Brooklyn Org Awards More Than $1.5 Million in New Grants Across Brooklyn

Brooklyn Org (BKO) today announced more than $1.5 million in multi-year funding for 15 nonprofits strengthening communities and helping residents across the borough. The grantees were selected by a committee of Brooklynites and are aimed at responding to challenges and opportunities identified through Brooklyn Org’s community engagement efforts. Brooklyn Org’s grantmaking is made possible through public donations and the support of its Donor Advised Fund program.

“Brooklyn’s nonprofits continue to serve as the backbone of our borough. They meet urgent needs, build community power, and create pathways to opportunity even as many face rising demand and shrinking resources,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org. “These organizations reflect the strength, creativity, and resilience of Brooklyn communities, and we are proud to support leaders advancing justice, care, and opportunity across the borough.”

Brooklyn Org announces recipients of its strategic, general operating support grants twice a year, in Spring and Fall. These investments advance Brooklyn Org’s commitment to supporting community-led solutions that strengthen neighborhood stability, expand opportunity, and improve quality of life for Brooklynites. Last July, Brooklyn Org launched its “Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn” campaign to increase grantmaking in FY26 by 25% in response to growing impacts caused by federal policy changes.

Brooklyn Org’s Spring 2026 grantees work across a wide range of issue areas, including affordable housing, public health, immigrant justice, youth development, violence prevention, environmental justice, transportation equity, arts and culture, and helping older Brooklynites remain healthy, housed, connected, and engaged in their communities.

Brooklyn Org’s Spring 2026 Grantees:

Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health — Advances health equity in Brooklyn through community education, research, and workforce training, including a barbershop and salon initiative that connects residents to trusted health information while building pathways into healthcare careers. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Brooklyn Debate League — Expands access to speech and debate for NYC public school students by building school-based teams, offering training and tournaments, and preparing young people from underrepresented communities to shape conversations on public issues. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Good Call — Provides immediate access to legal support through a 24/7 hotline connecting people to attorneys after arrest while building youth leadership and advancing policies that disrupt cycles of incarceration. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy — Serves as a cultural hub for Central Brooklyn families through Africana-centered arts education, rites of passage programming, and holistic youth development rooted in the traditions of the African diaspora. Award: $45,000 for 1 year

IMPACCT Brooklyn — Builds and preserves affordable housing in Central Brooklyn through community development and tenant organizing, including developing new units and supporting resident-led associations that help long-term residents remain in their homes. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) — Addresses violence as a public health issue through hospital, school, and community-based programs focused on healing, restorative justice, and youth leadership development. Award: $45,000 for 1 year

Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY Inc. — Builds community power through arts and culture by organizing artists, businesses, and neighborhood leaders into neighborhood-based cultural councils, festivals, and peer learning exchanges that support local artists and strengthen neighborhood cultural ecosystems. Award: $40,000 per year for 3 years

Octavia Project — Equips girls and gender-expansive youth of color with opportunities to explore STEM, art, and writing through programs rooted in Afrofuturism and creative expression. Award: $36,000 per year for 3 years

Recess — Supports youth impacted by the carceral system through paid arts, leadership, and career development programs that combine creative expression with wraparound support services. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

The Resilience Education Training and Innovation Center (RETI Center) — Advances community-led climate solutions through solar projects and workforce training programs that create pathways into the green economy. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Riders Alliance — Organizes bus and subway riders to advocate for faster, more reliable, and affordable public transit, including campaigns to improve service and expand reduced-fare access for low-income Brooklynites. Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Sakhi for South Asian Survivors — Supports South Asian and Indo-Caribbean survivors of gender-based violence with culturally responsive crisis intervention, legal advocacy, counseling, housing support, and survivor-led services.Award: $45,000 for 1 year

South Brooklyn Sanctuary — Provides volunteer-led legal assistance and “Know Your Rights” support for immigrants navigating the legal system without representation.Award: $45,000 per year for 3 years

Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) — Builds tenant power in Brownsville and Eastern Brooklyn by organizing residents into tenant associations, supporting eviction defense, and advancing pathways to community homeownership that help tenants fight displacement and remain in their homes. Award: $45,000 for 1 year

Youth Justice Network — Provides advocacy, mentorship, and wraparound support for young people impacted by the criminal legal system through reentry programs, court advocacy, family support, and mobile outreach. Award: $45,000 for 1 year