contributions and grants received

$3,747,155

Grants paid

$88,500

Program service revenue

$89,938

Investment income

$592

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$4,142,373

Total liabilities, end of year

$224,781

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$3,917,592

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$1,993,232

Management and general expenses

$1,174,281

Fundraising expenses

$270,249

Program service expenses (Part III)

$1,993,232

Program services were 58.0% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• The African American Leadership Forum is a think-and-do tank accelerating community-informed and -driven solutions to combat anti-Black racism and address systemic inequities in all forms. The organization draws inspiration from Afrofuturist ideas and practices-which envision a future for Black communities that is inclusive, equitable, and just, and is dedicated to combining the principles of Afrofuturism with activism, community-building, and innovative problem-solving to achieve racial equity. Data, Research, & Policy: At the African American Leadership Forum, the focus of our Data, Research, and Policy work is to create Black-centered public policy and opinion research products to inform systems change efforts and influence policy shifts. We have made strides in achieving these ends through the publishing of market and opinion research pieces, large bodies of predictive analytics, and narrative analysis that speak to the experience of Black Minnesotans. In 2023, our research efforts surveyed 400 Black unique households in urban, suburban, and rural areas. With the addition of Data Science, we have produced four advocacy editions this year with a subscriber volume of 2,500+. Through dissemination of these actionable insights and resources, we aim to equip and empower communities to engage in Black-centered advocacy and community-driven solutions. In doing so, we are building and sustaining relationships with allies and policymakers to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and further advance a Black Agenda for Change. Notably, in our efforts to secure political commitments to the seeds of the Black Agenda for Change, we have engaged over 60+ leaders and community members. In this pursuit, we provided 11 testimonies, participated in 2 press conferences on legislation, and met with 34 elected and government officials, both during and after the legislative session (Q1-Q3).

  Expenses $774,500

• Design & Innovation: Our work in Design and Innovation is focused on the key outcomes of equipping our partners and community, both in established and emerging sectors, with the information necessary to design and test innovative and sustainable solutions to systemic inequities plaguing the Black community in Minnesota. Through workshops, convenings, and listening sessions, we are continuously ideating and prototyping new ways of outreach and educational programming within the community. We have engaged over 600+ community members in 2023 through convenings, conferences, and design sessions, fostering cross-sector awareness. In the pursuit of providing access to as many community members as possible, our inaugural event Dark Matter convened 221 community attendees, we conducted 180 empathy interviews, and brought together 200 young people to discuss realities and necessary transformation needed in Black education. 100% of attendees found the event to be 100% accessible and 100% applicable to their own work and experience. We have also released four major reports, based on research surveying 400 Black households, focused on education, generational wealth building, and economic prosperity. Additionally, we conducted a series of design sessions in partnership with U.S. Bank that interviewed over 80+ community members on their vital needs and barriers to building generational wealth.

  Expenses $718,881 · Revenue $2,028

• Leadership Development: Our Leadership Development work is focused on cultivating a pipeline of Black leaders ready to mobilize and lead social movements in Black communities across Minnesota. The Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy (JRJLA) is a six-month leadership development cohort experience designed to meet the cultural, personal, and professional development needs of African American leaders, known as fellows, who share a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes in the Black community. In 2023, we surpassed a 80% approval rating among participants affirming that they have acquired and effectively applied new knowledge, skills, or competencies. JRJLA leverages the success and influence of established African American leaders, referred to as Torchbearers, dedicated to mentoring, advocating, and championing other leaders. With individualized professional coaching and connection to these leaders, the JRJLA fellows actively engage in experiential learning sessions to deepen their understanding of our framework around Leadership, Sankofa, Community, and Thriving. Through this programming, participants are equipped with relationships, soft and hard skills to further the mission of fostering vibrant local, regional, and statewide communities that center the Black experience in systems change efforts.

  Expenses $499,851 · Grants $88,500 · Revenue $87,910

As filed on the 2023 return.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• Intent Energy LLC

  $47,500

  Pass-through fiscal sponsorship funding (via Opus Foundation) to launch a black-led business development initiative for infrastructure/economic development

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

30 April 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.0

Source object

202421359349308447

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