HOW DO WE ACHIEVE A FAIR AND JUST BROOKLYN? hat’s the question—the core challenge—that drives the work of Brooklyn Community Foundation. This annual report gives our answer: through investments in dynamic grassroots organizations and fearless creative leadership.
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These are the keys to developing the infrastructure and leadership required to create positive social change in our local communities and across our country. We believe this approach will yield a more fair and just future for Brooklyn, and can also serve as a model for achieving change far beyond our city. While it’s easy to feel discouraged and hopeless at this moment of intense national discord and disruption, I encourage you to take a careful look around. I promise that you’ll find hope and inspiration right in your own backyard. Brooklyn is agitating. Brooklyn is resisting. Brooklyn is forging a new way forward.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alan H. Fishman Chairman Katharine Darrow Michael Gillespie Nicole Gueron Zul Jamal
Rev. Emma JordanSimpson Genevieve Kahr Harsha Marti Amani Martin Noa Meyer
Our partners and supporters have played a critical part. In the past year, many of you have answered a call to action unlike any other in recent history, by standing up for racial and social justice, for immigrant rights, and for youth-led movements, in unprecedented ways. Because of you, we deployed more than $5 million to fuel the inspiring and tireless efforts of frontline nonprofits, and to lift up the local leaders building movements and spearheading activism. Thanks to your generosity, our shared vision of a fair and just Brooklyn is not just a dream—it is a certainty, so long as we continue to join together to invest in and support those who are leading the way. Together, we spark change.
Cecilia C. Clarke President & CEO
STAFF Richard Moore Carley Roney Constance R. Roosevelt Gabriel Schwartz Hildy Simmons
Diane Steinberg Sarah Williams John Wright Rudolph Wynter
On the cover: Brooklyn Youth Fellows Jean, Zainab, and Nafi
Cecilia C. Clarke President & CEO Kaberi Banerjee Murthy Myles Bradford Amy Chou
Sarah Shannon Liane Stegmaier Damaris Villafana Jenny Walski
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“ It feels like an honor to distribute money and decide which things deserve money. It also let me realize how hard it is to do that.” - JEAN, BROOKLYN YOUTH FELLOW
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
Brooklyn By the Numbers
26 Spark Prize for Brooklyn Nonprofits
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Immigrant Rights Fund
32 Giving in Brooklyn
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Who Decides? Participatory Grantmaking in Action
34 Our Partners
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Invest in Youth
36 Our Donors
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Brooklyn Restorative Justice: Q&A with Anne Gregory, Phd
44 Join Us
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Brooklyn by the Numbers Population
New York City’s Largest Borough
If Brooklyn were separate from NYC, it would be the 4th largest city in the U.S. Our population is larger than Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis and Washington D.C. combined.
70 neighborhoods
69.5 30 1200
square miles of land
2,629,150 people
31% of all New Yorkers call Brooklyn home 3% Other
36.4% of Brooklynites were born in another country
miles of waterfront
community gardens
public library branches
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36% White
19% Hispanic 30% Black
arts & culture organizations
238 59
12% Asian
A language other than English is spoken in nearly half of all Brooklyn households
64% of residents are people of color
Youth 300,000+ Brooklyn Youth are aged 16-24
50,000+ (17%) are not in school and not working 25% of incarcerated youth in New York City come from six Brooklyn neighborhoods
Housing Brooklyn has the most
units of public
housing in New York City. There are 99 NYCHA developments with 58,447 apartments in Brooklyn.
1 in 3 Brooklyn renters spends more than half of their income on rent
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Economy Brooklyn ranks 1st
in NYC for number of
children living in poverty.
$34,027
Average income of bottom 99% of Brooklynites
$900,029
Average income of the top 1% of Brooklynites
46% of Brooklyn households make less than $50,000 Brooklyn is home to 5 of the 10 poorest and 2 of the wealthiest NYC Census tracts.
1 in 5 Brooklyn residents lives in poverty
ELIZA FACTOR WRITER AND FOUNDER OF EXTREME KIDS AND CREW
Why Brooklyn Community Foundation? Using the Foundation to organize our giving is really helpful, from a bookkeeping point of view. The Foundation’s research and knowledge of Brooklyn also make it a great sounding board from a nonprofit and philanthropic standpoint. What do you love about Brooklyn? I love the languages of Brooklyn. When I lived in Sunset Park, I really loved hearing the kids speaking different languages while they were playing hockey together in the street. What Brooklyn organizations inspire you? Red Hook Initiative, New York Writers Coalition, Brooklyn Community Bail Fund. SECTION
Census numbers are from 2016 American Community Survey
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IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND IMPACT
Our Immigrant Rights Fund is Brooklyn’s response to the onslaught of unjust federal policy changes, including increased criminalization, deportation, and restrictions—and overall xenophobia—directed toward immigrant communities in Brooklyn and nationwide. •• The Fund has given $580,000 to 30 immigrant-serving nonprofits in its first 18 months through the generosity of our Board of Directors and donors. •• Our initial $1-million commitment has now grown into a goal of $2 million, to take on both the immediate and long-term needs of immigrants in our borough. •• Bolstering immigrant-led and immigrant-serving organizations working on the frontlines from Sunset Park to Bushwick, the Fund uses three approaches—Immediate Response Grants, Sustained Response Grants, and a small Action Fund. •• Grants have supported political mobilization, direct legal assistance, and family stability, as well as protections for low-wage workers and vulnerable communities, and mental and physical health services. •• The Fund has also quickly disbursed grants after life-threatening decisions, like the rescinding of the DACA program for undocumented youth, and the end of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from under-resourced and unstable countries like Haiti and Nepal.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
Stomp Out the Muslim Ban protest at Brooklyn Borough Hall in October 2017, supported by our Immigrant Rights Fund’s Action Fund
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N IMMIGRANT RIGHS TE S CFTUI O ND
An estimated 164,000 immigrants in Brooklyn are undocumented—accounting for 7% of Brooklyn’s total population. More than 22,000 Brooklyn youth are DACA-eligible. Among U.S. counties, Brooklyn ranks 9th in total undocumented residents.
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IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND
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INSIGHTS
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08 IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND GRANTEE
CENTER FOR FAMILY LIFE MISSION: POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR FAMILIES IN SUNSET PARK Serving 9,000 families in Sunset Park—most of whom are recent immigrants—the Center for Family Life (CFL) is quickly becoming a model for other community-based organizations in Brooklyn and beyond. It offers school-based programs at seven neighborhood sites, incubates worker cooperatives, and provides family counseling and workshops.
NEXT UP: DEPORTATION EMERGENCIES
PROVIDING A SAFE SPACE
With a $20,000 grant from our Immigrant Rights Fund, CFL has been taking multiple approaches over the past year to address the concerns of undocumented parents whose children will legally remain in the United States.
CFL’s workshops have proved to be a space where participants feel able to open up about their concerns and anxieties surrounding deportation and detention.
GUIDING PARENTS To help parents who are facing detention or deportation learn how to appoint a guardian for their children, CFL has created a how-to guide to support conversations within families, and between parents and potential guardians. Available in English, Spanish and Chinese, the guide is distributed at CFL workshops and events throughout the city. CFL’s Parents’ Rights Workshops have already reached more than 100 parents who face possible deportation. The workshops take place in community centers, schools, and hospitals, and help parents anticipate and prepare for emergencies, challenges, and trauma that often arise after deportation.
TRAINING ALLIES This year, four CFL staff social workers became certified to train prospective foster parents for children whose parents are detained or deported. CFL is currently the only place in New York City where foster parents can be certified in Mandarin. CFL also instructs volunteers on how to help their undocumented neighbors with other needs, such as going to court.
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“One woman said that, for a long time, she had felt the way you feel when you’re very worried about an illness and you’re too afraid to go to the doctor because you don’t want to know what’s really going on,” said CFL Co-Director Julia Jean-Francois. “But finally she found this very accepting circle, where she could express her pain and explore what next steps could be.” “The impact of Brooklyn Community Foundation’s support has been tremendous for us,” added Jean-Francois. “They called us and said, ‘Look this is really important, we want this to happen now.’”
“The whole grant process was really quick and amazingly streamlined. The Foundation was on the spot—readily available and immediately grasping how time was of the essence, and that was really valuable.” JULIA JEAN-FRANCOIS, CO-DIRECTOR OF CENTER FOR FAMILY LIFE, ON WORKING WITH BROOKLYN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
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Nearly half of all Brooklyn businesses are immigrant owned, with immigrants also making up half of our borough’s labor force.
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND
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INSIGHTS
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IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND GRANTEE
FAITH IN NEW YORK MISSION: DRIVE POLICY CHANGE By developing grassroots leaders throughout New York City and equipping congregations to push significant public policy change, Faith in New York (FINY) takes on a broad range of issues, from education equity and violence reduction to access to good jobs and affordable housing. Founded in 2013, FINY is an interfaith federation of more than 70 religious congregations representing 80,000 families in New York City, with more than 16 congregations and 20,000 families in Brooklyn.
NEXT UP: DEPORTATION RESPONSE
UNDOCUMENTED LEADERSHIP
Supported by a $20,000 Sustained Response Grant, FINY is working to protect immigrant communities through its Know Your Rights workshops, deportation response network, sanctuary congregation designations, and civic engagement with immigrants and their allies.
A steering committee made up primarily of undocumented community members meets monthly to make recommendations on policy, roles for allies, and ways for the organization to move forward. FINY strongly believes in keeping people who are directly impacted by immigration policy at the center of the organization, and provides leadership development and training so that members feel empowered to take ownership of their work.
Know Your Rights workshops have reached more than 1,500 participants with information, tools and support for creating contingency plans in case of deportation. FINY also provides support for deportation emergencies, arranges legal defense and accompaniment at court hearings, and rallies community members outside of courthouses to show support.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND GRANTEE
CHINESE STAFF & WORKERS MISSION: EMPOWER WORKERS TO CONFRONT SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES Connecting workers’ individual struggles with a collective strength that challenges the root causes of their problems, Chinese Staff & Workers’ Association (CSWA) membership includes more than 1,300 workers. Members vary widely in age and trades, and include documented and undocumented workers. With a third of its membership in Brooklyn, the organization focuses on workplace and community issues in Sunset Park and Bensonhurst, among other areas.
NEXT UP: FIGHTING WAGE THEFT
WHAT IS A LIVEABLE CITY FOR IMMIGRANTS?
With a $20,000 Sustained Response Grant, CSWA will continue to fight wage theft and displacement, problems that have been exacerbated by anti-immigrant sentiment. CSWA helped draft the S.W.E.A.T (Securing Wages Earned Against Theft) Bill, and is organizing support for it. The bill would change New York state laws so that courts would be able to freeze the assets of employers found to be stealing wages. This protection is especially critical in the home care industry, where workers often live in their patient’s homes for several 24-hour shifts in a row, and find themselves without support or redress when employers pay them as little as half of their wages.
Encouraging supporters to think beyond the framework of sanctuary cities, organizer Mika Nagasaki says, “If you don’t have a home or you’re not getting paid, then the idea of a sanctuary is kind of meaningless because you can’t even survive and make it to the next day.”
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND
SPOTLIGHT
WHO DECIDES?
PARTICIPATORY GRANTMAKING IN ACTION We believe that those who are closest to the challenge are closest to the solution. That’s why Brooklyn Community Foundation strives to create new ways of putting funding decisions in the hands of residents of our borough, and to build closer partnerships with local communities and leaders. Here are three ways we’re breaking the mold of traditional grantmaking, and sharing the power of philanthropy with Brooklyn residents across generations.
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SPARK PRIZE Our $100,000 Spark Prize focuses attention on under-the-radar organizations across the borough. Twenty finalists and five winners are selected by our dedicated Spark Prize Committee of 35 civic, business, and philanthropic leaders from Brooklyn.
“ Brooklyn has lots of agitators, instigators, and innovators. The challenge is not only to support one, two or three organizations, but for a funder and/or system to support shared and coordinated work among these organizations, to have an even greater impact on improving the lives of Brooklynites.” · DR. ALETHA MAYBANK, Spark Prize Committee member and Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
“ It’s a great relief to discover that so many organizations do such valuable work in Brooklyn's most challenged neighborhoods and communities. It's also really motivating to be able to make a difference for organizations that are working right in my own backyard. Offering these organizations unrestricted funds to apply however they feel is necessary is an act of hope, faith, and trust grounded in shared values.” · SARAH DURHAM, Spark Prize Committee member and CEO of Big Duck Communications
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NEIGHBORHOOD STRENGTH Our Neighborhood Strength initiative offers a new model for participatory grantmaking in Crown Heights—the Foundation’s home neighborhood. First, neighborhood residents and stakeholders join us each year to share their concerns and ideas for change. Next, projects that provide promising solutions to identified challenges receive grants from a $100,000 fund, administered by an advisory council of local leaders.
“I’ve lived in Crown Heights most of my life. So I am very conscious of how I am helping to mirror and represent the kind of funding process that I think has integrity, that is impactful, that makes sense, that is defensible.” · MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH,
Crown Heights Advisory Council
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
“In this approach, residents are involved from the very beginning. It’s not the Foundation making decisions from the top down and determining what priorities are going to be.” · PIPER ANDERSON,
2017 Neighborhood Strength Coordinator
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BROOKLYN YOUTH FELLOWSHIP Young people have the ideas, energy, and fierce determination to be active leaders in our communities. This belief is built into the Brooklyn Youth Fellowship, a 10-month program in which a group of 15 youth fund projects for youth, proposed and led by youth.
WHAT MAKES THIS EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PROGRAMS YOU’VE PARTICIPATED IN?
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO MANAGE A GRANT PROGRAM AND DECIDE ON THE WINNING PROJECTS?
“To be able to make significant change directed by the minds of young people is remarkable. It gives me both responsibility and power in the decision-making process, which as young people we aren’t given in other areas of our lives, even if we are experts.”
“Managing a grant program can feel a little intimidating, because you have to select a small group of projects, when so many people are trying to make change in their communities. Focusing on the people you do get to select, however, makes the process feel empowering.”
· NANA, 18
· DANIEL-JOSEPH, 20
“I like that there’s a safe space that I can come to—another community, another family that I can relate with, and share my experiences with. There’s no other program like this, connecting youth who are passionate about different things. The diversity is awesome!”
“It’s really dope to manage grants because [the grantees] remind you a lot of yourself or ideas you may have. I know for a fact I wanna be a fellow again, to help make dreams into reality.” · KERON, 25
· PEACE, 23
S P OT L I G H T: W H O D E C I D E S ?
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INVEST IN YOUTH IMPACT
Supporting young people as leaders in their communities, with a focus on under-resourced neighborhoods and immigrant communities, Invest in Youth is our cornerstone commitment to improving the lives of 16- to 24- year-olds. By making grants and strategic leadership investments, and engaging directly with youth, we are working to divert young people from the criminal justice system and to provide them with economic and educational opportunities. •• Investments include nearly $2.5 million to youth-focused nonprofit initiatives in 2017-18. •• Sixty-seven grants ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 to organizations working in the areas of Youth Leadership Development, Youth Justice, and Immigrant Youth. •• Funds also go to the Brooklyn Youth Fellowship, a grantmaking program led by youth, and the Brooklyn Restorative Justice Project, which aims to develop a racially just alternative model for discipline in New York City schools.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
Our Brooklyn Youth Fellows’ Youth Unite Conference (March 2018)
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SS E CFTUI N OD N IMMIGRANT RIGHT
INVEST IN YOUTH GRANTEE
KINGS AGAINST VIOLENCE INITIATIVE MISSION: YOUTH-FOCUSED INTERVENTIONS AND HEALING Providing youth with productive and safe alternatives to interpersonal violence, the Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) delivers interventions and healing resources in schools and communities. At Kings County Hospital, its on-site, trauma-informed programming reaches Brooklyn youth who have been involved in acts of violence.
A DOCTOR DETERMINED TO STOP VIOLENCE
NEXT UP: EXPANDING TRAUMA CARE
Brownsville native and emergency medicine physician Robert Gore, MD began involving medical students in his mission to stop violence in his community in 2009. He saw firsthand that low-income communities must deal with high rates of both gang and interpersonal violence—particularly among young people. He also saw that Kings County Hospital treats a disproportionate number of youth who have been involved in acts of violence, because it’s the main trauma center serving residents of Crown Heights, Brownsville, East New York, and Flatbush.
In coming years, Dr. Gore hopes to introduce KAVI’s programming to more schools and hospitals in New York City and beyond, drawing on the expertise of former participants who now live around the country.
IMPACT: PEER FACILITATORS
“Brooklyn Community Foundation has been a very positive supporter of KAVI’s efforts. It’s like being part of this extended family,” said Dr. Gore, adding that using our space for his staff development, and interactions with our staff, have positively impacted his organization beyond the grant.
Currently, KAVI’s school-based program involves between 75 and 100 hospital patients per year, and more than 250 students. With help from our $35,000 Invest in Youth grant, the organization has been able to extend its programming to more patients and students, and to hire peer facilitators who have personally benefited from KAVI’s programing.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
“Recent funding has allowed us to increase the amount of support and follow-up for our students and clients,” said Dr. Gore. “This is a major thing, because we want to make sure we are providing a trauma-informed care approach that is incorporating behavioral health services.”
KAVI founder Dr. Rob Gore with students at the School for Human Rights
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“Brooklyn Community Foundation has been a very positive supporter of KAVI’s efforts. It’s like being part of this extended family.” DR. ROBERT GORE, FOUNDER OF KINGS AGAINST VIOLENCE INITIATIVE (KAVI)
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Young people of color in Brooklyn are mobilizing: organizing for racial justice and gender equity movements, pushing for safer schools and gun violence prevention, and standing up for immigrant justice.
INVEST IN YOUTH
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INSIGHTS
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INVEST IN YOUTH GRANTEE
TRUTHWORKER THEATER PROJECT MISSION: SOCIAL JUSTICE PERFORMANCE AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Advocating for change in the prison system with a youth perspective, the Brooklyn-based Truthworker Theater Project creates productions that challenge systemic inequities and their impacts, particularly for people of color. Company members are young people who receive both professional and activist training. Each performance caters to the needs and concerns of its audiences, including college students, social workers, and arts organizations.
NEXT UP: YOUNG WOMEN IN PRISON
CAREER TRAINING
Founded in 2012 by activist and teaching artist Samara Gaev, Truthworker has created, produced and performed three full-length shows, including a depiction of the school-to-prison pipeline, an examination of solitary confinement, and a look at life after prison.
To support the artistic development of its 12 company members each year, the company provides stipends for training and performing, as well as mental health services to help its members work safely with painful topics. Theater and production training also helps its members develop marketable skills for careers as professional artists and teachers. Many former Truthworker members now work as artists and teachers, and as staff at JACK, Truthworker’s partner theater in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
With a $20,000 Invest in Youth grant, the company is developing a new production, examining issues facing young women in prison, many of whom are nonviolent offenders or face charges for actions committed in self-defense.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
INVEST IN YOUTH GRANTEE
SAFE PASSAGE PROJECT MISSION: ADVOCACY FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE YOUTH Safe Passage Project created Safe Passage in Schools to provide undocumented students with free legal aid to advance their education and path to citizenship. It helps students draw on resources that are nearly impossible to access without legal help, even though they are entitled to them. Safe Passage Project is also working on more than 700 cases of undocumented children facing deportation in New York immigration court. Safe Passage also advises immigrant children on routes to citizenship, supports their educational pursuits, and trains volunteer attorneys to represent them successfully in court.
IMPACT: A NETWORK OF SUPPORT
LEGAL AID IS KEY
After starting as a project at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in 2011, Safe Passage in Schools has expanded its services to all five boroughs, helped by a $50,000 grant from our Invest in Youth program.
“You could do all the right things as an undocumented middle school and high school student and then, at age 16 or 17, when it’s time to apply for college, you could find you don’t have the same options as your peers because you don’t have legal status,” says Gui Stampur, Deputy Director, Safe Passage in Schools.
Rather than operating as a stand-alone service, the program creates a network of support for undocumented students by working in partnership with the teachers, social workers, guidance counselors, and college counselors whom students trust and see regularly.
I N V E S T I N YO U T H
SPOTLIGHT
BROOKLYN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROJECT Q&A WITH ANNE GREGORY, PHD
We built the Brooklyn Restorative Justice Project on the principles of repairing harm and building safe and respectful communities, rather than removing children from the classroom and pushing them into the criminal justice system. We are currently funding new approaches to carrying out Restorative Justice (RJ) practices in three Brooklyn schools, along with comprehensive evaluation, in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the Mayor’s Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline. Restorative Justice expert Dr. Anne Gregory is leading the project evaluation. An Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University, she is committed to reducing race and gender disparities in school discipline through research, evaluation, and helping schools implement better practices. WHY IS DEVELOPING A RACIALLY JUST MODEL FOR SCHOOL DISCIPLINE IMPORTANT? Consider this: Black and Latino students—who are 67% of the overall New York City student population—were involved in 87% of suspensions and 96% of arrests in our schools in the 2015-16 academic year.
WHAT DREW YOU TO FOCUS ON DISPARITIES IN SCHOOL DISCIPLINE? In 1995, I was in the library with an African American fourth grader who lit up with curiosity and an eagerness to learn how books were catalogued. When we returned to his classroom, he slouched and dragged his feet as he walked over to his desk, which was a considerable distance away from his peers, in the corner. His teacher had referred him to me for behavior problems, voicing her anger at him as she spoke. Those dueling portraits of that fourth grade African American boy have propelled my research over the last two decades.
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WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF RJ IN SCHOOLS? The focus on relationships. As a scholar, I have documented the power of adult relationships to prevent and defuse disciplinary interactions in school. I have also examined their possibility for increasing racial equity in school. More recently, I have sought systematic ways to improve adult-student relationships and create school environments characterized by fairness, support, and high academic and behavioral expectations.
WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS PROJECT? Few scholars or organizations are systematically tracking the successes and challenges that students and staff are experiencing with school discipline.
THE PROJECT IS NOW IN ITS THIRD YEAR. WHAT MARKERS OF SUCCESS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? We’re going to see if the students report that they have not been kicked out of class for behavioral reasons, if students find the climate more supportive, if the teachers report less stereotyping, and whether or not students and staff perceive their school as fair and just.
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HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IS WORKING? As an evaluation team, we are developing a tool that identifies eleven indicators of RJ implementation. The indicators are: •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Addressing racial and social justice in the school Schoolwide RJ buy-in and leadership Administrative support for RJ RJ student leadership Discipline policy reform RJ professional development Community-building circles in classrooms Repairing “less serious” harm and restoring community in classrooms •• Repairing “more serious” harm with restorative conferences •• RJ family/community involvement •• Data-based decision-making to guide change
WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE PROMISE OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE? We hope to document the ways that RJ improves school culture as a whole. As one RJ practitioner explained, “What we are doing is not necessarily only going into schools and restoring the harm, but bigger than that. We’re looking at a cultural shift.”
“To have administration on board—always at least one administrator in our meetings, and a number of times when both of them were there—I think that commitment spoke volumes.” - TEACHER
“It actually helps us… instead of resolving the problem by yourself, you have a group to help you. You could come ask them and they will help you.” - STUDENT
“Sometimes we have meetings with the principal and they say, ‘What do you think we should do to try to help the students?’ So, we get our voices heard.” - STUDENT
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SPARK PRIZE
FOR BROOKLYN NONPROFITS
IMPACT
The $100,000 Spark Prize for Brooklyn nonprofits became the first award to recognize Brooklyn-bred changemakers when we launched the program in 2016. The Prize celebrates exemplary nonprofit organizations that demonstrate strong values, a commitment to equity and racial justice, and a dynamic vision for the future of their work, in Brooklyn and beyond. Each year, we provide recognition and meaningful support to organizations with a strong track record of addressing critical challenges and opportunities in Brooklyn, through a highly competitive awards process. A committee of 35 Brooklyn civic, business, and philanthropic leaders selects the five winners and 20 finalists vying for the $100,000 “no strings attached� prize, from a pool of more than 130 applicants. Through the Spark Prize, we have so far awarded more than $1.2 million in general operating support to winners and finalists, with unrestricted funding that enables the development of new programs, investment in capital projects, increased ability to respond in times of crisis, and new phases of growth.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
2017-2018 Spark Prize winner Exalt Youth
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INSIGHTS Brooklyn’s 3,000 nonprofits receive less than 5% of local grants made by New York City foundations. Many of them are vital community lifelines operating under the-radar and on limited resources. We have made grants to more than 300 Brooklyn nonprofits since our founding in 2009. As Brooklyn’s community foundation, we aim to elevate and celebrate the outstanding nonprofit organizations that have helped Brooklyn neighborhoods and residents to prosper and thrive for decades. We recognize that Brooklyn has long been an “incubator” for high-achieving nonprofits creating community-led solutions to community-identified challenges, contributing to the borough’s popular image as a hub of creativity and new ideas. As wealth and resources are increasingly concentrated in Brooklyn, our mission to leverage support for our nonprofit community is more critical than ever.
S PA RSKE C PTRIIO ZN E
2017-2018 Spark Prize winner Red Hook Initiative
ISNESCI T GIH OTNS T O I M PA C T
SPARK PRIZE WINNER
CENTER FOR LAW & SOCIAL JUSTICE MISSION: END SYSTEMIC RACISM IN NYC Pushing for meaningful policy changes to stop the institutionalization of racism across New York City, the Center for Law and Social Justice (CLSJ) was founded in Brooklyn in 1985, as a community service unit of Medgar Evers College.
NEW MODELS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE CLSJ programs have become models for education and advocacy since its inception. Its Parent Advocacy Center trains and serves thousands of public school parents in Brooklyn and across New York City. CLSJ also helped secure New York State’s first dedicated Special Prosecutor to investigate police killings of unarmed New Yorkers, and was integral to the creation of independent Civilian Complaint Review Board In the 1990s. “Receiving the Spark Prize is a tremendous honor and affirmation of the racial justice work we’ve been committed to for over 30 years,” said Founder and Executive Director Esmeralda Simmons.
To modernize New York’s antiquated approach to voting rights, the CLSJ Voting Rights Policy Project advocates against proposed election procedures that could be harmful to Black voters, monitors voting and conducts legal research, testifies at public hearings, maintains alliances with progressive public interest organizations, and works to support voter activation. CLSJ is also advancing community-based policing efforts including the Right To Know Act, which aims to improve transparency around encounters with the police. “I’m completely optimistic, but also aware this is not a short-term struggle. My dream is that my grandchildren will be aware and organized about what they have to do to turn this country around. We will prevail,” says Simmons.
NEXT UP: CENSUS, VOTING & POLICING To ensure that Pan-African communities are represented fairly, CLSJ is leading the NYC Black Leadership Action Coalition (NYC BLAC) for the 2020 Census, which gathers leaders and organizations working with communities of African descent to strategize around the issue.
S PA R K P R I Z E
SPARK PRIZE WINNER
GRIOT CIRCLE MISSION: SUPPORT AND EMPOWER LGBTQ ELDERS Founded by a group of LGBTQ elders of color living in Brooklyn in 1996 to address the racial, social, and economic injustices in their lives, GRIOT Circle now serves more than 400 members annually. It offers case management services, a daily hot lunch, and New York City’s only HIV+ support group for men over 50.
WHY LGBTQ ELDERS MATTER
LGBTQ AND TRANS LEADERSHIP
“We know that this population is going to grow 230% in the next three years, although we don’t currently have the capacity to serve everyone,” said Executive Director José Albino.
Recognizing how important it is for LGBTQ elders to share their lived experiences, GRIOT Circle provides leadership and advocacy training in order to help its members engage with local and national organizing efforts for others like them.
NEXT UP: MORE SERVICES The Spark Prize will help GRIOT Circle hire a part-time fundraising associate as a step toward expanding its services and programming, and will provide greater recognition for its volunteers. GRIOT Circle also plans to create a training model to help other organizations that support elders to better serve the aging LGBTQ population.
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The unique needs of the trans community will also be a focus in the coming year. “The trans community, particularly the trans community of color, are fearful of institutions,” said Albino. “As the only institution that focuses on LGBTQ elders of color, we want to be very intentional, so that trans community members feel comfortable coming to us.”
SPARK PRIZE WINNER
CAVE CANEM MISSION: ELEVATING AFRICAN AMERICAN POETS To remedy the under-representation and isolation of Black poets in America, Cave Canem provides space for aspiring poets of color to write with the support of their peers. Its community-based workshops, readings, lecture series and retreats enlarge the American literary canon and sense of possibility for both writers and readers.
DEMOCRATIZING LITERATURE An influential movement and artistic incubator, Cave Canem has a high-achieving international fellowship of more than 425 poets, and a local workshop community of over 900 poets that grew from a gathering of 26 poets in Brooklyn in 1996. Cave Canem fellows have been honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the National Book Award, and the NAACP Image Award. They also have more than 250 books in print, and hold academic positions around the U.S.
“We’ve never had a room full of literary arts professionals, managers, supervisors and executive directors talking together about how their biases affect the field,” said Executive Director Nicole Sealy. “That’s game-changing, and a huge part of the work we want to do moving forward.” “The Spark Prize is enabling us to think more creatively about new programs and our impact,” said Sealy. “Brooklyn Community Foundation’s investment in Cave Canem is an important validation of the necessary work we do in Brooklyn to democratize the literary field.”
NEXT UP: CHALLENGING BIAS In 2018, Cave Canem will use Spark Prize funding to expand its programming to address biases that affect the literary field, starting with an anti-racism workshop. S PA R K P R I Z E
Giving in Brooklyn Organizations in Brooklyn receive less than 5% of grants made to New York City nonprofits by local foundations
National Firsts ★ First children’s museum:
Average Brooklynite donates
3.8% of their income to charity
Brooklyn Childrens Museum
Compared to 2.8% citywide
★ Oldest performing arts institution:
Brooklyn Academy of Music
1 in 10
Brooklynites work in the nonprofit sector
12% of New York State nonprofits are registered in Brooklyn
ISNESCI T GIH OTNS T O I M PA C T
★ First community development corporation: Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp
Brooklyn Community Foundation We Spark Change ★ Established in 2009 as the first foundation solely dedicated to Brooklyn ★ Winner 2015 Impact Award from National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy ★ $65M in assets ★ $40M in grants to date ★ $3.9M contributed in 2017 ★ $5.5M total grants made in 2017 ★ 102 Community Fund grantees in 2017 ★ $30,000 average Community Fund grant ★ 50 Donor Advised Funds made $1.9M in grants in 2017
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
What is a Community Foundation? Building Charitable Assets to Meet Community Need Brooklyn Community Foundation is one of 1,800 community foundations around the world. As tax-exempt public charities, community foundations enable people with shared philanthropic interest in a specific community to support the issues they care about, now and into the future.
ALISON BROCK MCGILL FOUNDER, THE BROCK METHOD
How did you get involved with the Foundation? I got to know the Foundation staff when I was a consultant for the startup social enterprise Be More America, an inaugural member of the Foundation’s Incubator Project. Why a DAF? One day, I’d like to run a family foundation. Starting out with a DAF is a great introduction to philanthropy. My husband and I felt really confident that the Foundation would be able to provide us with advice, tools, and resources as we start with small grantmaking. Favorite Brooklyn neighborhood? Even though it’s gentrifying, Crown Heights is still a really authentic, diverse neighborhood with great restaurants and great people. What Brooklyn nonprofits inspire you? La Cima Elementary Charter School, Willie Mae Rock Camp, and Children of Promise. SECTION
OUR PARTNERS WHO WE’RE FUNDING THANKS TO
THE GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS INVEST IN YOUTH Alex House Project Ali Forney Center Arab American Association of NY Arab American Family Support Center Arts East New York Atlas:DIY Audre Lorde Project Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger Black Alliance for Just Immigration Black Women's Blueprint BRIC Arts Media Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Children's Museum Brooklyn Community Bail Fund Brooklyn Community Services Brooklyn Defender Services Brownsville Justice Center CAMBA CASES Center for Anti-Violence Education Center for Community Alternatives Center for Family Life Center for Nu Leadership on Urban Solutions
Churches United For Fair Housing Common Justice Correctional Association Crown Heights Mediation Center Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation Dance Theatre Etc. Drive Change DRUM, Desis Rising Up & Moving El Puente Exalt Youth Footsteps Fostering Change for Children Friends of Island Academy FUREE Girl Be Heard Girls for Gender Equity Global Action Project Global Kids Green City Force Groundswell HOLLA! Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy JustLeadershipUSA Kings Against Violence Initiative Lineage Project
Make the Road New York New York Peace Institute Osborne Association Partnership with Children Project EATS Reconnect Red Hook Initiative Resilience Advocacy Project Sadie Nash Leadership Project Safe Passage Sanctuary for Families Sweet River Consulting Teachers Unite Theatre of the Oppressed NYC Truthworker Theatre Company Turning Point Brooklyn United Community Centers UPROSE Urban Youth Collaborative Young New Yorkers Youth Advocacy Corps YWCA Brooklyn
Community Healthcare Network Council of Peoples Organization Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York DRUM, Desis Rising up and Moving Emma’s Torch Enlace Equality for Flatbush Faith in New York Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Laundry Workers Center Legal Aid Society Make the Road New York
Mixteca New Sanctuary Coalition New York Communities for Change New York Immigration Coalition OCA-NY Asian Pacific American Advocates Queer Detainee Empowerment Project Safe Horizon, Immigration Law Project The New American Leaders Project United Chinese Association of Brooklyn UnLocal Womankind
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FUND Adhikaar Arab American Association of NY Arab American Family Support Center Atlas: DIY Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services Black Alliance for Just Immigration Black Women’s Blueprint Brandworkers Brooklyn Defender Services Center for Anti-Violence Education Center for Family Life Chinese Staff and Workers' Association Chinese-American Planning Council Churches United for Fair Housing
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
INCUBATOR PROJECT Alex House Project Movement NetLab Youth Advocacy Corps
NEIGHBORHOOD STRENGTH Bethany United Methodist Church Haiti Cultural Exchange Repair the World NYC
SPARK PRIZE 2017-18 Spark Prize Winners: Cave Canem Foundation Center for Law and Social Justice Exalt Youth GRIOT Circle Red Hook Initiative 2017-18 Spark Prize Finalists: After Hours Project Arab American Family Support Center Atlas:DIY Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger Black Women’s Blueprint Brooklyn Community Housing and Services Girls For Gender Equity Groundswell Grow Brooklyn El Puente Participatory Budgeting Project Red Hook Community Justice Center Southside United HDFC – Los Sures United Community Centers Weeksville Heritage Center
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
CARLEY RONEY & DAVID LIU FOUNDERS, XOGROUP (THE KNOT, THE NEST, THE BUMP)
Why partner with the Foundation? We really want to support great social impact organizations and, as entrepreneurs, we know how hard it is to start and run an organization. We find Brooklyn Community Foundation to be lean and nimble! Why Brooklyn? Brooklyn is like Silicon Valley for nonprofits—a hotbed of innovation tackling so many of America’s biggest problems. We really believe the models born here will become the standard for all our big cities.
*Grants made as of June 1, 2018
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OUR DONORS IMPACT
To achieve a fair and just Brooklyn, our donors are mobilizing people, capital, and expertise through our Community Fund and Donor Advised Fund program. •• More than 600 donors contributed nearly $4 million to our Community Fund and Donor Advised Funds in 2017, fueling our strategic support to the organizations and initiatives featured throughout this report, as well as providing vital support to frontline nonprofits across our borough. •• Last year, our 50 Donor Advised Funds collectively distributed almost $2 million in grants—with more than 75% going to Brooklyn nonprofits. •• Led by the ideas and resources of our communities, our Community Fund distributed $3.5 million to 102 organizations taking on the most pressing issues of our time—from immigrant rights and racial justice, to youth-led movements and neighborhood stability. •• Thanks to the help of our donors, Brooklyn Community Foundation’s assets amount to more than $65 million. •• Our endowment ensures that 100% of every donation to our Community Fund goes directly to Brooklyn nonprofits.
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
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Our community of donors is committed to taking on Brooklyn’s challenges today while also fostering a powerful philanthropic resource for Brooklyn’s future. Donors who want to find out where giving is needed most in Brooklyn rely on us for our extensive engagement with communities, deep relationships with nonprofits, and our commitment to learning and growing our local expertise. Our donors tell us that we make charitable giving easy— whether they become co-investors in our Community Fund strategies, or make a long-term commitment to charitable giving in Brooklyn by creating and directing their own funds, using our Donor Advised Fund program.
OUR DONORS / INSIGHTS
SECTION
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
STEPHEN WARNKE PARTNER, ROPES & GRAY
Why Brooklyn Community Foundation?
What does giving in Brooklyn mean to you?
I was immediately taken by the vision for a Brooklyn-centric foundation that made strategic grants to the Brooklyn I’ve loved for almost 30 years. What about Brooklyn inspires you?
Protecting immigrant rights, fostering youth empowerment and racial justice, and supporting people who are emerging from the criminal justice system are my commitments. I like the Foundation’s thoughtful approach to using seed capital to reward neighborhood-focused organizations.
The neighborliness, the human scale, the grittiness, the diverse cultures, and the breadth of it. Brooklyn has 2.6 million people, and there are always new corners to discover.
What is one Brooklyn nonprofit you’d like others to know about? The Arab American Family Support Center
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT
DÉLANA R.A. DAMERON CO-FOUNDER, BLACK ART FUTURES FUND
Why did you start Black Art Futures Fund?
Why a DAF?
Black arts organizations contribute so much to the artistic and creative community at large, but are significantly underfunded. With encouragement from Shay Wafer (Executive Director of 651 ARTS), I felt that the fundraising and organizing skills I’d developed while working with and for several Black art organizations, and also as a Black artistic producer, could create the foundation for a force in Black arts funding.
I learned about DAFs through ALLINBKLYN (a women’s philanthropic initiative based at the Foundation), and was already familiar with the Foundation as a major funder of Brooklyn-based nonprofits. Additionally, several of my friends had begun giving circles after the 2016 election. BAFF is a hybrid of the DAF and giving circle models. What about Brooklyn excites you?
Why at the Foundation? BAFF could immediately impact clients and organizations in Brooklyn, so it was important to choose a partner that was local, already invested in the artistic community, and that would have a personal touch. Having the Foundation as the fund steward is a significant political statement in itself.
Finding a number of arts and culture opportunities literally outside my door was overwhelming when I first moved to Brooklyn. The arts are what keeps Brooklyn beautiful and important.
OUR DONORS
40 DONOR ADVISED FUNDS 1834 Project
John Raskin and Eric Schneider Fund
2x4 Charitable Fund
Jellyfish Fund
ALLINBKLYN
John & Tess McKellen Fund
Amelia and James Wilson Family Fund
Joseph Mohbat Memorial Fund
Andrew Kimball, Sarah Williams Fund
Jessie Streich-Kest Fund
Angeline Defiore Fund
Judy and Henri Gueron Family Fund
Anonymous
Kaye Family Charitable Fund
Barbara Edward Delsman and Alan M. Delsman Fund
Linda Epstein Memorial Foundation
Bee Raw – Save the Bees
Lynn M. Stirrup
Beacon Giving Group
Marti Family Fund
Black Arts Future Fund
The Moore Family Fund for Brooklyn
Brooklyn Branches Giving Circle
Mamie and Justin Stewart Family Fund
The Brock McGill Foundation
My Leap to Possible
Buckholz/Fontaine Fund
No Rest Until Success: The Dorine Robles Scholarship Fund
Carol Belt Memorial Fund
Pelican Foundation for Creative Education
Carey Butlien Memorial Fund
Roosevelt Family Fund
Catell Family Fund
Rossman Family Fund
Christopher P. Santoro Scholarship Fund
Silberman Family Fund
Darrow Family Fund
The Schwartz Family Foundation
Eichenthal Fellows Fund
Taylor Marriott Family Fund
Etsy Impact Fund
TJFJ Fund for Children
Fellerath Goodwin Fund
Whoriskey Donor Advised Fund
Fishman Family Fund
Yatrakis Family Fund
Franklin Stone and David Wenk Giraffe Fund Gueron-Strickland Family Fund
I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
*As of June 1, 2018
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
NICOLE GUERON & JUDY GUERON BCF BOARD MEMBER AND FOUNDING PARTNER, CLARICK GUERON REISBAUM LLP
How did you get involved with the Foundation? Nicole: Several years ago, as my financial advisor started talking to me about Donor Advised Funds, I remembered that Cecilia, whom I had gotten to know on the sidelines of our daughters’ soccer games, was now the Foundation’s president. The more I learned from her about the Foundation’s strategic plan and the impressive depth of its knowledge and expertise, the more I wanted to play a meaningful role. Judy: When I considered a Donor Advised Fund, I much preferred working with a community foundation that mobilizes resources with an understanding of the needs of local communities, rather than working with a big national foundation, as I’ve done before.
PRESIDENT EMERITA, MDRC
coincided with the Foundation’s, so as Nicole got involved, it became a perfect way to meld our interests. Nicole: For me, philanthropy is a mandate for living a moral life. It is integral to the impact I want to have in the world. Why Brooklyn Community Foundation? Nicole: The Foundation offers expertise about a place that I love and want to help, and a vital philanthropic vision of how to be an effective giver. Staff also bring attention to organizations you wouldn’t otherwise know about. Judy: The Foundation keeps words like “fair” and “just” at the forefront as Brooklyn rapidly changes. That’s very important to maintaining the soul of a very unique community.
What does philanthropy mean to your family? Judy: My husband and I have always viewed our resources in a multigenerational context. Our philanthropic interests
OUR DONORS
COMMUNITY FUND DONORS ABC Studios - Group Therapy Lucy Adams Reena Agrawal and Anjan Sahni Priya and Jai Agwrawal Alexandra Alger Myra Al-Rahim Elizabeth Andrews Anonymous Atlantic Philanthropies Employee Designated Gift Fund Jessika and Jonathan Auerbach Bonnie August and John Mogulescu Isabelle Autones and Francis Greenburger David Badal Helene Banks and Michael Cioffi BDT & Company Tamara and Gregory Belinfanti Alan Beller Valerie Berlin Therese Bernbach Adele Bernhard and Peter Neufeld Martha Berry and Curtis Cravens Allegra Blackburn Dwyer and John O’Neill John Born Jaclyn Brilliant and Anthony Jenks Bert Brodsky Brooklyn Hospital Foundation Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Brooklyn Community Services Julie Buck Mark Buller Francesca and Joshua Carson Constance Christensen Eunu Chun Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Coleman Family Charitable Foundation Marjorie T. and William R. Coleman Continental Grain Foundation James Cornell Cathy Cramer Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School Crossfit South Brooklyn Cullen and Dykman LLP Katharine and Peter Darrow Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Bill Derrough and Alvaro Derrough-Salas Katharine and Rohit Desai Laura Dillon Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust Rachel Doud and Miles Farmer Melissa Dougherty Dunn Development Corp. Sarah Durham and Craig Winer Herbert Eilberg Jennifer and Steven Eisenstadt I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
Ernst & Young Nicola and Andrew Fabens Carolyn Fast and Michael Tiger Sharon Fay and Maxine Schaffer David Feinberg Wendy Feuer Alan and Judith Fishman Tom Flaschen Steven Flax Lizanne Fontaine and Robert Buckholz Blake and Andrew Foote Forest City Ratner Companies Ellen Freudenheim Paul Fribourg Claire Galland and Stanford Brent Dawn-Marie Gentile Betsy and Larry Gile Michael Gillespie and Lauren Glant Amy Glosser and John Lieber GM Advisory Group, Inc. Goldman, Sachs & Co. Louise Goodsill and Martin Auerbach Anne Gorrissen Alice and Robin Griffiths Stephanie and Jay Gromek Michael Gross Nicole Gueron and Carter Strickland Karoly and Henry Gutman Erika Halstead Ellen and Scott Hand Michael Hartman Gary Hattem and Frazier Holloway Susan Herman and Jeremy Travis Amy Herzig Ralph Herzka High Maintenance HGMT, Inc. Jared Hiller Mary Hilles Rachel Hines and Michael Cembalest Hofstra University Peter Huelster Richard Hulbert F. Paula Ingram The J.M. Kaplan Fund Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation Babbie Jacobs Zul and Melissa Jamal Sarah James and Stuart Farr Anne January and Paul Van Horn JPMorgan Chase Genevieve Kahr and Daniel Freedberg Julia Kahr Martha Kamber Mamie Kanfer Stewart and Justin Stewart Mara and Jason Kanner Rachel Karliner and Neil Binder Susan Kath
A Kid Like Jake Productions, Inc Kirkland & Ellis LLP Michele Kirschbaum Emily and Michael Kirven Matthew Klein David Kramer Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte Tracy and Douglas Larson Virginia Lawrence Jonathan Levitsky Gwen Libstag Judith and Jonathan Lief Elizabeth and Matt Luckett William M. Lynch Jennifer Magida Elizabeth Mallow and Jeremy Robbins Susan and Kenneth Mandelbaum Mozhan Marno Leslie Marshall and Mauro Premutico Caroline Marshall Harsha and Meera Marti Amani Martin Jimena Martinez and Michael Hirschhorn Mary J. Hutchins Foundation Diane and Adam Max Ciara McCarthy Pamela and Joseph McCarthy Depelsha and David McGruder Melanie and Samuel McKnight Rebecca Mead Meeteor LLC Alison Melick and Duncan Kruse Noa Meyer and Edward Minoff Richard W. and Barbara Moore The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund Joshua Muss National Grid Network for Good The New York Academy of Sciences Erika Nijenhuis North Star Fund Jennifer and Sean O’Neal Andrea Phillips Abigail Pohlman and Kenan Arkan Karlu Rambhala Dana Rathkopf and Daniel Hunter Catherine and John Redpath Susan and Peter Restler Richmond County Savings Foundation Susan and William Rifkin Ronnie and Dean Ringel Daniel Rocha Jennifer and Sean Rodgers Carley Roney and David Liu Constance and Theodore Roosevelt Eliza and Jim Rossman
Lisa and Daniel Roth Robert Rubin Richard Russo Ruth Jones Casey Foundation Constance and John Sargent Thomas Sauermilch Anne and Anthony Schlesinger Nancy Schuh Gabriel Schwartz and Jolie Curtsinger Schwartz Amarah Sedreddine Shannon Selden Wendy and Stephen Shalen Carla Shen and Christopher Schott Holly Sidford and John Englund Marla Simpson Catherine Sloane Eric Slovin Joanna and Ian Smith Patrick Snee Margo Levine and Robert I. Cantor Susan Sommer and Stephen Warnke Kevin Stayton Diane and Joseph Steinberg Stop & Stor Charitable Fund Susannah Taylor and Phil Marriott TD Bank Tupper W. Thomas Aaliyah Thompson Pat and Ed Travaglianti Andrew Vickers Viking Global Foundation, Inc Rebecca and Michael Voorwinde Mordecai Walfish The Warburg Pincus Foundation Eric Wedel Earl Weiner Allison Weisberg Weissberg Foundation Claudia and Edward Weissberg Jonathan Weld Susan and Neil Whoriskey Sarah Williams and Andrew Kimball Sally Williams-Allen and Wids DeLaCour Emilie Williams Daniel Williams Doug Wingo Joanne Witty and Eugene Keilin Ted Wolff John Wright and Regina Woods Melanie and Andrew Wright Rudolph Wynter Richard Yancey Allison and Benjamin Yarrow Barbara and Michael Zimmerman This list reflects all donors who contributed $250 or more to our Community Fund from January 1 to December 31, 2017. We make every effort to list names correctly and apologize for any errors or omissions. Please contact our Donor Services team with any corrections at 718.480.7500.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
RUDY WYNTER
PRESIDENT & COO, FERC REGULATED BUSINESS & NEW ENERGY SOLUTIONS, NATIONAL GRID
Why did you get involved with the Foundation? I wanted to get involved in driving change and policy with targeted investments where I live and work. I just think that New York City can’t be great if Brooklyn isn’t great. What about Brooklyn inspires you? The rhythm here is very different than in Manhattan or any other big city. The diversity of people and neighborhoods is fascinating. Favorite Brooklyn spot?
Prospect Park. O U R SDEOCNTO RN S IO
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I N S I G H T S T O I M PA C T
MISSION
BROOKLYN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IS ON A MISSION TO SPARK LASTING SOCIAL CHANGE, MOBILIZING PEOPLE, CAPITAL , AND EXPERTISE FOR A FAIR AND JUST BROOKLYN.
INSIGHTS TO IMPACT REPORT 2018 WRITING: MARIA YLVISAKER AND LIANE STEGMAIER CONTENT STRATEGY AND EDITING: CHARLOTTE ABBOTT PHOTOGRAPHY: NATALIE KEYSSAR AND JEYHOUN ALLEBAUGH/INSPIRED STORYTELLERS INFOGRAPHICS: CARL FERRERO DESIGN: BRITT BOYD
“IT’S A GREAT RELIEF THAT SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS DO SUCH VALUABLE WORK IN BROOKLYN'S MOST CHALLENGED NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES. IT'S ALSO REALLY MOTIVATING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING RIGHT IN MY OWN BACKYARD.” “BROOKLYN HAS LOTS OF AGITATORS, INSTIGATORS, AND INNOVATORS. THE CHALLENGE IS NOT ONLY TO SUPPORT ONE, TWO OR THREE ORGANIZATIONS, BUT FOR A FUNDER AND/OR SYSTEM TO SUPPORT SHARED AND COORDINATED WORK AMONG THESE ORGANIZATIONS, TO HAVE AN EVEN GREATER IMPACT ON IMPROVING THE LIVES OF BROOKLYNITES.” “I’VE LIVED IN CROWN HEIGHTS MOST OF MY LIFE. SO I AM VERY CONSCIOUS OF HOW AM I HELPING TO MIRROR AND REPRESENT THE KIND OF FUNDING PROCESS THAT I THINK HAS INTEGRITY, THAT IS IMPACTFUL, THAT MAKES SENSE, THAT IS DEFENSIBLE.” “IN THIS APPROACH, RESIDENTS ARE INVOLVED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. IT’S NOT THE FOUNDATION MAKING DECISIONS FROM THE TOP DOWN AND DETERMINING WHAT PRIORITIES ARE GOING TO BE.” “I LOVE BEING ABLE TO INTERACT WITH OTHER YOUTH WHO ARE FROM BROOKLYN, AND TO SHARE MY IDEAS FOR THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS TO LISTEN TO THE IDEAS OF MY PEERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING CHANGE.” “WHAT I LOVE ABOUT BEING A YOUTH FELLOW IS THE CULTIVATED AND TANGIBLE SENSE OF PRIDE AROUND THE WORK THAT WE DO.” “TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE DIRECTED BY THE MINDS OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE IS REMARKABLE. IT GIVES ME BOTH RESPONSIBILITY AND POWER IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, WHICH AS YOUNG PEOPLE WE AREN'T GIVEN IN OTHER AREAS OF OUR LIVES, EVEN IF WE ARE EXPERTS.” “IT'S REALLY DOPE TO MANAGE GRANTS BECAUSE [THE GRANTEES] REMIND YOU A LOT OF YOURSELF OR IDEAS YOU MAY HAVE. I KNOW FOR A FACT I WANNA BE A FELLOW AGAIN, TO HELP MAKE DREAMS INTO REALITY.” “I LIKE THAT THERE’S A SAFE SPACE THAT I CAN COME TO—ANOTHER COMMUNITY, ANOTHER FAMILY THAT I CAN RELATE WITH, AND SHARE MY EXPERIENCES WITH. THERE’S NO OTHER PROGRAM LIKE THIS, CONNECTING YOUTH WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS. THE DIVERSITY IS AWESOME!”