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Navigating the Changing Legal and Funding Landscape: Tools and Guidance for Brooklyn Nonprofits

Seven individuals stand on a basketball court, arranged in a line for a group photo, facing the camera, with empty stadium seats visible in the background.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. Navigating the Changing Legal and Funding Landscape, April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Audience members seated in a theater, attentively listening.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Woman standing on stage with a microphone, speaking to an empty auditorium.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Two people stand in an empty basketball arena. One woman speaks into a microphone, while the other holds a notebook. Rows of empty seats are visible in the background.
Interior view of Barclays Center with a large screen displaying an event announcement. Few people are seated in the stands, and the basketball court is visible.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Audience members seated in a half-full auditorium, some taking notes and others listening attentively.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Two women are speaking to a seated audience on a basketball court, with three empty chairs behind them. The court features the Barclays Center logo.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Man in a suit speaking into a microphone in an empty arena with rows of seats in the background.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Audience members seated in a theater, some taking notes and others listening attentively. Rows of empty seats are visible.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Five people stand on a basketball court in a large, mostly empty arena. One person holds a microphone and speaks, while the others listen.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A man in a suit with a badge talks to a woman in a pink jacket on a basketball court, with empty seats in the background.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Person with dreadlocks speaks into a microphone, standing in a large, empty stadium with numerous rows of seats.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Two people sitting in a stadium with empty seats around them. One person wears a colorful top and has a laptop on their lap; the other is in a black shirt wearing sunglasses. Coffee cups are nearby.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center. Event attendees participating in a guided meditation.
A person in a green dress speaks into a microphone on an indoor sports court with chairs in the background.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A man speaks into a microphone while another person stands in the background in an empty arena.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A seated audience member holds a microphone, speaking during a session in a lecture hall. Other attendees are seated on tiered rows, listening attentively.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A woman in a scarf speaks into a microphone while seated in a theater. Audience members around her watch attentively.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A group of people are engaged in conversation near rows of empty stadium seats. One person is smiling, and others are listening attentively.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A man in a blue sweater stands with arms crossed, engaging in conversation with a group of people in an empty stadium.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Person speaking into a microphone while seated in a stadium-style audience, with nearby individuals listening.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Three people stand in an arena, with one person in the center holding a microphone and speaking.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
A woman in a purple jacket excitedly looks at her phone while talking to a man in a blue suit and a woman in a beige jacket in an empty stadium.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Two people engaging in conversation in an empty stadium. The man is smiling, wearing a suit; the woman is gesturing with her hand. Rows of empty seats are visible in the background.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.
Empty Barclays Center interior with a large screen displaying event details for a nonprofit legal and funding guidance session scheduled on a Monday, at 8:30-11 AM.
Photo: Michael Smith / Social Justice Fund. April 7, 2025 at Barclays Center.

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Brooklyn Org and our partners at the Social Justice Fund founded by Clara Wu Tsai held a free training this week at the Barclays Center to provide legal, communications, and fundraising expertise for Brooklyn nonprofits. Featuring presentations from our partners at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, DKC, and Hudson Ferris, nonprofit leaders gained insights on navigating the changing legal and funding landscape to meet the moment.

Our audience included both long-time nonprofit leaders and those just starting out, and the expertise from our partners was much needed and appreciated by all. As one attendee said to our speakers, “Thank you for being here — you could be anywhere this morning but this is a great place to be.” With so much change impacting local organizations, we remind our nonprofit partners that you are not alone — you have the Brooklyn community.

Thank you to Gregg Bishop, Executive Director of the Social Justice Fund, our Chief of Staff Liane Stegmaier, and our speakers Jennifer Cowan and Jane Shvets from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Alana Morales and Joseph DePlasco from DKC, and Edward Leibman, Founding Partner of Hudson Ferris, and his colleagues Molly Breitbart, Francesca Rubin, and Zack Travers.

See below for recommended resources for further reading and guidance on the topics covered by our presenters:

Capacity Building Events

Additionally, Brooklyn Org’s Capacity Building Program offers free workshops and convenings for nonprofit leaders. Browse past trainings in our Capacity Building Resource Library and join us for these upcoming events:

Workshops, Trainings, And More Nonprofit Events

Corporate Sponsorships 101
A group of people seated in a casual indoor space, engaged in conversation. A man in a patterned vest sits in the foreground.

Brooklyn Org Pick

Corporate Sponsorships 101

Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Training

Brooklyn Org's Office, 80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11217
3:00 PM–4:30 PM EDT

Brooklyn Org Happy Hour – April 2025

Brooklyn Org Pick

Brooklyn Org Happy Hour – April 2025

Somethin' Else in Dekalb Market, 445 Albee Square W, Brooklyn, NY 11201
5:00 PM–7:00 PM EDT

Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day 2025
A man and a young girl standing together in a park, smiling at the camera, with the man holding a green stick.

Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day 2025

Join Brooklyn Org and our community partners at multiple family-friendly volunteer sites throughout the day!

Multiple Locations Across Brooklyn
9:00 AM– EDT

Planning for Brooklyn’s Climate Future
Flyer for "Planning for Brooklyn's Climate Future" event on April 28, 9:15 AM to 5:30 PM, at Brooklyn Borough Hall. RSVP at BIT.LY/BKCLM25.

Planning for Brooklyn’s Climate Future

Office of the Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso

Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
9:15 AM–5:30 PM EDT

Brooklyn Sustainable Building Resource Fair
Flyer for the Sustainable Building Resource Fair on April 29 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, featuring exhibits, expert talks on incentives, financing, and solar panels. RSVP link included.

Brooklyn Sustainable Building Resource Fair

Office of the Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso

Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
4:00 PM–8:00 PM EDT

Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Leader Salon
Two women seated on white chairs engage in conversation. One holds a coffee cup, the other gesticulates while holding a plate with food. Other people are visible in the background.

Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Leader Salon

Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Training

Brooklyn Org's Office, 80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11217
5:30 PM–7:00 PM EDT

Brooklyn Org Funding

Please also be aware of the following funding application deadlines:

Legal

Person working at a desk with dual monitors, a notebook, phone, and a coffee mug, viewing web pages and code.

Privacy & Data Security For Nonprofits, Part 2

Feat. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.)

Online
10:00 AM–11:00 AM EDT

RSVP

Communications

  • Communications Tools for Small Nonprofits:
    • Google Alerts – Provides a roundup of articles based on specific search terms/keywords
    • Muckrack and Meltwater  – Journalist profile databases and a media monitoring suites
    • Cision – Media monitoring and analytics
    • TVeyes – Allows the user to search and watch aired TV segments from around the country
    • Subscribing to different Substacks from journalists or leaders in your respective fields

Fundraising

  • Hudson Ferris: Margaret
    • DonorAtlas: a great tool for prospect research; users can now save 33% on any monthly plan with a Margaret subscription
    • Civic Hall: Margaret subscribers will get a 30-day free trial membership (which includes discounts for event bookings, collaborative working spaces, monthly meetups, and more)
  • NY Hub: a collection of pre-built ecosystems focused on areas of NY philanthropy. Within the Hub users have full visibility to all data within those specific ecosystems  like funder insights, grants, etc.
Logo of the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation, featuring the text "Social Justice Fund" in large blue letters.
About The Social Justice Fund

Clara Wu Tsai launched the Social Justice Fund in 2020 in Brooklyn, New York, to support economic mobility within communities across the borough. Driven by a $50 million commitment over ten years, the Social Justice Fund invests in programs that address racial gaps in education, health, and wealth. Learn more at bksjf.org.

Bold text displays "Debevoise & Plimpton" with an ampersand in red.
A black logo with the letters "DKC" in the center, surrounded by three concentric circles on a white background.
A logo displaying the words "Hudson Ferry" in uppercase, with a capital "N" on the left and an uppercase "F" on the right, separated by a vertical line. The background is black.

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