Organizations serving populations most vulnerable to virus will receive funds and specialized support to maximize reach, capacity, and impact.
BROOKLYN, NY (April 23, 2020) Brooklyn-based nonprofit Brooklyn Communities Collaborative is investing $3 million to help community-based organizations (CBOs) and community projects serve the neediest Brooklynites affected by COVID-19. This Strong Communities Fund will target entities that may be overlooked by traditional funding sources. BCC will also support each grantee to maximize the reach of their services, build capacity, and track the use of funds to measure impact.
“Like others, we examined our work to determine how we could be most helpful. Fortunately, BCC’s structure allows us to quickly deliver aid and valuable, individual support because we already collaborate closely with those serving the most vulnerable,” said Dr. David I. Cohen, BCC Board Member and Executive Vice President of Population Health and Academic Affairs at Maimonides Medical Center. “Our healthcare institutions are providing critical care to patients, and the Strong Communities Fund will help ensure that CBOs can continue providing key services to keep people healthy.”
BCC works with over 100 community-based organizations that provide outreach and services to those who are vulnerable to food insecurity, limited access to healthcare, and homelessness. As the current pandemic exacerbates these issues, BCC’s Strong Communities Fund aims to protect these vulnerable individuals from becoming even more invisible.
“These funds are not a one-shot emergency infusion. They are part of building a post-COVID-19 Brooklyn that more justly allocates resources to its residents,” said Roger Green, BCC Board Member and former member of the New York State Assembly representing neighborhoods in Brooklyn. “NYC data shows that this virus is wreaking more havoc on black and Hispanic populations in low-income communities, where many of NYC and Brooklyn’s essential workers live. These funds will help protect those that are protecting us right now.”
“Community-based organizations are the lifeblood of our communities and provide critical services to those in need,” said Dr. Marilyn Fraser, BCC Board Member and CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. “The Strong Communities Fund will provide much needed funding, coordination, and support to our communities during this critical time.”
For more information, please visit https://www.brooklyncommunities.org/.
About Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC)
BCC is a New York State not-for-profit focused on strengthening health, wealth and leadership in Brooklyn communities. Leveraging the power of anchor institutions and knowledge of community members, BCC convenes and supports stakeholders to collaborate, integrate services, build resources, and inform the policies and practices that most affect health and wellbeing. The Strong Communities Fund is one of BCC’s four interrelated key initiatives, which also include projects to expedite affordable housing, develop unionized cooperatives to supply anchor institutions, and coordinate care management and community efforts to connect Brooklynites to services.