Brooklyn Org Announces $1.8 Million for Nonprofits Advancing Racial Justice

Brooklyn Org (BKO) announced today $1.8 million in new multi-year grant commitments, supporting 18 nonprofit organizations working to advance racial justice across the borough. Funding addresses a wide range of issue areas, including support for immigrants, youth, older adults, health, housing, arts and culture, and environmental justice.

Brooklyn Org distributes its donor-supported discretionary funding through a participatory grantmaking model that is led by an advisory council composed of 12 community members, reflecting BKO’s long-standing commitment to racial justice and to investing in local solutions. Of the 18 nonprofits receiving grants, 15 are BIPOC-led organizations, 13 have an annual budget of less than $1 million, and 12 are first-time grantees. Most will receive three years of general operating support grants at $45,000 per year.

“Brooklyn Org believes that the most effective path to addressing challenges in our communities is by giving our communities a central part to play in determining where our funding goes. We are thrilled to be able to support each of these organizations and the programs they have developed to deliver solutions for Brooklyn,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org.

The 18 Brooklyn nonprofits receiving grants are:

• Black Trans Femmes in the Arts
• The B.R.O. Experience Foundation
• Bushwick Housing Independence Project
• Carroll Gardens Association
• East NY Community Land Trust
• Expecting Relief
• Fifth Avenue Committee
• Friends and Families of the Wrongfully Convicted
• Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
• LiveOn NY
• May Day Space
• New York Communities Organizing Fund, Inc.
• PISTE Fencing Academy
• RaisingHealth Partners
• Refugee Translation Project
• Unlock NYC
• Voces Ciudadanas
• Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC

These new grants are in addition to ongoing support for over 60 other Brooklyn nonprofits funded through Brooklyn Org’s strategic grantmaking programs. Grants are made possible through donations from Brooklyn Org’s community and administrative fees from its growing portfolio of donor advised funds. In 2023, Brooklyn Org distributed more than $21 million in total grantmaking.

Brooklyn Org reviews funding applications on a rolling basis and announces new community grants twice a year. The next grantmaking announcement will be made in spring of 2025. Learn more at brooklyn.org/apply.