BLACspace is a dedicated cooperative that supports Black arts and culture organizations in Oakland, helping them thrive through community-centered consulting, coaching, and a strong mutual aid network.

Any Black-led arts or cultural organization rooted in Oakland and aligned with BLACspace’s mission and values is welcome to apply for membership.

Members gain access to year-long coaching pods, wellness assessments, workshops, and a broad network of culturally aligned partners. Members also participate in BLACspace events and have a say in cooperative governance after a year of active membership.

Mutual aid is at the cornerstone of everything we do at BLACspace. Organizational members share knowledge and resources, all while staying true to BLACspace’s values of cooperation, accountability, and transformative justice.

Members get wellness assessments, focused small group coaching, and matchmaking with culturally aligned and competent partners, along with access to valuable resources and inspiring events.

After a year of active participation, members gain governance rights, allowing them to help shape decisions around board selection, member policies, and more! Ultimately, this membership helps organizations strengthen their internal infrastructure while building a strong, collaborative network of Black-led, Oakland-rooted groups holding cultural space.

The Mutual Aid Fund is a dynamic resource-sharing model that pools contributions from BLACspace members, donors, and partners to directly support our network. It’s a cooperative approach to funding that reflects the rich history of Black mutual aid practices—communities coming together to meet their needs, uplift one another, and achieve collective success.

Unlike traditional consulting, BLACspace merges business expertise with cultural permanence and community trust. We focus on the holistic needs of our community and emphasize cooperation, accountability, and transformative justice.

We don’t just focus on the back-end operation of organizations. We champion the holistic needs of our community by inviting Black arts and culture entities into our Mutual Aid Membership, where they can connect, share, and access resources within our expansive ecosystem.

Cultural reforestation means helping Black arts and culture grow and flourish in Oakland by nurturing the people, spaces, and stories that form the cultural roots of our community. Through this, we work to restore and maintain a thriving, Black-centered cultural ecosystem.