Dear Funding Partner,
As BlaqOut celebrates its ninth anniversary, I want to share a clear and important transition in our work—one that reflects not a change in direction, but a higher level of discipline in how we carry it forward.
For the past nine years, we have been building the plane while flying it.
That was not a flaw in our approach. It was the only way this work could have been built.
We were responding to real and immediate gaps in care, access, and advocacy for Black queer communities—often in conditions that required speed, adaptability, and a willingness to move before everything was fully formed. We built programs, partnerships, and models in real time, testing what worked, refining what didn’t, and continuing to push forward with urgency and intention.
That work was not only necessary—it was successful. But building in flight is, by definition, a temporary condition.
At a certain point, the question is no longer whether you can keep the plane in the air. The question is whether you are prepared to land it—by choice—and build what comes next with the level of precision and durability the work now demands.
That is the moment we have reached.
That realization did not arrive all at once.
It began taking shape in early 2025, when we developed our Resiliency and Vulnerability Plan— an exercise in anticipating not only external shifts, but the internal conditions required to withstand them. That work surfaced a critical insight: that even our strengths, particularly in people and culture, required greater alignment and precision as the organization matured.
From there, we initiated a Culture Fit and Values Realignment process—grounded in a simple but necessary question of whether we had the right people, in the right roles, operating at the level the work now demands.
Later in the year, I stepped away for a long-overdue sabbatical. That time created the distance needed to see the organization more clearly—where we had been, where we were, and what it would take to move forward with intention.
Taken together, these moments were not isolated. They were cumulative.
And they led, directly, to the decision we are now making.
BlaqOut is a laboratory for innovation in Black queer liberation.
For nine years, we have operated as that laboratory—testing ideas, refining approaches, and learning, in real time, what it takes to build models that are responsive, effective, and grounded in the communities we serve.
Now, we are making a deliberate transition.
The period between our ninth anniversary in April 2026 and our tenth anniversary in April 2027 will mark our shift from prototype to production.
This is not a reaction to external pressure.
It is not a response to financial strain.
And it is not an attempt to slow our momentum.
It is a decision to convert what we have built into something that can be sustained, replicated, and scaled with integrity.
To do that, we have entered a defined period of strategic pause and structural realignment.
As part of this transition, BlaqOut has moved to a temporary contractor-based operating model for a six-month period. This includes transitioning staff out of W-2 employment and, where appropriate, retaining select individuals as independent contractors with clearly defined scopes aligned to this phase of work.
This structure allows us to reduce internal complexity, clarify ownership, and focus resources on execution during a critical build-and-stabilize period. Beginning October 1, we will enter the next phase of this transition—rebuilding deliberately, with the potential to convert select contractors back into staff roles and scale toward a refined structure by the end of Q1 2027.
Because while improvisation allowed us to build the prototype, it is not a viable foundation for production. And in some cases, we tolerated ambiguity longer than the work could afford.
What we are building now requires:
These are not new commitments. They are the necessary expression of what this next phase requires.
We share this with you because this transition reflects the investment you have already made.
For nearly a decade, your support has enabled BlaqOut to function as a laboratory—to test, to learn, and to build. What comes next is the realization of that work in a form that delivers consistent, measurable impact with greater precision and durability.
Our mission has not changed.
Our vision has not changed.
Our determination to bring them both about has only gotten stronger.
What is changing is the standard to which we are building.
We are grateful for your partnership, your trust, and your belief in what BlaqOut makes possible. This is not a pause in our work. It is the moment we ensure that what we have built can stand—and scale—on its own.
With appreciation,
D. Rashaan Gilmore,
Founder/President and CEO
BlaqOut’s Production Phase: 2026–2027
This FAQ accompanies BlaqOut’s funder letter on the organization’s transition from prototype to production. It is organized into six sections to help you find what’s most relevant to your interest or role. The full document is available for download.
Where the letter establishes the milestone and the strategic frame, this FAQ provides the substantiation — the operational specifics, the receipts, and the direct answers to questions that may arise from the letter or that have surfaced in conversation.
This decision is the planned arrival point of strategic work that has been underway since early 2025.
The throughline runs from BlaqOut’s 2025–2030 REACH+ Purpose Plan, particularly its Organizational Excellence pillar, through a Resiliency and Vulnerability assessment conducted in early 2025, and a Culture Fit and Values Realignment process that followed. Each step surfaced the same insight from a different angle: that the next phase of BlaqOut’s work — the full operational realization of our clinical care model — required a more focused, disciplined operating structure than the one that had carried us through nine years of building.
This transition is the structural expression of that insight, timed deliberately to our ninth anniversary so that the production phase opens in alignment with the organization’s own milestone calendar.
Directly. The Organizational Excellence pillar of REACH+ committed BlaqOut to building the long-term efficiency, functionality, and sustainability required to support our vision through 2030 and beyond. This transition operationalizes that commitment. The plan named what was needed; this is how we build it.
The sabbatical was a planned, long-overdue period of time away that I took in 2025. It was not the origin of this decision — the strategic work that led here was already in motion — but it did provide the distance required to see clearly what that work had already been telling us.
What became clear during that time was not new information. It was a clearer view of information BlaqOut had already produced about itself: that the conditions required to build the prototype were no longer the conditions required to sustain what was being built. The decisions that followed reflect that clarity. They are the disciplined outcome of strategic work, not the consequence of personal reflection.
Because the ninth anniversary marks the natural transition point between the building phase and the operating phase, and because the BlaqBox is now positioned to move into full realization. Production phases begin when the prototype has done its work. The prototype has done its work.
Yes. Without interruption, and with full continuity through this phase and beyond.
More than 700 members remain active in BlaqOut’s telehealth program, receiving ongoing care and medications for their sexual wellness needs. In-person care, including injections and other clinical services, continues to be provided by a Family Nurse Practitioner who served on our clinical staff and has remained engaged as a contracted provider through this phase.
We are also actively cultivating a forthcoming partnership with trusted local providers to ensure that every member who relies on BlaqOut for care continues to receive it without disruption. Details on that partnership will be shared in the coming weeks.
Materially, nothing. Members continue to access telehealth services as they have. Members who require in-person care continue to be seen. Members who rely on BlaqOut for ongoing prevention, treatment, and sexual wellness support continue to receive that care.
What changes is happening behind the scenes — the operational infrastructure that delivers care is being strengthened, not interrupted.
Through the same channels they always have. Telehealth members continue with their existing care relationships. In-person care continues at established locations. The forthcoming partnership will expand options rather than replace existing ones.
A substantial body of work that now constitutes the foundation of the production phase. Across research, advocacy, care, and community power, BlaqOut produced and refined: the BlaqBox clinical and community care model; CBPAR research methodology grounded in our Vision 2020 foundational study; Black Rainbow as a national political and advocacy infrastructure for Black LGBTQ+ equity; the Black Queer Leadership Collective; HLAB as a recurring convening and advocacy platform; the Culture of Care framework; Level Up as an HIV prevention incentive model; the foundation for BlaqAtlas as a predictive health equity engine; and the relationships, credibility, and operational learning that make scaled execution possible.
These are the findings. The production phase is what we build with them.
No core programs are being eliminated. Some activities that were additive, exploratory, or no longer aligned with the production phase may be paused or sunset. This concentrates resources on the highest-impact work and removes the friction that comes with maintaining work the organization has outgrown.
The flagship answer is the BlaqBox — the full operational expression of BlaqOut’s clinical and community care model, with care, pharmacy, and member experience integrated under one roof. Beyond the BlaqBox, the production phase includes the infrastructure required to sustain it: the financial systems, governance structures, operational workflows, and community engagement mechanisms that allow the model to operate consistently rather than contingently.
They are the architecture of BlaqOut’s production phase:
Steady, accountable leadership — built for a ten-year horizon and beyond, with succession planning and governance that reduce single-point dependencies.
Sound financial stewardship — preserving flexibility, strengthening reserves, and aligning resources with execution priorities.
Structural integrity — clarity of roles, workflows, and decision-making across the organization.
Systems-driven operations — the infrastructure that allows work to move consistently rather than depending on individual heroics.
Deep, continuous community engagement — keeping the work grounded in the members and communities BlaqOut exists to serve.
Each of these is a workstream during the production phase, with specific deliverables tied to the timeline through Q1 2027.
BlaqOut has moved to a contractor-based operating model for a defined six-month period beginning April 1, 2026. This includes transitioning staff out of W-2 employment and retaining select individuals as independent contractors with clearly defined scopes aligned to this phase of work.
The structure reduces internal complexity, clarifies ownership, and concentrates resources on execution. Beginning October 1, 2026, BlaqOut will enter the next phase — rebuilding deliberately, with the potential to convert select contractors back into staff roles and scale toward a refined structure by the end of Q1 2027.
Leadership is intentionally lean. The CEO, supported by a small number of contractors with tightly defined scopes, is focused on:
This structure is temporary and will evolve beginning October 2026.
No. This was driven by structural alignment — ensuring the operating model matches the work ahead. The prototype phase required a different structure than the production phase. The transition reflects that difference, not a judgment about individuals.
Critical knowledge, member relationships, funder relationships, and operational documentation were identified, documented, and centralized in advance of this transition. Continuity was a planning priority, not an afterthought.
No. Compliance frameworks, financial controls, and regulatory obligations were strengthened, not weakened, through this transition. The contractor model was structured in consultation with appropriate legal and financial counsel.
No. This is a proactive, strategic decision — not a reaction to crisis or external pressure. The transition strengthens BlaqOut’s financial position by improving runway, reducing fixed costs, and increasing flexibility for the production phase.
We recognize that any structural change can raise questions about financial health, and we welcome them. Funding partners who would like to review BlaqOut’s financial position in detail are invited to schedule a meeting with the CEO, a member of the Board, and our incoming fractional CFO. We are happy to walk through the numbers, the runway, the capital strategy, and any specific concerns you may want to discuss directly.
Both BlaqOut properties — the BlaqBox and Cornerstones — remain strategic assets central to the production phase. Mortgages on both properties are current. Property tax exemptions have been secured for both. The capital strategy for each property is active and on track, and the transition we are describing strengthens, rather than complicates, our ability to execute on that strategy.
It does not negatively impact them. All funded programs, compliance obligations, and reporting commitments remain active and on track. The transition improves delivery by reducing internal friction and increasing leadership focus on execution.
BlaqOut is engaging Aperio Philanthropy to lead major gift and grant development during this phase. This allows internal leadership to remain focused on execution while ensuring a disciplined, aligned fundraising strategy. The engagement is structured to integrate with — not replace — BlaqOut’s existing funder relationships.
Clear communication. Reliable reporting. Focused execution. Disciplined stewardship. Leadership that is accessible, accountable, and aligned with long-term impact. The cadence of communication may shift toward higher signal and lower volume, but the substance and reliability will not.
April 2026: Contractor model begins. Production phase formally opens.
April–September 2026: Build-and-stabilize period. BlaqBox advancement, clinical model execution, capital coordination, organizational readiness work.
October 2026: Rebuilding phase begins. Select contractors evaluated for conversion to staff roles. Refined organizational structure begins to take shape.
Through Q1 2027: Continued rebuilding toward a refined, sustainable operating structure aligned with the production phase.
April 2027: BlaqOut’s tenth anniversary. The production phase, fully operational.
Because this transition reduces complexity rather than increasing it. Fewer dependencies, clearer authority, and tighter focus improve execution capacity — particularly for the capital and clinical work that requires disciplined leadership attention. The decisions that led here were made with execution capacity as the central design criterion.
To deliver the work ahead with focus and integrity. To maintain transparent communication about progress, challenges, and adjustments. To honor the trust that nearly a decade of partnership represents. And to ensure that the production phase produces the consistent, measurable impact on health outcomes for Black LGBTQ+ communities that has always been the return on your investment in this work.
