Thank you to all who attended our 2022 Spark Breakfast hosted by the incomparable Ana Gasteyer! It was wonderful to be in community together again, lifting up the exceptional work of our Spark Prize recipients, Spark Prize Committee, and honoree, Clara Wu Tsai, founder of The Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation Social Justice Fund. 

More than 300 guests gathered at the Brooklyn Museum to celebrate social change and to hear moving remarks from Ms. Wu Tsai and our five winners—Arab American Association of New York, Black Women's Blueprint, Brooklyn Movement Center, Groundswell Community Mural Project, Weeksville Heritage Center—as well as powerful words from Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, The Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation Social Justice Fund Executive Director Gregg Bishop, and Brooklyn Community Foundation Co-Chairs Nicole Gueron and Harsha Marti.

It was also the first official event for our President and CEO Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, who joined the Foundation in December 2021. Previously, Dr. Rainey served on the Spark Prize Committee, and shared this reflection:

"That experience offered a front row seat to the diversity of organizations committed to racial, social, and economic justice doing excellent work across so many issue areas and neighborhoods. It brought me such a deeper appreciation of this borough—which I already loved so much—and showed me just how important it is to have an institution like the Brooklyn Community Foundation that can showcase our nonprofit community, build connections, and most importantly, spark change." 

​Thank you to all who supported the event and to our incredible sponsors: Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, BDT & Company, Kirkland & Ellis, Santander Bank, the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation Social Justice Fund, MetroPlusHealth, National Grid, Industry City, Sweet’N Low, and Totem Brooklyn.

In the words of Dr. Rainey, “Brooklyn’s motto is 'In unity there is strength' and we have seen just how true that is.”

If you could not attend, please consider making a donation to advance the work of exceptional nonprofits across our borough.