Harlem Business Alliance Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
HBA AIMS TO FACILITATE THE CREATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH OF NYC BUSINESSES, PARTICULARLY FOCUSING ON BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES BY PROVIDING INTENSIVE, CULTURALLY COMPETENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, INNOVATIVE BUSINESS EDUCATION WORKSHOPS, AND A BUSINESS SUPPORT CENTER.
- Income
- $616,820
- Spending
- $634,751
- Spent on programs
- 71%
- Reserves
- 4.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 56%
- Employees
- 9
- Highest pay
- $100,000, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 58 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.7 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 51% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1571% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 92% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (10)
- $121,575 spent. FINANCIAL LITERACY - NYC DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES: HBA PROVIDED COMPREHENSIVE IN-PERSON ONE-ON-ONE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND WORKSHOPS, SUPPORTING OVER 274 INDIVIDUALS WITH STRATEGIC AND FINANCIAL PLANNING, TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, BRANDING, AND SOCIAL MEDIA. APPROXIMATELY 443 HOURS OF ONE-ON-ONE TECHNICAL ASSISANCE WAS PROVIDED TO HBAS CLIENTS (OR APPROXIMATELY 40 HOURS PER MONTH).
- $91,042 spent. MWBE LEADERSHIP ASSOCIATION - NYC DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES: HBA DELIVERED EXTENSIVE BUSINESS EDUCATION WORKSHOPS AND ONE-TO-ONE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, MWBE (MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE) CERTIFICATION ASSISTANCE, AND FINANCIAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPS. HBA HELPED 80 BUSINESSES TO NOT ONLY COMPETE FOR AND PERFORM ON CITY CONTRACTS, BUT TO GROW THEIR BUSINESSES AS WELL. 12 OF THOSE BUSINESSES BECAME CERTIFIED. HBA PROVIDED OVER 307 HOURS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO OVER 30 ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES VIA ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON STARTING A BUSINESS, DISCUSSING THE ELEMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN, ADVISING ON MARKETING AND BUSINESS PLAN STRATEGIES AND OTHER RELEVANT TOPICS. HBA ALSO HOSTED NETWORKING EVENTS, POP UP EXPERIENCES FOR PRODUCT-BASED BUSINESSES, AND CONNECTED BUSINESSES TO PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS.
- $61,317 spent. TDX/MTA - IN CONJUNCTION WITH TDX CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION AND THE NYC METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY(MTA) SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (SBDP), HBA ADDRESSES THE NEEDS AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALL GROWTH POTENTIAL ENTREPRENEURS BY PROVIDING BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT, USING A TRAINING WHILE DOING APPROACH, TO MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS THAT HAVE A VISION TO SUCCEED, THE AMBITION TO TRY, AND THE NEED FOR HANDS ON ASSISTANCE. HBA ASSISTED OVER 150 BUSINESSES.
- $42,715 spent. THROUGH COMMUNITIES OF COLOR NONPROFIT STABILIZATION FUND (CCNSF)SUPPORT, HBA ADVANCED CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PROGRAMMING TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF BLACK ENTREPRENEURS IN NEW YORK CITY. THE ORGANIZATION CONDUCTED COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH INVOLVING 30+ SURVEY PARTICIPANTS AND 2 STAKEHOLDERS TO INFORM EQUITY-CENTERED RECOMMENDATIONS. FINDINGS WERE USED TO DESIGN NEW PROGRAM MODELS THAT STRENGTHENED ENGAGEMENT AND ACCESSIBILITY FOR BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES ACROSS ALL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT.
- $40,719 spent. DYCD - WITH FUNDING SUPPORT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HBA SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED INTENSIVE BUSINESS EDUCATION WORKSHOPS AND ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE TO RESIDENTS OF HARLEM EAGER TO ACQUIRE SKILLS IN BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT, CUSTOMER MARKETING, AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT MANAGEMENT. MORE THAN 50 ENTREPRENEURS PARTICIPATED IN EITHER IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS. AFTER COMPLETION, ENTREPRENEURS PRESENTED THEIR BUSINESS CONCEPTS TO A PANEL OF JUDGES FOR A CHANCE TO SECURE SEED FUNDING AND CO-WORKING SPACE PROVIDED BY HBA. AS A RESULT, THESE BUSINESSES HAVE SINCE CRAFTED ROBUST BUSINESS PLANS AND IMPLEMENTED GROWTH STRATEGIES.
- $31,815 spent. HBA PARTNERED WITH VERIZON TO EXPAND ACCESS TO THE SMALL BUSINESS DIGITAL READY PLATFORM, CONDUCTING 3 WORKSHOPS AND OUTREACH SESSIONS THAT REACHED 150 BUSIENSS OWNERS. PARTICIPANTS GAINED PRACTICAL DIGITAL SKILLS IN E-COMMERCE, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, AND ONLINE OPERATIONS. OVER 150 LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS ENROLLED IN VERIZONS ONLINE COURSES, ENHANCING THEIR ABILITY TO COMPETE IN AN INCREASINGLY DIGITAL ECONOMY.
- $22,049 spent. HBA SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED TAILORED TRACKS FOR BOTH NEW AND GROWING BUSINESSES, ENGAGING OVER 120 ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH 10 EXPERT-LED WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON BUSINESS PLANNING, MARKET STRATEGY, AND ADVANCED GROWTH TECHNIQUES. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED INDIVIDUALIZED MENTORSHIP, ACCESS TO PEER NETWORKS, AND RETAIL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH HBAS STOREFRONT INITIATIVE. AS A RESULT, 75% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED INCREASED REVENUE, AND 20 BUSINESSES EXPANDED OPERATIONS OR LAUNCHED NEW PRODUCTS WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF COMPLETION.
- $19,204 spent. THROUGH THE LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION (LISC) GRANT, HBA DELIVERED ONE-ON-ONE BUSINESS COUNSELING AND TRAINING TO 40 SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ACROSS NEW YORK CITY, PRIORITIZING WOMEN -AND MINORITY-OWNED ENTERPRISES IN COMMUNITIES HEAVILY AFFECTED BY COVID-19. SUPPORTED BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT, CREDIT BUILDING, AND LOAN READINESS. DURING THE CONSULTATION SESSIONS, ENTREPRENEURS ARTICULATED THE CHALLENGES THEY FACED IN THEIR BUSINESSES. CONSULTANTS RESPONDED BY DRAWING UP INITIAL PLANS AND PROVIDING ADVICE TAILORED TO ADDRESS THESE SPECIFIC NEEDS. OUT OF THE 40 PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVED ONE-ON-ONE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, MANY ENCOUNTERED SIMILAR CHALLENGES. LEVERAGING THEIR EXPERTISE, THE CONSULTANTS DELIVERED IN-DEPTH MARKETING PLANS, FINANCIAL ADVICE, BRAND IDENTITY SUGGESTIONS, AND SOLUTIONS TO OTHER BUSINESS NEEDS.
- $18,734 spent. M&T BANK - MONEY MOVES INCUBATOR: THE MONEY MOVES INCUBATOR EMPOWERED 60 BLACK-OWNED NYC STARTUPS BY PROVIDING FINANCIAL EDUCATION, PEER ACCOUNTABILITY, AND ACCESS TO GROWTH CAPITAL. OVER 15 INTENSIVE SESSIONS, PARTICIPANTS DEVELOPED TAILORED FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES RESULTING IN $300,000 IN COMBINED CAPITAL ACCESSED AND 40% OF BUSINESSES ACHIEVING MEASURABLE GROWTH WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR. THE INCUBATOR CREATED A STRONG COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS COMMITTED TO LONG-TERM WEALTH-BUILDING AND COLLABORATION.
- CREATIVE WORKSPACE (CW): THIS SPACE FUNCTIONS AS A CO-WORKING SPACE FOR ENTREPRENEURS AS WELL AS A SPACE FOR HBAS WORKSHOPS AND BUSINESS CONSULTATIONS WITH HBA SPECIALISTS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 1992.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.