Brooklyn Paper: The Brooklyn Org distributes $1.8M grant to 18 local nonprofits focused on racial justice

Published in Brooklyn Paper

A Brooklyn-based organization has announced $1.8 million in donations to 18 nonprofits working to advance racial and social justice in the borough.

The grants from Brooklyn Org will support a range of initiatives, including environmental justice, arts and culture, youth and senior services, health, housing, and immigrant support.

Most recipients will receive $45,000 annually for three years to help fund general operations.

Barry Cooper, the founder and executive director of Brothers Redefining Opportunity (B.R.O.) Experience Foundation, an organization focused on uplifting young men of color, said the grant will help his group launch a new fatherhood initiative. The Daddy and Me program aims to support new fathers ages 18 to 30 through training opportunities and cognitive behavioral therapy.

“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,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org. “We are thrilled to be able to support each of these organizations and the programs they have developed to deliver solutions for Brooklyn.”

Brooklyn Org, founded in 2009, focuses on local philanthropy to promote social equity within the communities of Kings County. Over the years, Brooklyn Org has extended $125 million to local nonprofit organizations. Within the last year, Brooklyn Org distributed over $21 million in grant funding.

Within this round of grant recipients, the nonprofits focus on a breadth of social inequity issues based on race; from gender equality in the arts with Black Trans Femmes in the Arts to the Friends and Families of the Wrongfully Convicted organization focused on criminal justice. Of the 18 recipients, 15 of the nonprofits are BIPOC-led organizations. 13 of the organizations have less than a $1 million budget, and 12 are first-time grantees.

“[It’s] such a generous grant and we’re so grateful that Brooklyn Org. wants to invest in grassroots organizations that do organizing like we do, ” said Hannah Anousheh, campaigns director for East New York Community Land Trust

Anousheh says the grant opportunity will support the organization in keeping East York and Brownsville “deeply and permanently affordable” for residents in the area.

For other local nonprofits that center on social justice, Brooklyn Org accepts funding applications on a rolling basis. The next grant announcement from Brooklyn Org will be expected in the spring of 2025. They announce new community grants twice a year.

The full list of grant recipients include:  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, Fencing in the Park Inc.,  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., RaisingHealth Partners, Refugee Translation Project, Unlock NYC,  Voces Ciudadanas, and  Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC.