BCC Reaches $3M Goal to Support Local Non-Profits During Pandemic

(Brooklyn, N.Y.) – Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC) announced today that it has reached the goal of investing $3 million to support local non-profits during the pandemic, providing critical funding to ensure they could continue to serve the communities most impacted by COVID-19.

The final set of grants, totaling just over $700,000, was distributed to the following organizations:

• United Community Centers, a social justice-driven community center that works to address community challenges, was awarded $125,000.
• YWCA of Brooklyn, a social justice organization that works to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, has been awarded $100,000.
• Camp Friendship, a year-round facility dedicated to supporting and encouraging childhood development, was awarded $75,600.
• Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, which works to empower persons with disabilities by improving their quality of life and fostering their integration into the mainstream of society, was awarded $63,173.
• Center for Community Alternatives, which works to engage incarcerated youth while also pursuing criminal justice reform in New York City, was awarded $55,000.
• Sadie Nash Leadership Project, a social justice education organization that builds college and career readiness for young women and gender-expansive youth in New York City, was awarded $54,850.
• Madison Square Boys and Girls Club, which engages local youth in recreational and vocational programs and serves under-resourced communities, was awarded $50,075.
• Qualitas of Life Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial education to Hispanic individuals and their families to foster their financial security and improve their standard of living, was awarded $50,000.
• Her Village, which distributes essential items like diapers, wipes, infant formula, and period supplies to sex trafficking survivors, domestic violence survivors, teen mothers, criminal justice-involved youth and families living in shelters, was awarded $40,920.
• Kings County Tennis League, which serves children living in and around public housing by using tennis and off-court educational activities as instruments for youth development, was awarded $35,000.
• Seeds in the Middle, which works to fight obesity and combat health disparities in schools, was awarded $35,000.
• Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn DMA, which supports a vibrant neighborhood commercial corridor that serves a diverse community of property owners, businesses, residents, workers, and visitors by maintaining a clean and safe environment, building community, and engaging with community residents, was awarded $14,000.
• Brooklyn Book Bodega, which provides access to books through free community events and literacy-based community programming to create a passion for learning, was awarded $10,000.
• First Tech Fund, which works to close the digital divide by supporting students of underserved backgrounds with technology, practical skills, and opportunities to succeed in the modern world, was awarded $10,000.

“We have all lived through one of the most challenging periods in recent history, with social injustices and the pandemic. With the devastating impact of COVID on Black and brown communities, at two times the rate of their white counterparts, we knew we had to act and act quickly,” said Marilyn Fraser, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and BCC Board Member. “We began this journey to give $3 million to Brooklyn’s non-profits, knowing that these incredible organizations would continue to work every day to make this borough and our residents better. While we acknowledge that there is much more to be done, we are encouraged that we were able to assist in some way. We have felt the generosity of our community-based organizations during these challenging times, and have experienced their light as we look to recover.”

"The Strong Communities Fund's generous grant will cover the next six months of operation for our Community Health Worker program, which connects peer counselors to other disabled people in Brooklyn. It comes at the exact right time since we had exhausted other funding for the program," said Joe Rappaport, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID). "With the Fund's support, we'll help our participants emerge from the pandemic with a better quality of life so they can continue to live independently."

"We are very excited to receive BCC's grant. This opportunity will allow us to help Hispanic women in Brooklyn recover from the COVID-19 crisis, introducing them to new opportunities through financial education and bringing them closer to financial stability to improve their standard of living," said Myriam E. Rebling, Executive Director of Qualitas of Life.

“Center for Community Alternatives staff have worked tirelessly amid the ongoing public health crisis to support young Brooklynites, particularly those impacted by the criminal legal system,” said Nancy Mortell, Director of Resource Development at The Center for Community Alternatives. “This generous grant will bolster our efforts to support Brooklyn youth by providing resources to support youth returning to the community from detention and assist vaccination efforts in Brooklyn communities heavily impacted by COVID as well as increase access to sexual health education and menstrual hygiene products for youth in need. We are so pleased to be able to provide these critical services with the support of the Brooklyn Communities Collaborative.”

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About Brooklyn Communities Collaborative

Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC) is a not-for-profit based in New York that works with local institutions and stakeholders to address longstanding health inequities in the borough. BCC was founded in 2019 with the goal of leveraging the financial power of anchor institutions and community resources to address the economic factors that improve the social determinants of health -- whether it's supporting housing stability, advancing economic empowerment, expanding care management services, or strengthening CBOs in the area. BCC's innovative, student-led research studies target historically underserved communities throughout the borough to identify challenges and concerns raised by residents, using that information to inform stakeholders and organizations on solutions. BCC builds upon years of collaborative efforts with anchor institutions and community partners in Brooklyn, which have helped connect 80,000 complex-need patients to care management services, produce 30,000 pounds of fresh produce annually, and develop 3,400 units of housing.