Community Health Outreach & Support Grants: Phase 2 (April 2021)

As part of the second phase of our Brooklyn COVID-19 Response Fund, in April 2021 we announced 25 grants of $10,000 each for grassroots nonprofits providing access to culturally relevant, medically accurate COVID-19 education, outreach, and navigation support for COVID-19 related health services. Grants provide targeted support for organizations serving residents disproportionately impacted by the pandemic in our priority neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Bushwick, Coney Island, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, East New York, Flatbush, and Sunset Park.

  • The Alex House Project to increase vaccine outreach, education, and support to at least 300 more young parents in central and southern Brooklyn with a focus on parents living in communities at high risk for spread of the virus.
     
  • Ali Forney Center to increase COVID-19 vaccine outreach, education, and navigation led by the organization’s Health Counselor both online and to individuals visiting the drop-in center.
     
  • Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to address the general lack of knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, and fear and misinformation about vaccine safety, in communities of color across the borough through outreach at neighborhood businesses and gathering spaces.
     
  • Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services to expand vaccination-related support services and free COVID testing to immigrant residents without insurance in East New York.
     
  • The Black Institute for outreach efforts in Black communities via in-person and social media campaigns to increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine. 
     
  • Brooklyn Center for Quality Life to train volunteers to serve as community liaisons to assist with outreach and education efforts as well as provide support services to make accessing vaccination appointments seamless.
     
  • Brownsville Community Culinary Center to create a public health information campaign to address legitimate concerns over the vaccination roll-out and the history of medical racism, to engage residents with dignity, to work to dispel fears around the vaccination, and work to increase the number of vaccinations made available and received in the Black community.
     
  • Center for Nu Leadership on Human Justice and Healing to build a network of medical, clinical, mental health, and spiritual leaders who can serve as credible health information messengers to address the distrust, anger, and frustration prevalent in Bedford Stuyvesant.
     
  • Children of Promise, NYC to create a comprehensive vaccination awareness and access program for Black families with a parent in incarceration in Central Brooklyn.
     
  • East New York Restoration Development Corporation to set up information tables at local train stations to share accurate information about the virus and the vaccine with a focus on reaching essential workers outside of the health field.
     
  • Elite Learners to expand community outreach in Brownsville, Crown Heights, and East Flatbush about COVID-19 prevention, and through a virtual town hall series to promote accurate information about the virus and the vaccine.
     
  • Exalt Youth to further develop the organization’s COVID-19 Vaccine Education Project by hiring a BIPOC medical professional to conduct an educational series about the vaccine for court-involved youth and their families.
     
  • Expecting Relief to hire a Vaccine Outreach Coordinator to provide older adults in Bushwick and East New York with accurate information about COVID-19 and the vaccine, navigation with setting up vaccination appointments, and transportation to appointments.
     
  • Flatbush Development Corp to train all organization staff to become vaccine ambassadors and serve as credible messengers across Central Brooklyn neighborhoods.
     
  • GatherFor to improve access to healthcare and support services focused on covid-19 and the vaccine. Outreach efforts will focus on people living in the shelter system; those who are victims of domestic violence.
     
  • GenSpace to create the Community Health Ambassadors Program, which will serve as both an educational and youth development tool for residents of Sunset Park to understand more about the vaccine and the science that is used to create vaccines, while empowering them to make informed decisions about their health.
     
  • Global Trauma Research for a safe space for Black and Latinx residents in Central Brooklyn to have access to social workers, who will provide health resources, referrals to COVID-19 testing sites, and help scheduling vaccine appointments.
     
  • Haitian American Community Coalition to provide remote care for clients and develop a team to provide COVID-19 testing referrals and health outreach.
     
  • Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island to provide COVID-19 vaccine education and outreach in partnership with community-based organizations in Coney Island.
     
  • Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) to provide COVID-19 education on testing and vaccine services to increase access, acceptance, and uptake in Black communities across the borough.
     
  • Mexican Coalition to increase staff outreach to help undocumented Latinx and indigenous residents get accurate information around COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
     
  • Neighbors In Action to disseminate information about COVID-19 prevention, detection, and vaccination to help community members in Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant access credible and accurate information.
     
  • New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) to bring COVID-19 vaccine education to newly-arrived immigrants and their families in Crown Heights, Flatbush, and southern Brooklyn.
     
  • Project EATS to address vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine access in Brownsville and East New York through ongoing COVID-19 response programs, including outreach and education sessions at food pantries.

  • United Community Centers for a long-term vaccine education program in East New York conducted in both English and Spanish.