Brooklyn Org Awards $1.8 Million to Brooklyn Nonprofits Supporting Urgent and Long-Standing Needs of Local Communities

Seven grants will back immigrant-serving organizations

Brooklyn Org (BKO) announced today $1.8 million in new grants to 17 nonprofit organizations working to advance racial, social, and economic justice across the borough. The nonprofits receiving support were selected for their work to address urgent and long-standing issues impacting communities across the borough. Seven of the grant recipients work with or provide support to immigrant communities within the borough.

Brooklyn Org distributes grants through a participatory model 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 17 nonprofits receiving grants in this round, 9 have an annual budget of less than $2 million.

The 17 Brooklyn nonprofits receiving grants are:

• Age Friendly Central Brooklyn Inc
• United for Brownsville
• Cool Culture
• Documented
• Envision Freedom Fund
• Fort Greene Park Conservancy
• Griot Circle
• Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees
• Kindred Bakery BK
• Laundry Workers Center
• The Opportunity Hub
• Neighborhood Housing Services of Brooklyn
• Project Guardianship
• Street Vendor Project
• The Flossy Organization
• Weeksville Heritage Center
• Worker’s Justice Project

“Brooklyn Org grants are community-funded and community-decided. These organizations reflect the breadth of needs of Brooklyn communities in this moment, with a particular focus on serving our immigrant neighbors and essential workers, supporting older adults, and investing in neighborhood institutions,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org.

“This grant from Brooklyn Org comes at a critical time as we work to ensure Brooklyn’s Haitian community members know their rights and can defend themselves and their loved ones against increasing surveillance and deportation threats. With this funding, we can expand our community defense and digital organizing campaigns to support recent arrivals, including survivors of gender-based violence, with trauma-informed care that honors their dignity,” said Aline Gue, Executive Director of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees. “By strengthening the grassroots organizing capacity at Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, we’re not just helping individuals navigate an immigration system that is stacked against them—we’re building collective power to advocate for just policies that recognize the humanity of all Haitian refugees.”

“At Documented, we listen to Brooklyn’s diverse immigrant communities and let them lead on what they think we should be covering as a news organization. With Brooklyn Org’s support we will deepen our reach in these communities by providing in-language accountability and investigative journalism that drives meaningful policy change,” said Mazin Sidahmed, Co-Executive Director of Documented. “Brooklyn’s story cannot be told without the voices of its immigrant residents, and with Brooklyn Org’s support, we’ll ensure those voices are amplified, informed, and empowered.”

Rosanna Rodriguez, Co-Executive Director of the Laundry Workers Center, said, “The support from Brooklyn Org will enhance our ability to stand with low-wage, immigrant workers who are vital to Brooklyn’s economy but often face exploitation and unsafe working conditions. Our work in laundromats, warehouses, and construction sites across neighborhoods like Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, and Williamsburg has demonstrated that real change is achievable when workers are informed about their rights. With this funding, we will expand our outreach to an additional 400 low-income working families each year, develop our leadership institute to nurture Brooklyn’s next generation of worker-leaders, and strengthen our presence in communities most affected by workplace violations. Achieving true economic justice in Brooklyn requires acknowledging the essential workers, such as laundry workers, demolition crews, and warehouse employees, whose labor is crucial for the functioning of our borough.”

“This grant from Brooklyn Org allows us to deepen our support for older adults in Central Brooklyn, addressing challenges from transportation barriers to the digital divide to feelings of isolation, and to celebrate the shared Caribbean and Black cultural heritage of our community,” said Selma Jackson, Volunteer Executive Director and Board Chair of Age Friendly Central Brooklyn. “Our work is about creating a space where our elders’ voices lead the way and their wisdom shapes solutions. We’re grateful for Brooklyn Org’s recognition that age-friendly communities must also be culturally responsive and justice-centered.”

Dr. Raymond Codrington, President and CEO of Weeksville Heritage Center, said: “Our mission at Weeksville Heritage Center is to preserve and celebrate the remarkable legacy of Weeksville—one of America’s largest free Black communities before the Civil War. With this generous support from Brooklyn Org, we will expand our educational partnerships and strategic planning to ensure Weeksville’s story of Black self-determination and community building remains relevant and accessible to young people throughout Brooklyn who deserve to see themselves reflected in the stories we tell. We’re grateful to Brooklyn Org for investing in this vital work of connecting our borough’s past to its present and future.”

The grants are funded by Brooklyn Org’s donor community and through BKO’s growing portfolio of donor-advised funds. In 2024, Brooklyn Org distributed more than $21.1 million through its community grantmaking programs and donor-advised funds.

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 fall of 2025.

About Brooklyn Org

Brooklyn Org is a champion for Brooklyn bringing together community changemakers to be a new model for local philanthropy, built from the ground up, in pursuit of a more equitable and just borough. Since its founding in 2009, Brooklyn Org has moved over $130 million to nonprofits through its strategic grantmaking and Donor Advised Funds, while driving action to address urgent crises and long-term change in Brooklyn. Learn more at brooklyn.org.