Our History
A Big Idea for Brooklyn
Since Our Founding, We Have Made It Our Mission to Galvanize Giving to Brooklyn’s Communities
Brooklyn Org was founded in 2009 as Brooklyn Community Foundation, the first and only public foundation dedicated to New York City’s largest borough. Brooklyn is home to a vast community of high-impact, innovative, locally-led nonprofits. Nevertheless, only 8% of New York City’s philanthropic dollars reach Brooklyn organizations.
Since our founding, we have made it our mission to address this alarming disparity. Over the past 15 years, our work has increasingly gained traction and momentum. In 2023 alone, we distributed a record-high $21.1 million in grants — pushing our lifetime total to over $110 million in funding to nonprofits — making us one of the borough’s largest grantmakers and its largest funder for racial justice.
Our investment in Brooklyn’s communities includes:
- Over $20M for Youth
- Over $6.3M in COVID-19 Response
- Over $2.2M for Immigrant Rights
- Over $3.6M for Older Adults
- Over $2.2M for Substance Abuse Treatment
In Fall 2023, we announced our evolution to Brooklyn Org as part of our renewed commitment to galvanizing giving to Brooklyn.
While maintaining the Foundation’s core mission, vision, and legal structure, Brooklyn Org reinvigorates the community foundation model by bringing together changemakers as diverse and dynamic as Brooklyn itself and serving as a central home for the resources and tools needed to make a difference.
As Brooklyn Org, we are affirming our long-term commitment to racial justice and community engagement, including our exemplary participatory grantmaking approach that gives Brooklyn residents power in deciding where funding goes. In 2023, more than 75% of organizations funded through our strategic grantmaking programs were BIPOC-led.
78% In 2023, three-fourths of organizations funded through our strategic grantmaking programs were BIPOC-led
Our unique Brooklyn-backing, market-competitive Donor Advised Fund (DAF) program has also been integral to expanding the reach of Brooklynites’ generosity. Our DAF program has reshaped what giving in Brooklyn looks like, with over $50 million in DAF-directed grants distributed over the past decade. And while our DAF holders can give wherever they choose, they can rest assured that 100% of their fund fees go right back to Brooklyn nonprofits.
We’re so proud of our work to date, but we know we’re barely scratching the surface of what Brooklyn deserves. As Brooklyn’s communities continue to grow, their needs grow too. During a time when inequity throughout the borough is unprecedented, we’re eager to tap into Brooklynites’ hunger to give back to the place we call home.