Brooklyn Communities Collaborative aims to address systemic causes of poor health by supporting programs that strengthen communities and community-based resources.
BROOKLYN, NY (July 23, 2020) Today, Brooklyn Communities Collaborative announced over $755,000 in grants to community-based organizations and programs serving Brooklyn residents. The grant recipients are:
These grants were made possible through BCCs Strong Communities Fund. The Strong Communities Fund seeks to ensure equitable access to care, social services, and economic development opportunities in Brooklyn, during and after the COVID-19 crisis, which has heightened health and safety risks for the poor, hungry, homeless, and other vulnerable populations. The fund is specifically seeking applications from organizations that may have been overlooked by other funding sources.
With this round of grants, BCC has awarded nearly half ($1,332,140) of the $3 million available through the Fund. Additional applications continue to be processed on a rolling basis, and can be submitted here.
COVID-19 has only exacerbated existing problems around food insecurity and healthy food access that members of our communities have long experienced, said Kathy Soll, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Teens for Food Justice. Teens for Food Justice is proud to work with our partners to combat these issues with affordable, SNAP-accessible weekly food boxes. Each box contains enough food to feed two people for a week, and our distributions include SNAP registration to help more residents access healthy food. We are grateful for the generous support of BCC and to our partners for helping make the program possible.
“BCC’s support represents a crucial investment in grassroots change agents. By funding and working with community-based organizations, BCC places community action at the center of their model aimed at addressing systemic conditions that lead to disparities such as food insecurity and access to healthcare,” said Renee D. Muir, Director of Development and Community Relations for BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers.
About Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC)
BCC is a New York State 501(c)(3) 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 BCCs 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.
About Teens for Food Justice
Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit galvanizing a youth-led food justice movement working to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to fresh, healthy food and to end the cycle of health complications dramatically and unequally impacting low income New Yorkers of color. TFFJ works within Title I middle and high schools in food deserts, training students to maintain indoor hydroponic farms growing thousands of pounds of produce annually that is served at school lunch and distributed to surrounding communities. Further, students learn nutrition and health skills to share with peers/neighbors, empowering them to lead themselves and others towards healthier futures.
About Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), the nations first community development corporation, established by Senators Jacob Javits and Robert F. Kennedy, partners with residents and businesses to improve the quality of life of Central Brooklyn by fostering economic self-sufficiency, enhancing family stability and growth, promoting the arts and culture and transforming the neighborhood into a safe, vibrant place to live, work and visit. Since 1967, Restoration has constructed or renovated 2,300 units of affordable housing; provided $60 million in mortgage financing to nearly 1,500 homeowners; attracted more than $500 million in investments to Central Brooklyn; placed over 24,000 youth and adults in jobs; and catalyzed physical and economic improvements. Currently, we serve more than 50,000 people annually through Restorations programs and facilities. Restoration Plaza, the town hall of Central Brooklyn, receives more than 1.5 million visits per year related to arts, education, community engagement, nonprofit services and commerce.
About I AM GYM FOUNDATION
The I AM GYM (Great Young Minds) FOUNDATION INC. was founded in 2018, with a mission of leading the community in health–mentally, physically, and financially. Our organization seeks to reduce the rates of violence among youth by promoting a healthy lifestyle, providing youth with skills to manage their emotions constructively, promote youth leadership where youth work as peer mentors to younger youth and entrepreneurship development to expose youth to opportunities to provide a living wage for themselves. This system aims to transform the lives of at-risk youth who may be exposed to violence/the justice system.
About Brooklyn Community Services
The mission of Brooklyn Community Services is to empower Brooklyn residents to maximize their full potential. We strengthen families, educate children, and help adults dealing with poverty, homelessness, mental illness, or disabilities become self-sufficient. Together we partner with our community to ensure opportunities for all to access an excellent education, job opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and quality and affordable health care and wellness programs.
About Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Healths (AAIUH) mission is to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for underserved groups; its vision is the development of an equitable healthcare system that reduces health disparities, improves outcomes for underserved communities of color, and better prepares a more diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce.
About NADAP
NADAP’s portfolio of comprehensive services reflects our mission of Empowering Individuals and Strengthening Communities through Healthcare and Employment. Founded in 1971, NADAP is a private nonprofit organization that serves residents of the New York City metropolitan area. NADAP initially developed with a focus on providing holistic services including employment readiness, job placement, and retention services for people in recovery from substance use disorders (SUD). Over the past 50 years, NADAP has significantly expanded its service portfolio to respond to the broader needs of New Yorkers struggling with behavioral and physical health conditions as well as poverty and lack of social capital. Today, NADAP operates a full range of wraparound services and programs including SUD assessment and case management, Health Home Care Coordination, comprehensive employment services for those with barriers to employment, and health insurance navigation and enrollment.