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Reports & Publications

A person crosses a street in front of a green construction barrier with posters reading "Show Up. Spark Change." and "Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn" in the background.

The Foundation Of Our Future: How Brooklyn Org Is Creating A New Philanthropic Model In The Heart Of NYC’s Cultural Capital

January 2026

Brooklyn Org (BKO) is redefining community philanthropy with a democratic, resident‑led model that aligns resources, skills, and power with neighborhood priorities. With an organizational transformation and rebranding launched in 2023, BKO is answering a funding gap that has persisted even as Brooklyn’s economy, wealth, population, and cultural influence have surged. Through year-round engagement programs, including neighborhood listening events, community forums with elected officials, participatory grantmaking, and nonprofit capacity building, BKO translates community voice into community investment. BKO is the connective tissue of Brooklyn’s nonprofit ecosystem, supporting community changemakers through block-by-block funding programs and through high-profile, boroughwide vehicles like the annual Brooklyn Org Spark Prize. With the federal pullback from funding essential services, Brooklyn Org’s transformative model of mobilizing neighbors, businesses and donors to forge local solutions for local problems demonstrates how a reinvigorated community foundation model can meet the challenges of the next century.

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Four people sit on a panel in front of a wooden wall, with one woman speaking into a microphone while the others listen and smile. — People's Pulse Breakfast Briefing, April 10, 2025.

The People’s Pulse Survey

February 2025

The People’s Pulse survey is an initiative commissioned by Brooklyn Org, The New York Community Trust, The Staten Island Foundation, and the Altman Foundation, and spearheaded by the 5BORO Institute. This first-of-its-kind collaboration builds upon the many years that the organizations involved have devoted to listening to and investing in New York City’s communities. The survey aims to amplify the voices of everyday New Yorkers in civic conversation.

The survey, which reached 3,000 New York City adults across all five boroughs, offers insights into the most pressing issues facing residents. Its findings reveal that large majorities of city residents are grappling with an affordability crisis, harbor deep concerns about public safety, and are increasingly disconnected from the electoral process.

Download The Report [PDF]

Learn More: People's Pulse

50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable Brooklyn

March 2024

The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) and Brooklyn Org (BKO) have released a new report that provides a roadmap for creating a stronger and more equitable Brooklyn, featuring concrete policy ideas from 50 Brooklyn-based leaders.

The report, titled “50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable Brooklyn,” presents policy ideas that would help more Brooklyn residents access affordable housing, quality health care, well-paying jobs, and bolster neighborhoods across the borough.

The report includes ideas from a diverse mix of community leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, artists, faith leaders, nonprofit executives, and public health experts, including Pratt Institute President Frances Bronet, UPROSE Executive Director Elizabeth Yeampierre, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation President Blondel Pinnock, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Randy Peers, Asian American Federation Executive Director Jo-Ann Yoo, and Concord Baptist Church of Christ Senior Pastor Gary V. Simpson.