When ABC witnessed our communities of color and their institutions face the existential crisis of shutdowns of indeterminate duration in the early weeks of the pandemic, the ABC Help Desk was created to offer critical access to fundraising knowledge and networks of experts of color. It became evident that ABC, as a capacity builder, has important knowledge and experience that is crucial to our survival and that of our colleagues in the creative economy. Despite having no funding for the inaugural Help Desk, ABC used a multifaceted approach to spread our knowledge and encourage others to band together in mutual assistance.
Today, Help Desk is a FREE 6-week long program in the Spring and Fall that is designed to provide strategy and individualized consulting for individuals and organizations serving communities of color, especially those belonging to Black, Indigenous, and Latine communities. Some organizations can thrive with individual consulting opportunities, but others may need a more intensive, programmatic approach.
Help Desk consists of 4 activities critical to the support of the creative economy:
Free one-on-one customized consulting: Community members receive up to 3 specialized consulting appointments with our experts of color to be used either with the same expert or spread out across expertise areas. Each small business is assigned an ABC staff member who introduces them to the expert and maintains communication throughout the process. Our CEO and CFO frequently provide customized consulting in small business & nonprofit grant writing and financial planning and budgeting, respectively.
Asynchronous learning via CreativeStudy: ABC staff curate classes into a syllabus that aligns with the skills of our experts to provide clients with some baseline knowledge before they speak with the expert. CreativeStudy’s asynchronous learning platform prepares clients to get the most out of their customized sessions.
Speaker Series: ABC partners with arts and science organizations across the country to discuss critical issues facing Queer communities and communities of color. Past conversations have included: AI and It’s Effect on Artistic Intellectual Property (featuring our former board member in data analytics - Phoenix Jay - and in partnership with Kresge Arts in Detroit), Artists as Businesses: Financial Literacy (partnership with Kresge Arts in Detroit), Black Arts Ecosystem: How Understanding Our Community Can Promote Collective Change, Financial Planning and Risk Management (featuring our current board member and Certified Financial Planner - Akil Davis), and much more.
Capacity grants: Help Desk capacity grants are provided to help participants maintain their educational momentum and put their learning into action. Grant funds are provided by our generous corporate sponsors and foundation partners interested in funding organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status. Grants are generally $1,000 - $10,000 depending upon need and decided upon by our board of directors.
Registration for Help Desk are available in the Spring and Fall of each year. Signing up for the program also gives participants access to ABC’s Help Desk newsletter.
Help Desk
Our Spring Help Desk is running from March 31st to May 12th, 2025. This year, nonprofits AND small businesses are invited to apply for up to $2,500 capacity grants during our program. Funding for grantmaking is generously provided by our corporate and foundation partners. Priority will be given organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities in Indianapolis, New York City, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.
