Welcome to the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities

A catalyst for collective change and wisdom

Updates On NABC's Network Initiatives

A Look at Networks and Mapping

Most of us in the non-profit sector think of networks as groups of people or organizations working towards a common goal: prison reform, educational justice, food sovereignty, housing or equitable health care, to name a few. Often, we envision networks as a series of ‘dots and lines.’ And at the most basic level that is accurate. Yet, behind the dots and lines are people with specific functions to truly make a network transformational. As June Holley contends, most successful networks have four carefully crafted interlocking aspects that support and complement one another: an intentional network, relationship network, action network, and support network.

Grounding Perspectives for Grant Seeking & Writing

Most non-profits, particularly black-led, black-focused, and black-serving organizations, groups, and networks (B3s) operate in precarious financial positions. Accessing funding and capacity-building supports to sustain their work is a challenge. Many are faced with capacity and system related barriers and increasing demands for accountability and expectation to demonstrate impact.

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Evaluation Capacity Building Pilot

Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving (B3) organizations, groups, and networks have not fared well before the pandemic hit, in terms of access to funding and capacity building supports. The pandemic exacerbated the challenges they faced to the extent that many of them struggled to adequately support the Black communities they served. NABC continues to advocate for B3s in the recovery phase and post-pandemic reality for long-term investment to strengthen their capacity to recover from the pandemic and thrive post-pandemic

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What we offer

Systems change

Long-standing systemic challenges confronting Black Communities cannot be addressed unless we tackle the underlying causes. Through our systems thinking, network impact, and systems change approaches, we provide organizations and leaders with a range of tools to address systemic challenges.

Network learning

Learning is at the core of systems change. We provide innovative supports to organizations and groups to strengthen their adaptive capacity to be effective participants and leaders in driving positive outcomes for Black Communities.

Organizational learning and evaluation

Training, complemented with mentoring, coaching and other learning effectiveness activities, is key to building individual and organizational capacity.  The training we offer through workshops, webinars, etc. is complemented with access to high quality capacity building resources and tools.

Our evaluative activities, beyond the provision of expertise and advice to organizational leaders, include collaborative efforts to integrate Africentric values in the field of evaluation

Network convening and community engagement

Our network brings together organizations, groups, partners, funders and allies to create optimal conditions for collaboration. Through network weaving and convening, and network capacity building activities, we engage in order to address root causes of systemic challenges of Black Communities.

Government relations and public policy

Our government relations and public policy work aims at advancing the interests of Black Communities in creating transformative relationships with governments and sector allies to address long-standing systemic challenges confronting our communities.

Research and Knowledge Mobilization

We generate, synthesize and disseminate knowledge that impacts programs, organizational practices and government policies.

Service Coordination

We provide service coordination supports under the Enhanced Ontario Black Youth Action Plan to various clusters of Black-led organizations providing various services to children, youth and families.

Smart Grantmaking

We work with Black-led organizations, governments, philanthropic and sector allies to design and implement grants that build organizational and collective capacity in Black-led organizations, networks and grassroots. Our grantmaking practices create collaborative opportunities for learning and deepening impact.

News & Events

Sankofa

Detroit Food Commons: A Practice Model For Black Food Sovereignty

In May 2024, NABC visited Detroit for the grand opening of the Detroit People’s Food Co-op. This project is the result of a 14-year community effort to build a Black-owned food system. The facility integrates

March 23, 2026

Sankofa

Key Information on Toronto’s Black Food Sovereignty Plan

The City of Toronto’s Black Food Sovereignty Plan shifts the focus from food access to community-led control. The plan centers on five pillars: building community leadership, expanding infrastructure like gardens and kitchens, securing sustainable funding,

March 23, 2026

Sankofa

Black Food Sovereignty Roundtable 2021

On May 1, 2021, a roundtable on Black Food Sovereignty was held in Toronto. Hosted by The Afri-Can FoodBasket and NABC, the event centered on the idea that food sovereignty is about more than just

March 23, 2026

Our Impact

“Having led a network of 11 Rwandan Canadian agencies during the pandemic, I can’t imagine what the pandemic would have been like for our members without the Network’s support.

The Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC)’s support allows our member agencies to deliver much needed COVID-19 Emergency Support, and as we transition into the recovery phase, NABC continues to support our work by offering facilitation programs & services, such as capacity building training, collaborative support, and perhaps more importantly; NABC continues to represent African Canadian community issues at the decision tables, while working to influence policy change in various areas at local, regional and federal levels.”