Brooklyn Org Announces Funding for Neighborhood Collective Impact Projects

Brooklyn Org (BKO) announces the recipients of its 2025 Neighborhood Collective Impact Project funding. Three projects, each involving at least two community-based nonprofits, will receive $25,000 to address local needs in Red Hook, Bed-Stuy, and Brownsville through direct services, training, capacity-building, or community-wide activities. The awards were announced on Wednesday at a community forum, co-hosted by BRIC, with elected officials representing central and northern Brooklyn neighborhoods.

“At Brooklyn Org, we are deeply committed to listening to residents and investing in local solutions that will lift up whole communities,” said Brooklyn Org President and CEO, Dr. Jocelynne Rainey. “The 2025 Neighborhood Collective Impact Project awards are a direct response to the concerns we’ve heard from Brooklyn residents and reflect our commitment to providing the resources that help communities implement their own solutions.”

The Neighborhood Collective Impact Project was launched in 2024 to support community solutions raised by Brooklyn residents during BKO’s annual borough-wide listening tours. The 2025 projects are:

X Marks the SPOT

Bed-Stuy

Nonprofit partners: Aster Initiative, Malcolm X Utica Avenue Merchant Association, 500 Men Making a Difference, Artemis Ecology & Arts Initiative

Malcolm X Utica Avenue Merchants Association (MUAMA) is spearheading a comprehensive community development and small business revitalization initiative called X Marks the SPOT with the goal of revitalizing the Malcolm X Boulevard business corridor. Through the development and implementation of a series of targeted community programs that will include a mix of cultural events, business promotions, and community gatherings, MUAMA aims to bolster support for local businesses.

ROOTED

Brownsville, East New York, Ocean Hill

Nonprofit partners: BlackSpace, Youth Design Center, Divine Explosion Arts Program (D.E.A.P.)

Blackspace will launch ROOTED, a seven-week paid fellowship where youth explore the relationship between urban planning, food justice, and community design. Youth fellows will work with a community garden and use storytelling, visual design, and environmental mapping to understand how land use policies and disinvestment shape food access—and to propose community-based design responses. Through ROOTED, youth will gain awareness of food insecurity and urban agriculture and help seed the future of food access in Brooklyn; they will share the findings of their projects at two community events.

Creative Conversations: Art and Dialogue for Racial Justice

Red Hook

Nonprofit partners: Red Hook Art Project & Red Hook Community Justice Center

“Creative Conversations: Art and Dialogue for Racial Justice” is a collaboration between Red Hook Art Project (RHAP) and the Red Hook Community Justice Center to engage youth in creating zines focused on racial justice, community safety, and systemic racism. Through workshops, RHAP students and youth from the Justice Center will design and produce zines that combine art, stories, and educational content about racial justice. The zines will be distributed at local events and community centers, culminating in a public event where youth present their work and engage in discussions about the issues explored in the zines.

The Brooklyn Org Neighborhood Collective Impact Project funds community-based solutions to address concerns raised during the BKO’s annual listening tours. Each year BKO hosts forums across Brooklyn neighborhoods to learn about the community’s most pressing needs. The Neighborhood Collective Impact Project awards are available exclusively to listening tour attendees whose projects advance racial justice and provide critical resources to BIPOC communities and residents who have been historically disempowered or discriminated against across Brooklyn.