Brooklyn Org on Friday announced the first round of grants under its “Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn” campaign to 12 nonprofits working to protect families and protect rights in Brooklyn communities.
Each organization is receiving $40,000 general operating support grants to strengthen the essential services they provide to Brooklyn communities, which have been impacted by federal policy changes over the past year.
The campaign seeks to meet growing community needs amid federal funding cuts, escalating immigration enforcement, and restrictions on programs and services for marginalized communities, officials said. The effort aims to raise $5 million over the course of the year to expand Brooklyn Org’s strategic community-led grantmaking by 25%, directing more resources to critical frontline nonprofits residents rely on.
“Brooklyn’s strength comes from neighbors caring for neighbors,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, president and chief executive officer of Brooklyn Org. “These organizations are trusted by the communities they serve—helping families stay stable, defending people’s rights, and making sure everyone can access critical services with dignity. We’re proud to stand with them.”
The nonprofits that received Protecting Families grants include:
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Arab American Family Support Center - Provides cultural, linguistic, and trauma-informed social services to immigrant and refugee families through adult education, youth enrichment, legal support, mental health counseling, and support enrolling in benefits and navigating critical services.
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Center for Family Life - Provides culturally responsive services by pairing counseling and cultural programming with employment support, benefits access, emergency food services, and school-based youth and family programming for immigrant communities.
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Coney Island Lighthouse Mission - Provides a vital safety net in Coney Island by delivering reliable food pantry services for thousands of families each month, while also offering benefits navigation and afterschool support for children in a community with limited nearby services.
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Council of Peoples Organization - Supports South Brooklyn’s South Asian and Muslim immigrant families with case management that connects neighbors to benefits, emergency food, and mental health services, alongside immigration legal support and ESL and citizenship classes.
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Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation - Serves as an essential neighborhood anchor in Cypress Hills and East New York, connecting families to childcare, youth programming, food access, and health supports through community centers and place-based services that reduce gaps in the local safety net.
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Flatbush Development Corporation - Helps Flatbush and East Flatbush families weather rising costs by offering emergency food assistance, benefits and case management support, tenant organizing through the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, and small business help that strengthens local stability.
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Power of Two - Provides parenting programs and resources that help caregivers tap into their inherent potential to parent sensitively and nurture their children’s developing brains during the first 1,000 days of life, working to interrupt intergenerational trauma and reduce adverse childhood experiences.
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Red Hook Initiative - Connects Red Hook youth and families to pathways for stability through workforce development, community building programs, afterschool activities, and benefits case management that helps neighbors access resources and plan for the future.
Nonprofits that received Protecting Rights grants include:
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LiveOn NY – Mobilizes a membership network of over 100 aging and senior service organizations to strengthen services older New Yorkers rely on—from senior centers and home-delivered meals to caregiver support and affordable housing—while advocating for city and state funding that helps Brooklyn elders age equitably and with dignity.
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Brooklyn Defender Services – Represents Brooklyn residents in criminal and family court while providing wraparound immigration and civil legal services, pairing public defense representation with advocacy work to protect families and address the ripple effects of system involvement.
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New York Immigration Coalition – Builds collective power for immigrant communities by coordinating a statewide network of over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups advancing campaigns for access to representation, expanded healthcare coverage, and lasting protections for Brooklyn residents facing rising enforcement and instability.
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Osborne Association – Supports justice-impacted Brooklynites rebuild their lives through reentry planning, housing and benefits navigation, employment support, and family reunification services, while advocating to reduce the barriers people face after incarceration.
