ELBOW Agency

10/01/2026

WE DON'T JUST DESIGN THINGS.....WE DESIGN WHAT THEY CAN DO.

A water bottle could've just been a water bottle.

Instead, we asked:
How can it start a conversation?
How can it reinforce the mission?
How can it connect someone to resources?
How can it create another touchpoint with the brand?
How can it become part of the experience?

This concept for The Reset Collaborative turns a simple branded item into an extension of the program itself.

Drink. Check in. Reset.

The QR code creates a pathway back to the Reset experience.....while the messaging transforms an everyday object into a reminder that progress can start with one small decision.

This is how ELBOW approaches design.

We don't start with.....
“What should we put our logo on?”

We start with.....
“What are we trying to make happen?”

Then we build the brand, experience, systems and strategy around that answer.

Your brand shouldn't just look good.
It should WORK.

Need something more thoughtful than another flyer, logo or piece of promotional merchandise?

DM “DESIGN” and tell us what you're building.

LIKE • FOLLOW • SHARE .....because somebody in your network may be building something that deserves more than ordinary.

ELBOW Agency
BUILD • LEVERAGE • OPTIMIZE • WIN

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

WELL.....THIS JUST HAPPENED. 🗽✨

ELBOW Agency is now a VERIFIED New York State Vendor supporting small businesses through the NYS MWBE certification application process.

I went through the process.....
Learned the process.....
And now I'm positioned to help other New York businesses navigate it.

If you've been putting off your MBE, WBE or MWBE application because you don't know where to start, what documents you need, or how to answer the questions.....

Come see ELBOW.

We can help you move from:

“I need to get certified.”
to
“My application is submitted.....what opportunities are next?”

Because we're not just thinking about certification.

We're thinking about contracts, procurement, positioning and growth.

📩 DM “MWBE” to get started.

LIKE • FOLLOW • SHARE .....because the right opportunity means nothing if the right person never sees it. ELBOW is where information becomes opportunity.

ELBOW Agency
BUILD • LEVERAGE • OPTIMIZE • WIN

09/27/2026

$18,000 TO $24,000 FOR THREE MONTHS..... AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN AI ENGINEER.

Somebody in your network needs to see this TODAY.

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy is accepting applications for its Spring 2027 AI Policy Fellowship.

Here's what you need to know:
💰 $18,000 fellowship stipend
💰 $24,000 senior fellowship stipend
🌍 Washington, D.C., London or remote
💻 No technical background required
⏰ Deadline: TODAY at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

All fellows must attend an initial two-week event in Washington, D.C., with travel and accommodation support available. 

THE ELBOW READ™
Stop looking at emerging industries through the lens of your current job title.

AI needs researchers, program managers, operations professionals, policy specialists and people who understand how organizations work.

Your existing experience might be more transferable than you realize.

The opportunity isn't always learning an entirely new skill. Sometimes it's learning where your existing skills fit in a changing economy.

Don't just watch industries grow..... explore where you fit.

Follow us for business funding, grants, government contracting, AI tools, fellowships and professional development opportunities.

09/22/2026

You do NOT have to be an AI engineer to build a career in AI.

And this opportunity proves exactly why business owners, consultants, researchers, nonprofit professionals, government professionals, strategists, program managers, operations professionals, and career changers need to start paying attention to the AI economy beyond coding.

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS) is accepting applications for its Spring 2027 AI Policy Fellowship.

💰 Fellowship funding: $18,000 for Fellows and $24,000 for Senior Fellows
📍 Locations: Washington, D.C., London, or remote
📅 Program: February 22 through May 14, 2027
⏰ Application deadline: September 27, 2026
💻 Technical expertise is NOT required

The fellowship includes opportunities to work on real issues surrounding artificial intelligence policy, AI governance, technology policy, research, government, regulation, public policy, and the future of emerging technology.

And here's the part I really want people to understand.....

THE ELBOW READ™ 🔎

AI is creating an economy around the technology.....not just jobs inside the technology.

Someone has to build the models.

But someone also has to:

Research them.
Regulate them.
Write policy around them.
Implement them.
Manage programs around them.
Assess risk.
Educate organizations.
Develop standards.
Fund initiatives.
Translate technical issues for decision makers.
Help businesses and governments figure out what comes next.

That's opportunity.

And this principle goes far beyond AI.

When a new industry grows, don't only ask:

“How do I get the obvious job?”

Ask:

“What entire ecosystem has to exist around this industry?”

That's where you start finding opportunities other people aren't looking for yet.

At ELBOW, this is exactly what we're paying attention to.....the grants, contracts, fellowships, certifications, procurement opportunities, business resources, emerging industries, funding programs and strategic moves that can help entrepreneurs and professionals BUILD • LEVERAGE • OPTIMIZE • WIN.

📌 SAVE THIS if you're exploring careers in artificial intelligence, AI policy, government, technology or public policy.

↗️ SHARE THIS with somebody who keeps saying, “AI isn't for me because I'm not technical.”

And follow if you're looking for business opportunities, grants, government contracts, funding, AI tools, professional development, certifications, procurement opportunities and business growth resources.

IAPS AI Policy Fellowship details and application

Search focused hashtags

09/16/2026

Most people are using AI to get answers.
I want you to use it to make better business decisions.

Because there is a BIG difference between asking:

“Give me a marketing plan.”

and asking:

“What situations make my ideal customer actively need what I sell?”

One gives you content.

The other gives you strategy.

So I put together 5 AI prompts worth saving if you're building a business. 📌

Inside this carousel, we're using AI to think through:

→ Customers and buying behavior
→ Operations and broken systems
→ Government + corporate procurement
→ Opportunities hiding in your inbox
→ Business strategy and next moves

And these aren't prompts you use once and forget.

Customize them. Add context. Challenge the answer. Ask follow-up questions. Use the output to make a decision.

THE ELBOW READ™

AI becomes considerably more useful when you stop treating it like Google.

Don't just ask:

“What should I do?”

Give it your business.
Give it your customer.
Give it your constraints.
Give it your goal.

Then ask it to analyze, identify, compare, map, prioritize and challenge.

That's where things get interesting.

Better questions → better intelligence → better decisions.

And that's what we're building around here.

📌 SAVE THIS CAROUSEL.
You'll want these prompts again.

↗️ SHARE IT with a business owner who keeps saying they don't know what to ask AI.

💬 And tell me in the comments:

What part of your business do you want me to build an AI prompt for next?

ELBOW™
BUILD • LEVERAGE • OPTIMIZE • WIN

Information → Strategy → Opportunity → Impact.

09/15/2026

I’ve been showing you pieces of what I’m building.

Now I want to start showing you what happens behind the scenes.

This is Noir 1440 Group

And this commercial was created as part of something much bigger than simply making a nice video.

We’ve been building the brand from the ground up — positioning, customer experience, partnerships, campaigns, visual identity, technology, operations and the strategy for where this company can go next.

For this campaign, I wanted transportation to feel different.

Not “we have a black truck — book us.”

I wanted you to feel the moments surrounding the ride.

The meeting.
The flight.
The date.
The celebration.
The long day.
The late night.
The moment you simply don’t want to worry about getting there.

That became:

1,440 minutes.
However you spend yours…
spend less of them worrying about the ride.

And then we built the visual campaign around that idea.

This is also the kind of work happening behind ELBOW that people don't always see.

The research.
The strategy.
The AI.
The systems.
The creative direction.
The experiments.
The things that don't work the first time.
And eventually — the finished product.

As we close out 2026, I’m going to start sharing more of that process, the businesses and people we work with, what we're learning, and what we're building for 2027.

Consider this your invitation behind the curtain.

🎬 NOIR 1440 Group
Produced & Creative Direction: ELBOW Creative Studios

ARRIVE DIFFERENTLY.

09/15/2026

🛠️ YOU BUILT THE PROTOTYPE. NOW WHAT?

This is exactly the kind of opportunity I want more founders to know exists.

If you're developing a physical product, medical device, hardware technology, or advanced-materials innovation, getting from an idea or working prototype to something that can actually be manufactured at scale is an entirely different challenge.

The NextCorps Manufacturing Accelerator, offered through PathStone, is a FREE 9-week virtual program designed to help early-stage companies make that transition.

Participants can gain support around manufacturing readiness, expert mentorship, industry connections, real-world strategy, and resources needed to move toward production.

📅 INFO SESSION: September 23, 2026
📌 APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 30, 2026
🚀 PROGRAM BEGINS: October 7, 2026
💰 COST: Free
💻 FORMAT: Virtual

THE ELBOW READ™

Here's why this one caught my attention:

Funding isn't always money.

Sometimes the resource that changes your business is access to the knowledge, people, infrastructure and industry connections that help you figure out what you don't know yet.

A founder can have an incredible product and still get stuck between:

“I made it.”

and

“I can manufacture, price and sell this at scale.”

That gap matters.

If you're sitting on a prototype—or know somebody who is—don't just send them this post. Tag them.

📌 Save it for later.
↗️ Share it with an innovator.
🏷️ Tag the founder who's been saying, “I just need to figure out how to get this manufactured.”

🔗 Learn more / apply: NextCorps Manufacturing Accelerator via NextCorps/PathStone.

ELBOW™
Information → Strategy → Opportunity → Impact.

09/15/2026

🏀 THIS IS THE PART PEOPLE SKIP.

People hear about a grant and immediately start thinking about the application.

But when a funder offers to tell you what they're looking for before the application even opens?

You show up.

The NBA Foundation is hosting a Grant Application Webinar on September 28, 2026, from 2–3 PM ET, ahead of its October 1–31 application window.

The Foundation invests in organizations creating greater economic opportunity and career advancement for young people, with a particular focus on Black youth.

THE ELBOW READ™

The opportunity isn't just the grant.

The webinar is intelligence.

They're giving prospective applicants an opportunity to better understand:

→ What they're looking for
→ Application best practices
→ How organizations should position themselves
→ The grant process
→ Questions applicants should be asking

If your organization aligns with this funding opportunity, don't wait until October 1 to start paying attention.

Attend the webinar.
Study the funder.
Review your programs.
Get your documents together.
Then decide whether you have a competitive fit.

Funding readiness starts before the application opens.

📅 WEBINAR: September 28, 2026 | 2–3 PM ET
📌 APPLICATION WINDOW: October 1–31, 2026

🔗 Registration link: [ADD OFFICIAL WEBINAR LINK]

SAVE THIS. You have two weeks until the webinar.

SHARE THIS with an organization serving young people that needs to have this opportunity on its radar.

ELBOW™
Information → Strategy → Opportunity → Impact.

09/15/2026

3 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES WORTH PUTTING ON YOUR RADAR 👀

Finding the opportunity is the easy part.

Knowing whether it fits you — and being prepared before the deadline — is where the work begins.

Here are three upcoming October opportunities worth reviewing:

🏀 NBA Foundation Grant
📅 Application Window: October 1–31, 2026
🎯 Supports eligible organizations serving under-resourced youth ages 14–24 through workforce development, career readiness, training, job placement and career advancement in NBA team markets.

💜 Pave HER Way Disruptor Award
📅 Deadline: October 16, 2026
💰 Award: Up to $90,000
🎯 Supports eligible women with transformational projects and ideas that create a clear public benefit for women and girls. An established nonprofit or business is not required.

🌳 Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Grant
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2026
🎯 Supports eligible U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations working across charitable areas including education, community, child welfare, healthcare, social justice, arts, environment and peace.

THE ELBOW READ

Don't treat funding opportunities like lottery tickets.

Before you apply:

1. Check the fit.
Does your existing work actually align with what the funder wants to accomplish?

2. Check eligibility.
Don't spend hours writing before confirming you qualify.

3. Check readiness.
Gather your organizational documents, financial information, program description, outcomes and supporting materials before the deadline gets close.

4. Check the strategy.
Ask yourself what the funding would allow you to accomplish — and whether you can clearly demonstrate that impact.

Finding money isn't the strategy. Positioning yourself to compete for it is.

Save this post for your October funding calendar. 📌
And send it to a business owner, nonprofit leader or community builder who needs to see it.

ELBOW
Information → Strategy → Opportunity → Impact.