April Newsletter: $550K for Urgent Needs, Including Vaccine Outreach + More News from Your Community Foundation (April 2021)
Nearly $550,000 in New COVID-19 Grants Address Urgent Needs in Communities of Color, Including Vaccine Education and Navigation
As the COVID-19 pandemic surpasses the one-year mark, we are announcing $541,000 in new grants from our Brooklyn COVID-19 Response Fund to address ongoing health, economic, and social impacts in communities of color.
Grants are being awarded through two programs: Community Health Outreach & Support grants to help grassroots nonprofits provide culturally relevant, medically accurate outreach and navigation for COVID-19 health services, including vaccines; and Immediate Response grants for urgent and ongoing needs caused by the pandemic, including addressing anti-Asian bias and violence, food and housing insecurity, and lost wages.
These grants are informed by our Brooklyn Insights 2020 community engagement process, through which Brooklyn residents in communities of color indicated both the increasing severity of ongoing economic and social impacts of the pandemic, as well as a scarcity of trustworthy medical information and resources on COVID-19, including transmission, treatments, and vaccines.
Join us for the next programs in our Change Starts Here webinar series:
The Sum of Us: Heather McGhee in Conversation with Rabbi Rachel Timoner
Tuesday, May 11th | 12:30 - 1:30PM
Join Brooklyn Community Foundation Board member Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim (CBE) for a powerful conversation with author, activist, and Brooklyn Community Foundation inaugural Fair and Just Fellow Heather McGhee (above left) discussing her new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. RSVP
COVID-19 Healthcare Equity and Trust
Tuesday, May 18th | 12:30 - 1:30PM
Join Dr. Oni Blackstock (above left), founder and executive director at Health Justice, Dr. Torian Easterling, First Deputy Commissioner & Chief Equity Officer at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and local nonprofit leaders as they discuss the vast inequities in both treatment and vaccination during the pandemic—and the steps that need to be taken now to repair harm, build trust, and ensure self-determination in care. RSVP
Welcoming New Board and Staff
This Spring, we are thrilled to announce the addition of one new Board member and three new staff members to our team!
New Board member Shelley Stewart III (pictured top left) is a leader within McKinsey & Company’s Private Equity and Principal Investing practice, and also heads the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, a think-tank focused on catalyzing cross-sector solutions to improving economic outcomes for Black individuals and families.
Donor Services Manager Kimberly Izar (top right) previously led philanthropic and individual giving at the Participatory Budgeting Project.
Donor Engagement Associate Elizabeth Park (lower right) joins us from the Strategic Partnerships team at Mission Capital, a capacity building nonprofit working to advance equity and opportunity in Central Texas.
Finance Manager Kamaria Brisseau (lower left) previously served as the Director of Finance and Administration at the National Academy of Design.
Upcoming Grant Deadlines
Immigrant Rights Fund: This spring, we will provide up to $45,000 per year in single-year and three-year grants to approximately 14-18 organizations working to expand legal rights for immigrants, expand benefits and entitlements for immigrants, and provide direct services and navigation support for immigrants whose primary language does not fall under the 10 designated citywide languages. Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) are due Friday, April 30, 2021 at 5PM.
Community-led Social Change Grants: As part of our Brooklyn COVID-19 Response Fund's second phase, we are addressing the unjust systems and policies that have deeply harmed Black, indigenous and other communities of color, by stifling their ability to thrive prior to and during the pandemic. Grants will provide funding of up to $75,000 per year for five years for strategies that emphasize community power. LOIs are due Friday, May 7, 2021 at 5PM.
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