BKO’s Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn Campaign Bolsters Cultural Institutions with Matching Grants and Investment in Their Leadership

$240,000 in new funding supports local cultural organizations and their leaders amid growing federal attacks on the arts and DEI

Brooklyn Org (BKO) today announced a new round of grants through its Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign, awarding $240,000 to preserve the borough’s creative vitality, protect community-rooted cultural spaces, support their leaders, and expand pathways into the arts for future generations.

Brooklyn Org launched the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn in July 2025, in response to significant federal funding cuts to nonprofits, attacks on organizations advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and mounting immigration enforcement. The campaign successfully mobilized donations so that Brooklyn Org could increase funding to local nonprofits by 25% over the previous year, representing $740,000 in additional funding to Brooklyn.

These new grants build upon grants distributed in January 2026 focused on protecting rights and protecting family stability; this round of funding recognizes the essential role cultural institutions and their leaders play in preserving Brooklyn’s identity, safeguarding historically excluded narratives, and creating spaces for dialogue and connection during a time of increasing polarization and political attacks on the arts.

“Brooklyn’s cultural institutions are more than venues for art and performance. They are anchors of community, protectors of history, and spaces where Brooklynites come together to imagine and shape our collective future,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org. “At a time when people feel powerless watching cultural institutions and public history come under attack nationally, local action matters more than ever. We’re proud to invest in the organizations preserving the stories, creativity, and community spirit that define this borough.”

Grants of $10,000 each to 15 organizations are awarded through two focus areas: Supporting Cultural Institutions and Brooklyn’s Cultural Future. Together, the grantees represent a cross-section of the Brooklyn arts ecosystem, from community-based performance spaces and neighborhood cultural organizations to groups expanding arts access, mentorship, training, and creative opportunities for emerging generations of artists and audiences.

Grants are also designed to encourage greater giving through a 1:1 match, galvanizing community support and help participating institutions expand their base of individual donors during their upcoming programming season. The match furthers Brooklyn Org’s overall strategy to inspire broader public giving.

In addition, Brooklyn Org has awarded a $90,000 grant to the Brooklyn Arts and Culture Kollective (BACK), a coalition of Black CEOs and executive directors leading 13 of Brooklyn’s major cultural institutions. The funding will help BACK transition from a volunteer-led effort to a more sustainably staffed collective.  The grant is the largest single award that is part of the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign.

Founded in 2023, BACK brings together Black presidents and executive directors leading Brooklyn’s major cultural institutions, many of them the first Black leaders to head organizations historically shaped by underinvestment. The coalition represents a collective response to growing instability for cultural organizations nationwide, with members working together to keep Brooklyn’s creative sector resilient, collaborative, and community-centered.

“In a moment designed to fracture institutions and communities, Brooklyn organizations are choosing collaboration over competition,” BACK members said in a statement. “BACK was created because we know no single institution can protect Brooklyn’s cultural future alone. Our strength comes from working together to preserve the stories, spaces, and creative communities that make this borough what it is.”  Recent federal actions have placed new pressure on cultural institutions nationwide — from leadership changes and programming disputes at the Kennedy Center to the​​ removal of historical signage addressing slavery and Japanese American incarceration at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Jamaica Bay, Queens. These actions have heightened concerns across the arts and history sectors about political interference, historical erasure, and the weakening of community-based cultural infrastructure. Brooklyn Org’s investment seeks to reinforce local institutions as trusted spaces for preserving historical memory, fostering civic dialogue, and maintaining community connection.

Brooklyn Org will be celebrating the latest round of funding alongside grantees at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn’s Juneteenth Concert taking place on Friday, June 19 at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park from 3-7pm.

 

Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn Arts & Culture Grantees:

Supporting Cultural Institutions

651 ARTS — A cornerstone of Brooklyn’s cultural landscape, 651 ARTS presents contemporary performing arts of the African Diaspora while supporting artists of African descent through performances, residencies, commissions, and cultural exchange programs.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum — Founded in 1899 as the world’s first children’s museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum serves hundreds of thousands of children and caregivers annually through exhibits and programs exploring art, science, music, and world cultures.

BRIC Arts Media — BRIC is a multidisciplinary arts and media organization rooted in Brooklyn communities that advances creative expression through contemporary art, performing arts, media education, and community storytelling initiatives.

MoCADA — The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) amplifies the histories, creativity, and perspectives of Africa and its diaspora through exhibitions, public art, performances, media, and community-centered programming.

Prospect Park Alliance — Prospect Park Alliance sustains and activates Brooklyn’s Backyard through environmental stewardship, restoration, free public programming, and large-scale cultural events that bring Brooklyn communities together.

The Billie Holiday Theatre — Founded by Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in 1972, The Billie Holiday Theatre is one of the nation’s leading institutions dedicated to developing and presenting new work in American Black Theater.

Brooklyn’s Cultural Future

Brooklyn Arts Council — Brooklyn Arts Council supports Brooklyn’s artists and cultural workers through grants, artist services, education programs, and neighborhood-based investments that strengthen the borough’s creative ecosystem.

Brooklyn Ballet — Brooklyn Ballet works to expand access to ballet by centering equity, representation, and inclusion while creating opportunities for Brooklynites of all backgrounds to study, perform, and engage with dance.

Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) — BAX is a multigenerational arts incubator supporting artists through education, mentorship, residencies, and collaborative performance programs rooted in artistic experimentation and social justice.

Flex Dance Program — Flex Dance Program uses FlexN street dance as a tool for youth development, mentorship, and creative expression for young people in underserved communities, foster care systems, and juvenile justice settings.

Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet — For more than 30 years, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet has used dance and cultural programming to provide young Brooklynites with professional training, mentorship, and pathways into the performing arts.

Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX) — Haiti Cultural Exchange promotes Haitian arts and culture through performances, exhibitions, and public programming that elevate Haitian artists and connect Brooklyn’s Haitian community with wider audiences.

Hook Arts Media — Based in Red Hook, Hook Arts Media provides youth and community-centered performing arts and media education programs that reflect and celebrate the neighborhood’s culture and creativity.

Mark Morris Dance Group — Internationally recognized for artistic excellence, Mark Morris Dance Group also serves Brooklyn through accessible dance education, community programs, and performances at its Downtown Brooklyn cultural center.

STEM From Dance — STEM From Dance combines dance with technology and engineering education, empowering girls of color to pursue STEM careers through creative, hands-on learning experiences.

Sector-Wide Support

Brooklyn Arts and Culture Kollective (BACK) — BACK is a coalition of Brooklyn arts and cultural leaders working collaboratively to strengthen the borough’s creative ecosystem through shared advocacy, fundraising, strategic planning, and collective support for Black-led cultural institutions.