Black culture is what propels our country. We often get told to hide or put away our culture while other people benefit from it in cities like Boston, but I just know how strong, across the diaspora, our culture is. And I want it to be a source of pride for us in a way that connects us.

— Sheena Collier

Introduction

April 3, 2026 — Boston, MA

Our first Investor Report of 2026 finds us leaning into and expanding pre-existing relationships in our network, working to better facilitate, connect, and undergird our ecosystem and our communities in dialogue and belonging.
Our relationship continues to deepen with the partners behind Comfort Kitchen, Nyacko Perry and Ujima Restaurant Fellow Biplaw Rai. Our latest investment vote, a follow-on investment in Comfort Kitchen (our first-ever follow-on investment) alongside investments in new related ventures Ama at the Atlas and Foxglove Terrace, set a new record for voter turnout and affirmed belief in Rai and Nyacko as leaders, business founders, and trusted members of our ecosystem.
Our follow-on investment reflects Ujima's broader commitment to stewarding our collective capital with care-supporting businesses that not only strengthen our portfolio, but also deepen our shared vision of community ownership and economic justice; as Ujima Voting member and President of Potlikker Capital Mark Watson shared, “The number one reason why Black and Brown business fail is because they don’t have access to follow-on capital...The margins, the revenue...trajectories are similar to white-owned businesses. Our businesses fail because we can’t get the second round... follow-on can be a necessary objective to curate the success of institutions in our own communities that we want to support.”
Read our interview with Rai in last year’s Summer Investor Report, and check out his letter to readers in Plenty, a cookbook project we published at the end of last year.
Find below an interview with Sheena Collier, CEO of UGBA member Boston While Black; Boston While Black has become our newest technical assistance partner, supporting fellow Good Business Alliance members with deeper outreach through audience/community development, as well as stronger connections across businesses. Read on for her story in her words.
Since its founding in 2017, Ujima has invested in a comprehensive cultural infrastructure that positions practitioners as essential to community power and equitable development. We are pleased to share that we have launched the Center for Art, Invention & Uncommon Practice. The Center will extend and consolidate Ujima’s longstanding commitment to labor rights within the creative sector, as well as to art, artists, and cultural organizing.
As articulated in Ujima’s founding documents, this work contributes to “creating the air we are walking in, positively impacting what is considered normal and possible. [A] cultural shift.”

In solidarity,
Alula Hunsen
Editorial Manager
Boston Ujima Project, Inc.

Interview

Our newest technical assistance partner, Boston While Black founder Sheena Collier spoke with editor Alula Hunsen to dig deeper on the organization’s approach to building belonging.

Learn more about how her lineage in organizing and Black community-building led her to founding a successful membership-based organization that facilitates us building relationships with each other and with our city, and how cultural planning and belonging inflect her work.

Comfort Kitchen, Ama At The Atlas and Foxglove Terrace Investment

Ama At The Atlas and Foxglove Terrace have joined us as our two newest Ujima Portfolio Businesses!

When asked about why he supported investing in Ama At The Atlas and Foxglove Terrace, voting member Jeff shared, “I’m supporting this $350,000 investment because the business sits at the intersection of strong leadership, proven demand, and a clear path to scalable growth. The operator has demonstrated discipline, community credibility, and the ability to execute in a competitive market—three traits I prioritize when deploying capital. [...] I back businesses where fundamentals are sound, downside risk is understood, and upside is driven by execution—not hype. This opportunity checks those boxes.”

Check out the new restaurant, Ama, and make your reservation at Ama at the Atlas today; learn more about the restaurant here.

It's better when we're doing this in community.
A lot of Ujima businesses that have received funding, those business owners are friends or colleagues of mine.
I want us all to be thriving.

— Sheena Collier

Portfolio Company Updates

News and updates from companies in the Ujima Fund portfolio

Our sponsorship of, and partnership with, The Bay State Banner, bears new fruit: two new published essays, from Director of Culture, Communications, and Enfranchisement Cierra Peters and Editorial Manager Alula Hunsen, highlight our shared commitment to narrative production that serves our communities and the possibilities we enact.

The Bay State Banner continues to produce their monthly live, televised series with GBH at the Boston Public Library, Central Branch: State of Black America.

On December 11th, they centered their fierce advocacy for independent Black media in a program titled, “Democracy on the Line: Black Journalists and the Fight for Free Press.”

BNCLT continues to innovate and push the edges of what’s possible in community ownership, with a new Semi-Permanent Loan Pilot product for impact investment, and is inviting community investors to join the pilot to support their ability to acquire and renovate permanently affordable housing.

Register for their next office hours meeting about the development on April 23rd, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

CERO Co-Op has an updated website! And they have new products and services available: you can now purchase compost or soil directly from CERO, and they are adding additional services for residential use. CERO is building community composting options for families to keep food scraps out of the trash, including a starter kit & how-to guides, flexible service options, and impact tracking. They also offer composting services for events! From festivals to conferences, they plan and staff compost collection that keeps events clean and sustainable.

Soon, they hope to establish a Community Composting Hub in Dorchester, Roxbury, or possibly Mattapan to make composting more accessible to our communities.

Cupcake Therapy continues to be a crowd favorite for their delectable and generous cupcake selection, tailored to any and all dietary needs and restrictions; order yours online today.

Ever ambitious, Cupcake Therapy is also adding a second storefront location in Brookline on April 3, 2026!

In our last Investor Report, we notified members and investors that the Co-Op was struggling; since last summer, Dorchester Food Co-op has raised five months of operating expenses, they’ve updated their pricing and grocery selections, and they've seen a rise in sales.

In November, the Urban League of Massachusetts donated $20,000 into Dorchester Food Co-Op’s “Neighbors Feed Neighbors” Fund: The donation is meant to cover gift cards and memberships, offering opportunities to access membership to more members of our communities.

Still, we can’t let up: what the Co-op needs most is regular shoppers. Dorchester Food Co-op has projected that if every Dorchester resident who is a member of the Co-op did $50 of grocery shopping every week, they would become self-sustaining.

Dorchester Food Co-Op is also inviting community members to join their Door Knocking campaign every weekend; and new UGBA member and technical assistance provider Boston While Black will be supporting Dorchester Food Co-Op with ongoing community outreach and media presence.

Become a member or donate today! And be sure to visit in-person at 195 Bowdoin St. in Dorchester for your regular grocery shopping to support Boston's only worker- and consumer-owned co-op grocery store.

Jazz Urbane Café will be opening its doors in May!

And recently hosted Boston Open University’s inaugural event, Surfacing: Let’s Go Over, on March 30th.

Keep an eye out for their official opening, and be sure to visit their location at 2300 Washington Street in the Bolling Building.

Inquire about getting involved with them here, and tune into founder Bill Banfield’s radio hour on KBLA on Saturdays from 10-11pm here.

In February, The Pearl made the strategic decision to close its original South Bay location in order to focus its energy and resources on its Boston Landing location; protecting staff, stabilizing operations, and building toward a more sustainable future. The Pearl will consolidate its operations to focus fully on its Boston Landing location, located at 67 Guest Street in Brighton.

This is made possible through the continued partnership and support of New Balance.

Kidogo Productions celebrated Black History and Women’s History Months this winter with a series of story-telling-based approaches, reproducing important Black Women’s history on their Instagram and making a case for affirmative, truthful Black representation via their blog page.

They closed out Black History Month in February with a celebration of Black Children’s Book Week at the Museum of Science, Boston, and continue to produce education and entertainment in service of positive community and youth development. Visit their website to learn more about their offerings and how to support or collaborate with them!

Kidogoville is now on Roblox!

They’re also looking for volunteers to support a coming activation on June 27th at BAMSFest.

Boston While Black
Joins UGBA

Boston While Black is our newest member of the Ujima Good Business Alliance! Wish them a warm welcome, and consider becoming a member; be sure to check out our interview with founder Sheena Collier in this issue of the Investor Report.

They’ve launched a pre-seed raise to deepen our Boston infrastructure (if you’d like to learn more, set up a call with Sheena!), build their national team, build out their city playbook and data infrastructure to start to scale to other cities.

Business Alliance Updates
News and updates from Ujima’s Good Business Alliance

2 Birds No Stones closed out last year strong with the Institute for Contemporary Arts, Boston, at the Creative Aging Celebration! Visit their shop today, and check their bookings page if you’d like to host their creative work at your next event.

The BirthingHeirs Project founder Joyce Clark conducted doula trainings with 20 new doulas and doula trainers across the state to close out 2025, and continues to mentor this cohort of birthing professionals into 2026. Clark is planning to launch a new program soon, Father Friendly, for dads who want to become doulas and support birthing journeys.

The Project also recently received a $20,000 grant from the Boston Public Health Commission to fund the doula support and education that Joyce provides.

Reach out if you need (free!) care supplies, or if you’d like to make a purchase to help sustain The BirthingHeirs Project.

Dorchester Art Project is proud to announce that in October, they’ve completed their transition into becoming a fully-fledged artists-owned cooperative business endeavor! Check out the story via our magazine, Fortunately; and keep an eye on their Instagram page for further updates on what’s to come in 2026.

DVM Housing Partners is working with the City of Boston and MassHousing to develop limited-equity homeownership opportunities in Dorchester and Mattapan via their new development, Blume on the Ave.

Blume on the Ave provides thirty (30) affordable homeownership condominium units across three (3) buildings along the Lower Blue Hill Avenue corridor.

Learn more about this new affordable development here!

The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative recently launched their Common Senses Project, launching a network of heat, air, and noise sensors as part of a community-led action research project to better understand how the Dudley Triangle is experiencing climate and environmental changes. Check in on the project here!

DSNI is also beginning new development on a parcel of land at 518 Dudley Street, known as Plaza Borinquen, transforming the park into an arts plaza, which they hope will become a dynamic civic arts environment to serve as a public square and cultural laboratory.

Read more in the Dorchester Reporter here.

Eastie Farm recently opened their Community Supported Agriculture subscription program: sign up today to support local farmers and to receive fresh groceries straight from the source!

Be sure to check out their events page to sign up for volunteer opportunities; and they celebrated their 10th Anniversary March Equinox Celebration on March 20th.

Applications for Eastie Farm’s Climate Corps have also recently opened: youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 24 can apply for this paid Green Summer program to support sustainability and community-building through advocacy and food systems work. Applications are due by May 22nd!

Fresh Food Generation has kicked off a new event series, Fresh Food Fridays: swing by on any given Friday from 7 to 9pm to move and jam to selections from two of our favorite DJs, DJ Troy Frost and Blessing!

Founder Cassandria Campbell also recently gave a panel talk at justBook-ish, centering women’s leadership, lived experiences, and impact on Dorchester’s (and Boston’s) food communities.

Hillside Harvest’s Spicy Jamaican Jerk Marinade has been selected as a finalist by the Good Food Foundation for their 2026 Good Food Awards!

Founder Kamaal Jarrett recently joined the Not From Concentrate podcast to share his perspective on Caribbean cuisine and building a food business.

The business was also recently featured in The Bay State Banner’s Business Section, via a profile on Jarrett; read more here.

Live Like a Local Tours continues to offer remarkable story-telling and on-the-ground connection to our neighborhoods and communities via their winter tours this season.

Book a tour today, and consider booking a private tour for your institution or group to direct their dollars to this important narrative-building project.

Their Martha’s Vineyard Black Business Tour is back again this year, too – get your ticket before it’s too late!

MathTalk’s Math!Everywhere! program recently won the "Augment Learning" category of the Create+AI Challenge hosted at Stanford University last month. It was a powerful convening of educators, researchers, technologists, and students—all dedicated to advancing learning and teaching. Congratulations to the MathTalk team!

Take a walk down MathTalk’s Bob Moses MathTrail in Cambridge, named after founder Omo Moses’ father (famed SNCC organizer and Algebra Project founder, Bob Moses); Omo Moses recently published a memoir, The White Peril, commemorating his father’s life work and surfacing his own relationship to community empowerment through math literacy.

And be sure to download the Measure!Everything! App to try out MathTalk’s immersive digital approach to bringing math everywhere.

Nubian Markets is getting ready to open their second location, Nuba Cafe, on Columbus Avenue in Roxbury! Take a peek here, and keep an eye on Nubian Markets’ Instagram for an update on when you can support their new cafe!

They’re also hiring; take a look at their job application and available opportunities here.

They were recently featured in Ujima Press’s latest publication, Plenty: a cookbook offering from and by our communities, producing stories about sustenance, community development and family. Read Plenty here!

Nubian Markets is seeking investment from the Ujima Fund.

Nos Casa Cafe ended 2025 with beautiful celebrations of community and food, hosting a Thanksgiving meal and a Christmas bakery pop-up to keep folks fed and to support other local small food businesses.

Visit them at 475 Dudley Street in Roxbury to show them some love!

Park 54 brought in 2026 with two events centering Hyde Park’s community and political representation, celebrating the New Year with soup joumou and City Councillor-at-Large Ruthzee Louijeune; and hosting State Senator Liz Miranda’s Vision Board & Vibes.

They’ve also set new hours of operating: take a look here, and swing by their location at 81 Fairmount Avenue or make a reservation today.

Pixworx founder Jaypix Belmer has been on a roll this winter and spring: from showing work at the Piano Craft Gallery’s recent exhibition, Invisibility, and at Black Planet 2099 in January, to hosting A Photo Social with fellow photographer Joseph Lieber in February, and becoming a Photographic Resource Center 50th Anniversary Mentorship Program Fellow in March.

Belmer has stayed busy producing work and finding opportunities to highlight their photography practice.

SIDE Presents ended 2025 with an incredible collaboration with the New England Patriots and the Diggs Deep Foundation.

They also recently produced their yearly celebration, Estrogina, as part of Estrogina Weekend on March 7th and 8th at Artists for Humanity! Estrogina Weekend is a three-part community experience celebrating care, growth, and brilliance across generations of women, girls, and femme-identifying communities. SIDE co-hosted the event in partnership with the Mayor's Offices of Women's Advancement, Arts and Culture, Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, the Boston Public Health Commission.

Finally, Side Presents recently joined Harvard Business School’s Upswell Program to support their entrepreneurial journey! Reach out and book a collaboration with them today to spice up your next event; and subscribe to their newsletter to stay up-to-date on where they’ll be next.

SparkFM hosted a Content Day this past March, inviting creative workers into their studio space to network and make use of their studio spaces, lighting set-ups, and more.

They also hosted an event, Mob Her Vendor, celebrating women-owned businesses and connecting small business owners with community and clientele.

Recently, Ujima Fund Management Team members were recently invited to SparkFM for a live radio hour to speak on our mission and investment strategies!

The Urban Gardener Landscape Service is busy this season, taking on new clients and supporting plant and landscape health across the city! Contact them for a quote here, and check out Michael Thomas’s work for yourself on Instagram here.

Ujima Hyperlocal
Procurement Initiative

In our March 2023 Investor Report, Boston Ujima Project, Inc. proudly announced the launch of the Ujima Hyperlocal Procurement Initiative, a program designed to strengthen the Ujima Good Business Alliance (UGBA) by directly supporting member businesses through strategic purchasing, consumer organizing, and targeted marketing efforts.

New Web Page
→ We’ve launched a new procurement page on our main site as we continue to develop ways to direct spending toward Ujima businesses. See our current and past campaigns here.

The Pearl
→ This spring, Ujima is introducing TAB., a bespoke creative organizing campaign for The Pearl at Boston Landing, offering a new way to support our restaurants and cultural spaces we value most. By opening a Tab, you help support The Pearl at Boston Landing, circulating dollars in advance so The Pearl can plan, retain staff, and move through transition without being forced to compromise on their values. Learn more here.

The Bay State Banner
→ This spring, Ujima renewed its sponsorship of the Bay State Banner Business section. Read the Banner here.