Neighborhood Strength

Last week, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s director of research, Ryan Schlegel, responded to an all-too-common trend among foundations in his article, “Recent Calls for Foundation Engagement Leave Out Grantees and Communities They Serve.”

In the third year of Neighborhood Strength — our resident-led grantmaking model — the Crown Heights Advisory Council has recommended that we renew support for three community-based organizations addressing the challenge of limited public space for community engagement in the neighborhood.

Today we are proud to announce $100,000 in grants to five nonprofits that are expanding or advocating for inclusive public spaces in Crown Heights. The grants were directed by residents of Crown Heights through our Neighborhood Strength model.

Our first-ever Neighborhood Strength Fellow, Sandra Friedman, shares what she loves about her neighborhood of Crown Heights and what she's learning along the way

Learn how we engage grantees and communities in our work and why it's critical to achieving our vision for a fair and just Brooklyn.