Brooklyn Community Foundation Announces Grant Awards for Crown Heights Non Profits

Over $2.3 million was distributed among 118 grants by the Brooklyn Community Foundation yesterday, and several non-profits in or serving Crown Heights will be receiving a portion of that money.

Known as the largest public philanthropy in the borough, the Brooklyn Community Foundation's first round of grants focused on neighborhood-specific funding for education, culture, human services, housing and the environment.

“Brooklyn is New York City’s largest borough, yet philanthropic giving to Brooklyn lags far behind giving to Manhattan based organizations,” said Brooklyn Community Foundation President Marilyn Gelber. “Our role is to narrow that gap by attracting new donors to Brooklyn to help address the borough’s critical needs. We can improve the lives of Brooklynites now and in the future by investing in the people and organizations that understand local needs and can provide the best and most effective approaches to serving their communities.”

The most recent cycle included 30 grants for the Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy and Brownsville communities, which rank among the highest in the city's poverty and infant mortality rates, while ranking among the lowest in graduation and employment rates.

The Foundation's five fields of interest for funding are education and youth achievement, community development, green communities, arts for all, and caring neighbors (which helps families, seniors or the disabled who face immediate or long-term homelessness, isolation, or lack of basic health needs).

Check out the list below of non-profits working with Crown Heights that will be receiving funding, and tell us your thoughts in the comments section.

$10,000-Coro New York Leadership Center, for a leadership program targeting 100 students at four public high schools in Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy and Bushwick

$25,000-Settlement Housing Fund, for educational and vocational programs in neighborhoods including Crown Heights

$25,000-Brooklyn Kindergarten Society, to support preschool education programs in neighborhoods including Crown Heights

$50,000-Weeksville Heritage Center, funding over a 2-year period to sustain programming and expansion to the new Education and Cultural Arts Building.

$5,000-Evidence, to help put on a Summer Dance Workshop series at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School

$25,000-Disapora Community Services, for the Haitian American Empowerment Program's case management services in neighborhoods including Crown Heights

$5,000-Lefferts Community Food Cooperative, for outreach materials to build membership in neighborhoods including Crown Heights

$25,000-Brooklyn Children's Museum, to help continue their community engagement efforts

$25,000-Brooklyn Botanic Garden, for their Garden Apprentice Program for Brooklyn teens from diverse backgrounds to work with BBG professionals and assist garden visitors

$25,000-Pratt Area Community Council, to support economic initiatives serving business owners on Fulton Street

$25,000-Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, for workforce development programs in neighborhoods including Crown Heights that help the unemployed obtain training, certification and job placement