Harlem Business Alliance

Non-profit organization, Accountant, Loan agency in New York, NY

Address

275 Malcolm X Blvd # 2, New York, NY, 10027

Phone

(212) 665-7010

Website

hbany.org

About Harlem Business Alliance

The Harlem Business Alliance (HBA), located at 275 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating environments and opportunities that produce successful entrepreneurs and jobs for local residents. Founded in 1980 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, HBA has spent decades enriching Harlem's business community with a particular emphasis on supporting Black-owned enterprises through education, direct support, and advocacy. The organization provides a range of services designed to help entrepreneurs succeed, including one-on-one technical assistance, power networking events, and workshops covering various aspects of running a business. HBA also offers microloan funding to help small business owners access capital, along with consulting services delivered by small business owners themselves who bring backgrounds in finance, banking, accounting, marketing, retail, and information technology. This peer-to-peer consulting model connects entrepreneurs with practical, experience-based guidance from others who have navigated similar challenges. One of HBA's notable initiatives is Creative Workspace, a co-working hub that opened in March 2013 and is described as the first co-working space in Harlem. Located at the organization's Lenox Avenue address, Creative Workspace serves as an innovation hub where entrepreneurs can meet, collaborate, and work, and the space is also available for private events and meetings. Beyond its direct entrepreneurial support programs, HBA serves as an advocate for the preservation and retention of Harlem's business community, actively addressing issues such as disparities in contract spending with Black-owned businesses. The organization holds BBB accreditation as a charity and is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), credentials that reflect its standing and its capacity to deploy capital in underserved communities. HBA can be reached by phone at (212) 665-7010.

The Harlem Business Alliance was founded in 1980 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, established with the mission of creating environments and opportunities that produce successful entrepreneurs and generate jobs for local residents in Harlem. Over more than four decades, the organization built out a suite of services, from technical assistance and consulting to microloan funding, aimed at strengthening Harlem's business community with particular attention to Black-owned enterprises. A significant milestone in the organization's history came in March 2013, when HBA opened Creative Workspace at its Lenox Avenue location, described as the first co-working space in Harlem. This space gave local entrepreneurs a physical hub to meet, collaborate, and work alongside one another. Alongside its programmatic growth, HBA earned BBB accreditation as a charity and certification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), milestones that reflect its evolution from a grassroots advocacy organization into a recognized institution capable of deploying capital and technical resources to support Harlem's entrepreneurial community and advocate for equity in business contracting.

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