Black Ensemble Theater Corporation

Chicago, IL

UEI
J1GMRSJLJCD8
CAGE
4H6X6
Primary NAICS
Not on record
SAM.gov registration
Active through

Company facts

Self-certified in SAM.gov
  • Minority Owned Business
  • Woman Owned Business
  • Non-Profit Organization
  • Black American Owned
Entity structure
Corporate Entity (Tax Exempt)
SAM.gov registration date
Physical address
4450 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640, USA
Founded
1976
Employees
11-50
Estimated annual revenue
$1M-$10M
Industry
  1. Consumer Discretionary
  2. Media
  3. Movies & Entertainment
SIC code
79 Amusement & Recreation Services
Profiles

Registration and certifications come from SAM.gov and the SBA; company details from public web sources. Updated .

Grant awards

Latest 5 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.

Similar vendors

Vendor Location Primary NAICS
Clubbed Thumb, Inc. UEI GBZJW78BD6K5 New York, NY —
Lookingglass Theatre Company UEI FHXFXH7VFB81 Chicago, IL —
Milwaukee Repertory Theatre UEI DJ8TU4MSFSB7 Milwaukee, WI —
Pegasus Theatre Chicago UEI NSAZDC714GW1 Chicago, IL —
The Movement Theatre Company Inc. UEI GF2AJDG4PG88 — —

About the company

Black Ensemble Theater Corporation, a Chicago-based minority-owned and women-owned nonprofit organization, receives federal grants to support performing arts programming, specifically the Black Playwrights Festival, as a prime grant recipient from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Planning and Development office.

The organization holds no federal contracts and operates exclusively as a grant recipient rather than a contractor. Black Ensemble Theater Corporation has received 14 federal grants totaling $2.8 million across two distinct customer agencies since 2007. The National Endowment for the Arts accounts for eleven awards, all supporting the Black Playwrights Festival; the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development accounts for three awards related to economic development initiatives and community project funding. NEA funding has sustained the festival annually, with project grants awarded in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and most recently in 2026 for the period ending December 31, 2026. Two HUD Community Planning and Development grants awarded on February 17, 2023, carry ultimate completion dates of August 31, 2031, reflecting longer-term community development support.

Grant activity has been episodic rather than sustained. The organization received one award in 2022, three in 2023, one in 2024, one in 2025, and one in 2026. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months (the 2025 NEA project grant, completing May 31, 2025, is already past completion date as of the current snapshot). The remaining awards, including the HUD grants with 2031 completion dates and the 2026 NEA project grant, extend beyond the near-term recompete window.

Black Ensemble Theater Corporation's federal footprint reflects grant-only participation in the arts and community development space, with no teaming relationships, subcontracting roles, or parent vehicle seat positions. The organization does not compete for or hold federal contracts, GSA Schedules, GWACs, or IDIQs.

Quick answers

Is Black Ensemble Theater Corporation registered in SAM.gov?

Yes. Black Ensemble Theater Corporation's SAM.gov registration is active through January 28, 2027.

What is Black Ensemble Theater Corporation's most recent federal award?

Black Ensemble Theater Corporation's most recent federal grant award is To support the black playwrights festival (19460612826), from National Endowment for the Arts, on January 1, 2026.

On GovTribe

See Black Ensemble Theater Corporation's full federal record

  • Federal grant awards
  • Funding analysis by agency, NAICS and set-aside
  • Similar vendors