Brooklyn Community Foundation Invests $2.5M in Youth Initiatives for 2017
Brooklyn Community Foundation is pleased to announce 67 new grants from its Invest in Youth initiative, bringing the institution’s total funding for youth-focused nonprofit initiatives to nearly $2.5 million in 2017.
Brooklyn Community Foundation—the first and only public charity dedicated to New York City’s largest borough—launchedInvest in Youth in 2015 as a 10-year, $25 million commitment to improving social and economic opportunities and outcomes for 16- to 24-year-olds, particularly young people of color, through grantmaking, strategic leadership initiatives, and direct engagement with youth.
“A more just and equitable future for Brooklyn depends upon investing in young people right now—especially young people of color, whose leadership and voice are critical levers for social change,” said Brooklyn Community Foundation President and CEO Cecilia Clarke. “Brooklyn’s youth are incredibly resilient, outspoken, courageous, and creative, despite systemic conditions that make them some of the most vulnerable young people in our nation. As we advance our commitment to supporting Brooklyn’s next generation of leaders, we are proud to fund these truly innovative, home-grown programs that are creating opportunities for young people to realize their fullest potential.”
In addition to the new grants, which total $2,150,000, the Invest in Youth initiative also provides funding for the Brooklyn Youth Fellowship youth-led grantmaking program and the Brooklyn Restorative Justice Project, which aims to develop a racially just alternative school disciplinary model in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the Mayor’s Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline...