Brooklyn Org, a partner and platform for giving in Brooklyn, on Wednesday announced the five winners of the 2025 Brooklyn Org Spark Prize for outstanding nonprofits advancing racial justice.
The winners are Brooklyn Book Bodega, Brownsville Community Culinary Center, Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS), Good Call and Technology for Families in Need.
Each of the five nonprofits will receive a $100,000 ‘no strings attached’ grant and will be honored at the Brooklyn Org Spark Breakfast on Feb. 25 at Barclays Center, according to a press release.
“The five organizations receiving the 2025 Brooklyn Org Spark Prize represent the very best of Brooklyn: they're deeply rooted in our communities, led by passionate changemakers, and working tirelessly to create a more equitable borough for all," said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, president and chief executive officer of Brooklyn Org. “From expanding access to books and culinary training to providing emergency legal support and access to essential resources like food, shelter, and technology, each of this year’s winners exemplify Brooklyn's spirit of innovation and commitment to justice.”
The 2025 Spark Prize winners are:
Brooklyn Book Bodega
Founded in 2019 to provide access to and ownership of books, build community, and create a passion for learning in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bodega's mission is to increase the number of 100+ book homes for kids 0-18 in NYC. They bring neighbors together through free events and literacy-based community programming. The organization partners with volunteers who bring books to places where they live and work and play. Brooklyn Book Bodega collaborates with local educators, city officials, and community-based organizations to ensure that literacy is layered into social and family services.
The Brownsville Community Culinary Center
Founded in 2015 to increase access to healthy food, nutritional education and career and personal development opportunities, the Center provides free culinary vocational training to Brownsville residents through its culinary training program. The Center’s multi-week culinary workshops provide neighborhood youth with the opportunity to learn culinary skills alongside industry professionals. And it provides a safe, comfortable space where neighbors can access fresh, healthy, affordable and culturally-relevant foods.
Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS)
Founded in 1971 as a literal “soup kitchen” serving hot soup to vulnerable residents of Park Slope/Gowanus out of a storefront on Sixth Avenue in Brooklyn, CHiPS has been providing a welcoming space for people experiencing food insecurity by serving hot meals at its current location on Fourth Avenue since 1976. In addition, CHiPS launched a a pantry program in 2008, and a breakfast program in 2016. All CHiPS food services maintain a policy of feeding “anyone who comes to our door”, without asking for any form of identification or “proof of need.” In 1999, CHiPS’ services expanded with the establishment of the Frances Residence, which provides fully furnished studio apartments to single, expectant and new mothers and their young children.
Good Call
Good call was founded in 2016 with the aim of leveraging technology to address the challenges faced by low-income New Yorkers in the criminal justice system. Born from extensive research and collaboration with communities heavily affected by policing, especially in Brooklyn, Good Call has become a pivotal resource. Good Call has provided access to early legal intervention for more than 10,000 individuals from marginalized communities facing excessive and unnecessary arrests and unfair treatment by the criminal justice system, dramatically impacting the trajectory of their cases and disrupting the cycle of mass incarceration.
Technology for Families in Need (TechFIN)
In 2013, Shadan Deleveaux and Nigel Frankson co-founded Technology for Families in Need (TechFIN) with a vision to close the digital divide. Growing up without home computers, both experienced the challenges of limited access to technology. Later, while working in corporate environments, they saw companies upgrading employee computers every two to three years, leaving perfectly functional devices unused. This stark contrast inspired the creation of TechFIN, which has since provided thousands of refurbished computers to low-income families across New York City, empowering them with the tools needed to succeed in today’s digital age.
Nigel Frankson, the co-founder for Families in Need, said the grant will help change the lives of many Brooklyn children.
"The Brooklyn Org Spark Prize will allow us to help transform the lives of moms who cannot fully access job opportunities or health care services and their kids who are forced to complete homework assignments on their phone all because they don’t have a computer in the home," Frankson said.
Brooklyn is home to hundreds of nonprofits led by and serving communities of color that are often overlooked by the city’s philanthropic sector and wealthy donors. The Spark Prize has invested over $4.8 million to date in 40 winners and 160 finalists, to spotlight organizations in the borough, while emphasizing the need to provide general operating support that gives nonprofits the flexibility and resources they need to serve their communities and grow.
Tickets for the Spark Breakfast on Feb. 25 are on sale now at brooklyn.org/sparkprize.
