Brooklyn Insights

In January 2014, Brooklyn Community Foundation launched the Brooklyn Insights community engagement project in a unique effort to hold a dialogue across neighborhoods about Brooklyn’s future.

Nearly 1,000 residents and local leaders participated in the process, sharing their concerns about challenges in their communities and sectors, as well as opportunities they see for positive change in a borough where nearly half of all residents are living in or near poverty. 

The Brooklyn Insights Final Report provides an overview of these conversations, and details five major themes that emerged in the course of the project: Neighborhood Cohesion, Youth, Criminal Justice, Immigrant Communities, and Racial Justice. Viewing these five themes as levers of change, the Foundation has developed a new vision and mission for its work, and a new approach to funding community-based initiatives. Learn more about our Core Program Strategy. 

Download the Brooklyn Insights Final Report