Brooklyn Communities Collaborative Awards Nearly $1M in Grants to Community-Based Organizations Combatting the Pandemic

Grants from BCC’s Strong Communities Fund will support COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts

Brooklyn, NY (November 17, 2021) – Today, Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC) – a non-profit focused on strengthening health, leadership, and economic mobility across Brooklyn communities – announced nearly $1M in grants to 14 community-based organizations (CBOs) working to improve outreach around and access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines. 

This funding is the second round of grants that BCC has distributed through its Strong Communities Fund. Since its inception in 2020, the Fund has provided a total of almost $4M to CBOs serving Brooklyn neighborhoods and residents most impacted by COVID-19.

The grants, totaling $957,000, will be distributed to the following organizations:

  • Arab-American Family Support Center: $75,000 for vaccination and testing education through in-person and virtual outreach, digital media, mobile vaccine units, and appointment registration.
  • Alex House Project: $75,000 for vaccination and testing outreach through tabling in public parks and facilitated virtual sessions with BIPOC physicians.
  • Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health: $74,987 for expansion of their project that provides vaccination and testing information to barbershops, hair salons, and faith-based organizations.
  • Bay Ridge Center: $74,826 to connect individuals to vaccination through outreach programs, flyers, and posters.
  • Brownsville Community Development Corporation: $75,000 for monthly vaccination pop-up events at schools, churches, and public housing developments focusing on the adolescent community.
  • Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, Inc.: $75,000 for phone outreach, social media outreach, virtual events, and in person vaccination event.
  • Brooklyn Perinatal Network: $100,000 to develop a cohort of community health advocates providing interactive training sessions on COVID-19 safety and prevention.
  • Chinese-American Planning Council: $55,000 to increase vaccination and testing rates in South Brooklyn via information flyers, town halls, and mobile vaccine units.
  • Christopher Rose Community Empowerment Campaign: $60,000 to conduct vaccination and testing outreach at community events and follow up with vaccinated clients directly.
  • Elite Learners: $55,382 to host virtual vaccination and testing information sessions and mobile vaccine unit events.
  • Exalt Youth: $75,000 for a workshop series providing youth with vaccination and testing materials.
  • Haitian Americans United for Progress: $67,050 to conduct vaccination and testing outreach and educational activities at community events.
  • Haitian Centers Council: $62,755 for a wellness expo and social media promotion that will address vaccine hesitancy, offer navigation support for obtaining the vaccine and vaccine boosters, and provide culturally appropriate education about vaccine facts, transmissibility, and general information about COVID-19.
  • Neighborhood Technical Assistance Clinic: $32,000 to increase vaccination rates through digital media and information sessions with partner faith-based organizations.

“We are thrilled to support the critical work of community-based organizations promoting COVID-19 testing and vaccination through the Strong Communities Fund,” said Shari Suchoff, Executive Director of Brooklyn Communities Collaborative. “These organizations are working in innovative and creative ways to meet the needs of diverse communities across Brooklyn that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We look forward to supporting their efforts and working together to end this pandemic.”

“We at Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc. (BPN) and also on behalf of Ft. Greene SNAP are happy to receive this Strong Communities Funding to help address the continued high rates of COVID-19 and low rates of vaccinations in our communities and in particular with the population we prioritize, which is perinatal and parenting women and their families. We are happy to partner with BCC in this endeavor and pleased that they are committed to send resources to community based organizations to do this important work”, said Ngozi Moses, Executive Director at Brooklyn Perinatal Network. 

“Funding from Brooklyn Communities Collaborative, BCID and our partner, Independence Care System, will get information out about why it makes sense to get the shot to disabled Brooklynites with accuracy and empathy,” said Joe Rappaport, executive director of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID). “We’re hoping to have a significant impact in our community and we’re pleased BCC is able to help so generously.” 

For more information about the BCC, please visit: https://brooklyncommunities.org/ 

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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 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. Visit https://brooklyncommunities.org/ for more information.

Media Contact: 

Katherine Kahley

[email protected]