Brooklyn Org on Wednesday announced the recipients of its 2026 Neighborhood Collective Impact Project funding, which supports community-focused programs.
Launched in 2024, the Neighborhood Collective Impact Project grew out of Brooklyn Org's borough-wide neighborhood Listening Tour, where residents consistently identified challenges including community health and wellness, youth opportunity, public safety, immigration support, and neighborhood connectivity. Rather than funding solutions developed from the top down, the initiative fosters and invests in collaborations between organizations already deeply rooted in their communities, empowering them to design and implement solutions that respond directly to local priorities.
Three projects, each involving at least two community-based nonprofits, will receive $25,000 grants to address local needs.
"Every neighborhood in Brooklyn is rich with people who understand both the challenges their communities face and the solutions that will make a difference," said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, president and chief executive officer of Brooklyn Org. "The Neighborhood Collective Impact Project funding builds collaboration among existing organizations already serving the same communities, to bring residents together, strengthen the social fabric, and create solutions that reflect the assets and aspirations of their communities."
The 2026 Neighborhood Collective Impact Project recipients are:
Anti-Violence Workshops for Youth and Families in East Flatbush
Neighborhoods: East Flatbush; Flatbush; Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Nonprofit Partners: The Center for Anti-Violence Education and Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project
The Anti-Violence Workshops for Youth and Families is a public programming initiative led by the Center for Anti-Violence Education and the Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project. The initiative provides Haitian youth and their families with workshops and tools focused on safety and violence prevention. Programming includes Empowerment Self-Defense workshops, safety trainings, and violence intervention and prevention sessions, as well as a year-long Peer Educators program that offers opportunities for connection, skill-building, advocacy, healing, access to mental health resources, and professional development.
Bed-Stuy University
Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant
Nonprofit Partners: Magnolia Tree Earth Center and Liminal
The Bed-Stuy University is a collaborative project by Magnolia Tree Earth Center and Liminal that envisions a neighborhood-based platform for skill-building, housing stabilization, and cultural preservation. Responding to rising costs and displacement in Bed-Stuy, the project positions the Magnolia Tree Earth Center as the hub for this community-driven “university.” During this incubation phase, the initiative will engage youth and residents in developing foundational skills in spatial design, construction, real estate literacy, and experiential marketing, while building a network of residents, homeowners, and local businesses.
D13 Teach Fabulous! Family Engagement Initiative
Neighborhoods: Brooklyn's Community School District 13, including Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and surrounding communities
Nonprofit Partners: MJR Love and PFLAG NYC
The Teach Fabulous! Family Engagement Initiative will support the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ families, caregivers, and young people across District 13. Through workshops, caregiver support circles, and the development of culturally responsive resources, the initiative will help address isolation and strengthen support systems for Black and brown LGBTQ+ families. The project builds on existing work in schools to create safer, more inclusive environments for students and families.
