Brooklyn Non-Profit Awards $150,000 in COVID-19 Grants

New York, N.Y. – Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC) announced today that it has awarded $150,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving Brooklynites most affected by COVID-19. These grants were awarded through BCC’s Strong Communities Fund, which targets community- based organizations and community projects in the borough that may be overlooked by traditional funding sources. With these new grants, BCC has awarded a total of $2 million in grants to fight the pandemic since March.

This new round of grantmaking will be distributed to the following Brooklyn based organizations:

• FAN4Kids – FAN4Kids provides a comprehensive and innovative nutrition and fitness program designed to introduce children to a lifetime of healthy living. This new funding will support in-person and virtual physical fitness and nutrition classes for students at two elementary schools in Brownsville and East New York.

• Neighborhood Technical Assistance Clinic (NTAC) – NTAC helps grassroots organizations improve their programs and organizational effectiveness in addressing the needs of low-income communities. This new funding will support creation of a network of black clergy women, who are frontline support to community members during the COVID-19 crisis and a resource guide with different community resources.

• Reaching out Community Services, Inc. – Reaching out Community Services, Inc. is fighting to eliminate hunger across the five boroughs. This new funding will cover food pantry, personnel, and administrative costs to address food insecurity by providing Brooklynites with a food pantry model that allows them to "shop" for the goods they need, instead of receiving prepacked items.

"The COVID-19 pandemic's impact has been felt across New York and Brooklyn – but the human and economic costs have hit historically overlooked communities even harder. Since March, we've committed to closing the longstanding health and economic inequities that plague our society. Our Strong Communities Fund ensures that we enhance services for those affected by these inequities with innovative programs sourced through local communities. There is so much more work to do, but we look forward to working with these incredible organizations in the months ahead to ensure that Brooklynites live longer and healthier lives," said Marilyn Fraser, MD, CEO of Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and Brooklyn Communities Collaborative Board Member.

“FAN4Kids is honored and proud to partner with the Brooklyn Communities Collaborative Strong Communities Fund in an effort to educate, empower and improve health within the Brooklyn communities we serve. It’s never been more urgent and vital to expand our fitness and nutrition program to more children and families, especially since over 90% of population we serve is black and brown -- communities which experience greater health disparities, most recently highlighted in the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Robert L. Oliver Jr., CEO of FAN4Kids.

“For over 25 years, our organization has primarily worked to build capacity of nonprofit organizations. During the past 10 years, our work has shifted to support faith-based institutions as well. The Strong Communities Fund will enable Neighborhood Technical Assistance Clinic (NTAC) to create a sacred space for clergy women who are senior pastors to support, engage, and fellowship with each other. Clergy women will be able to build their capacity to create community change and survival during COVID. We believe clergy women are indeed first responders during any neighborhood crisis but they also require support as caregivers. This fund will help NTAC identify and establish a borough network of clergy women leading Brooklyn churches,” said Rev. Dr. Valerie Oliver-Durrah, President of NTAC.

“The Strong Communities Fund Grant is a lifeline for the continuation of providing hope and relief to our neighbors in need,” said Thomas Neve, President and Executive Director of Reaching out Community Services, Inc.

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About Brooklyn Communities Collaborative

Brooklyn Communities Collaborative is a not-for-profit based in New York that works with local institutions and stakeholders to address longstanding health inequities in the borough. BCC was founded last year with the goal of leveraging the economic power of anchor institutions and community resources to address the economic factors that improve the social determinants of health -- whether it's supporting housing stability, advancing economic empowerment, expanding care management services, or strengthening CBOs in the area. BCC's innovative, student-led research studies target historically underserved communities throughout the borough to identify challenges and concerns raised by residents, using that information to inform stakeholders and organizations on solutions. BCC builds upon years of collaborative efforts with anchor institutions and community partners in Brooklyn, which have helped connect 80,000 complex-need patients to care management services, produce 30,000 pounds of fresh produce annually in Central Brooklyn, and develop 3,400 housing units.