We are excited to announce our support for 71 local organizations through our Invest in Youth initiative this year. This brings our total annual funding for youth-focused nonprofit programs to $2.8 million—an increase of $250,000 over last year’s grantmaking.

We launched Invest 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 low-income youth of color—through grantmaking, strategic leadership initiatives, and direct engagement with youth.

“As we increase our support for Brooklyn’s next generation of leaders, we are proud to fund so many outstanding programs developed right here in our borough that carve out new opportunities for young people,” said Brooklyn Community Foundation President and CEO Cecilia Clarke. “An investment in the youth of our communities is an investment in an more fair and just future for Brooklyn.”

Ranging from $20,000 to $50,000, these new grants address systems-level change in three areas: Youth Leadership (44% of grantees), Youth Justice (38% of grantees), and Immigrant Youth and Families (18% of grantees). This year, 62 nonprofits are receiving renewed multi-year funding and nine are receiving Invest in Youth grants for the first time.

Our funding prioritizes grassroots community-based organizations—46% of grantees have operation budgets of $1 million or less—led by members of the communities they serve—44% of grantees’ executive directors identify as people of color. 44% of the first-time grantees are led by people under the age of 25.

In addition to the new grants, which total $2,320,000, the Invest in Youth initiative also provides funding for the Brooklyn Youth Activists youth-led grantmaking program and the Brooklyn Restorative Justice Project, which aims to develop a racially just alternative school disciplinary model for New York City schools in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the Mayor’s Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline.

Grant Highlights by Focus Area

YOUTH LEADERSHIP: Grants support community-based organizations that position youth as long-term leaders in their communities. Focus areas and sample grantee partners include:

• Economic Opportunity: Brownsville Community Culinary Center and Red Hook Initiative

• Youth Arts: viBe Theater Experience and ARTs East New York

• Youth and the Environment: UPROSE and Project EATS

• Young Women & Girls: Girls for Gender Equity and Sadie Nash Leadership Project

• LGBTQIA Youth: Brooklyn Community Pride Center and Audre Lorde Project

• Safety and Healing: Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) and Center for Anti-Violence Education

• Youth Advocacy: Participatory Budgeting Project and IntegrateNYC

YOUTH JUSTICE: Grants support both advocacy and direct-service organizations that address the far-reaching effects of young people’s encounters with the criminal justice system. Focus areas and sample grantee partners include:

• Diversion Programs: Youth Represent and Good Call NYC

• Reentry and Enrichment Opportunities: S.O.U.L. Sisters Leadership Collective and Friends of Island Academy

• Employment Programs: exalt and Drive Change

• Advocacy and Policy Reform: JustLeadershipUSA and Osborne Association

• School Discipline Reform: Cypress Hills LDC and Urban Youth Collaborative

IMMIGRANT YOUTH: Grants support organizations that provide critical legal advocacy, social supports, and leadership development for immigrant youth in Brooklyn. Focus areas and sample grantee partners include:

• Legal and Social Services: Center for Family Life and Safe Passage Project

• Leadership and Advocacy: New York State Youth Leadership Council and Make the Road New York

Explore the full list of Invest in Youth grantees in our press release