Creating a New Grantmaking Model
In Crown Heights Brooklyn
In 2014, Brooklyn Community Foundation launched the Neighborhood Strength initiative in Crown Heights—the Foundation’s home neighborhood—to create a new model for neighborhood grantmaking that positions residents as key decision makers in local investments.
Over the years, the Crown Heights community has endured and thrived through deep social and economic challenges. Today, residents are confronting the forces of widespread gentrification, development, and displacement.
Situated in the heart of Brooklyn, Crown Heights is one of New York City’s most diverse and historic Neighborhoods.
Crown Heights’ vibrant civic infrastructure—comprising treasured institutions, religious centers, green spaces, a city university campus, and cultural festivals —is a proven tool for bringing residents together to address shared community challenges.
In our second year of developing the Neighborhood Strength model, we wanted to deepen the impact of our investment by broadening our outreach in the community while also focusing on one primary shared challenge.
To do this we worked with Create Forward, a design-thinking consultancy, and our Neighborhood Strength Fellow Sandra Friedman to develop a comprehensive new approach.
Crown Heights Today
Artoria Cunningham
What is your vision for Crown Heights?
In Fall 2016, more than 130 residents participated in three public visioning sessions designed to bring together diverse community voices to identify top concerns and possible solutions for their neighborhood, starting with the simple question: “What is your vision for Crown Heights?”
Top concerns centered on:
- Displacement of long-term residents
- New real estate developments that do not reflect community history and culture
- Increased economic pressures on working class communities and the role of new residents
- Lack of enrichment opportunities for youth
- Impact of local policing on communities of color.
Solutions to these concerns included:
- Ideas for acculturating new residents to the neighborhood social norms
- Support for small local businesses
- The need for shared inclusive public space and access to more green space
How we found a big idea
Next, the Foundation brought together 17 passionate Crown Heights stakeholders to form an advisory council and comb through all the input from the community.
Watch the video below to see how the council selected One Big Idea for investment that best addressed the thoughts, concerns, and ideas of Crown Heights residents.
Rodney “Okai” Fleurimont
One Big Idea:
Public Space
Community Public Space aims to address the challenge of limited access to inclusive space for community engagement. The Council believed that the development and enhancement of public spaces would create more opportunities for residents to continue to address shared community challenges and opportunities discussed throughout the Neighborhood Strength project, while building intergenerational relationships across class, race, and ethnic groups.
Vacant Public Land
People Have Access
People Are Organizing
ParksHow do we fund this idea?
At the recommendation of the Advisory Council, we created a RFP for the Crown Heights Fund for Community Public Space to solicit and support proposals from nonprofits and community groups. The Council sought applicants experienced in creating, providing, and advocating for spaces to design programs to make existing space more accessible to Crown Heights residents.
SELECTION CRITERIA
- Be accessible to underserved parts of Crown Heights
- Attract new people not already reached
- Have a movement-building vision to connect residents from different backgrounds
- Address the original concerns and challenges raised through the process
- Be open to a variety of uses for the community
- Have a clear long-term sustainability strategy
What we Funded
596 Acres
$20,000 to support stewardship, preservation, and transformation of two neighborhood street lots into inclusive community spaces.
596 Acres has helped turn 28 vacant lots in Brooklyn into community spaces since 2011 by advocating for land access or preservation of spaces, which are ultimately transformed and maintained by volunteer neighbors and community partners.
Maple Street Community Garden: In 2015, 596 Acres helped neighbors transform a garbage-filled lot into a garden, despite absentee ownership. 596 Acre aims to facilitate the garden’s transfer to NYC Parks and to help stewards build strong governance, add new partners, and develop public programming.
596 Acres
$20,000 to support stewardship, preservation, and transformation of two neighborhood street lots into inclusive community spaces.
596 Acres has helped turn 28 vacant lots in Brooklyn into community spaces since 2011 by advocating for land access or preservation of spaces, which are ultimately transformed and maintained by volunteer neighbors and community partners.
Prospect Place Vacant Lot: 596 Acres will facilitate neighbors transforming a closed playground into an inclusive community space. 596 Acres will help the residents’ ongoing campaign to have the city-owned lot transferred to NYC Parks, and help residents build their team of gardeners and local partners, and facilitate community planning and design meetings.
Bethany United Methodist Church (BUMC)
$20,000 to support services, workshops and cultural programming that engage residents around issues in the community.
Founded over 150 years ago, BUMC aims to be a hub of resources for Crown Heights, ensuring that its facilities are available as a community-building space through its own programming as well as through partnerships with community groups. With this funding, BUMC will provide these new programs:
- Town Hall meetings to discuss residents’ concerns with elected officials, community leaders, or the local police precinct
- Educational workshops to create a community information hub on issues like housing rights, immigration and violence
- Monthly meetings to create an infrastructure where community residents become leaders, decision-makers and advocates for identified causes
- Social and cultural events to galvanize the community and engage local artists
- Free weekly counseling and social services for parents and children, youth, and adults
- Opportunities to enhance health and wellness for senior citizens
Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX)
$10,000 to support local Haitian artists who will facilitate arts activationand programming for diverse Crown Heights residents in Westbrook Memorial Garden.
HCX was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Crown Heights, home to approximately 100,000 residents of Haitian descent. At the historic Westbrook Memorial Garden in North Crown Heights, HCX will engage local Haitian Diaspora artists to become community organizers by aligning their creative work with the needs and concerns of residents as part of the Lakou NOU program. Lakou NOU means “OUR Yard” in Haitian Creole; in the garden, artists will facilitate performances and programming that activates the garden space and creates cross-cultural engagement between diverse community members.
Funding will double the current time that the garden is open to the public and generate activity that will attract hundreds of new local residents. Additional activities will include community workshops and discussions around topics such as gentrification, cultural preservation and access to public space, and two summer concert series.
New York Communities for Change
$30,000 to support community-led mobilizations for the inclusion of community voices to inform the development plan of the city-owned Bedford-Union Armory
NYCC will coordinate an advocacy project to mobilize residents to envision a new proposal for the development of the city-owned Bedford-Union Armory building. Over the next year, NYCC will create spaces for residents across Crown Heights to mobilize and plan meetings, organize actions led by residents, and offer trainings for residents around the scheduled ULURP process.
NYCC will also partner with Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY) to develop a new RFP process for the Armory with an alternative plan of 100% affordable housing, and recreation facilities that would offer programming for seniors, language classes, legal rights trainings, and community engagement opportunities. If the current proposal goes forward, NYCC will work with MHANY and community residents to advocate for the inclusion of more fair and affordable options. Additional partners include Crown Heights Tenant Union, the Black Institute, Picture the Homeless, Legal Aid Society, the Crown Heights Community Council, and the tenants associations of Ebbets Field and Tivoli Towers.
REPAIR THE WORLD (RTW)
$20,000 to support increased accessibility, programming and community partnerships for the utilization and activation of the storefront space on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights.
Repair the World NYC was created in 2015 to train volunteers to address issues related to systemic racism, education, and food injustice in Central Brooklyn. It has since engaged more than 10,000 volunteers, hosted 380+ community events and service projects, and partnered with over 20 nonprofit and community groups. Its collaborative community storefront space at 808 Nostrand Avenue is a hub for learning, service, and social justice initiatives. The space accommodates community meetings and events, and brings together new and long-term residents to meet community needs in deep partnership.
Funding will support new programming, community events and partnerships. Specific goals include keeping the space open on additional weeknights and weekends to host more community events and offering free access and expanded hours for local community groups. Additionally, Repair the World NYC will expand its own programs, including weekly Social Justice Shabbat dinners, quarterly “Meet Your Neighbors Brunch & Service” Sunday brunch and community service series, and Friday Teen Nights hosted by youth from the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center.
Maple Street Community Garden (596 Acres)
Haiti Cultural Exchange
New York Community for Change
Prospect Place Lot (596 Acres)
Bethany United Church (BUMC)
Repair the World
596 Acres
$20,000 to support stewardship, preservation, and transformation of two neighborhood street lots into inclusive community spaces.
596 Acres has helped turn 28 vacant lots in Brooklyn into community spaces since 2011 by advocating for land access or preservation of spaces, which are ultimately transformed and maintained by volunteer neighbors and community partners. Funding will support two spaces:
Maple Street Community Garden (596 Acres)
Maple Street Community Garden: In 2015, 596 Acres helped neighbors transform a garbage-filled lot into a garden, despite absentee ownership. 596 Acre aims to facilitate the garden’s transfer to NYC Parks and to help stewards build strong governance, add new partners, and develop public programming.
Prospect Place Lot (596 Acres)
Prospect Place Vacant Lot: 596 Acres will facilitate neighbors transforming a closed playground into an inclusive community space. 596 Acres will help the residents’ ongoing campaign to have the city-owned lot transferred to NYC Parks, and help residents build their team of gardeners and local partners, and facilitate community planning and design meetings.
Bethany United Church (BUMC)
Bethany United Methodist Church (BUMC)
$20,000 to support services, workshops and cultural programming that engage residents around issues in the community.
Founded over 150 years ago, BUMC aims to be a hub of resources for Crown Heights, ensuring that its facilities are available as a community-building space through its own programming as well as through partnerships with community groups. With this funding, BUMC will provide these new programs:
- Town Hall meetings to discuss residents’ concerns with elected officials, community leaders, or the local police precinct
- Educational workshops to create a community information hub on issues like housing rights, immigration and violence
- Monthly meetings to create an infrastructure where community residents become leaders, decision-makers and advocates for identified causes
- Social and cultural events to galvanize the community and engage local artists
- Free weekly counseling and social services for parents and children, youth, and adults
- Opportunities to enhance health and wellness for senior citizens
Haiti Cultural Exchange
Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX)
$10,000 to support local Haitian artists who will facilitate arts activationand programming for diverse Crown Heights residents in Westbrook Memorial Garden.
HCX was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Crown Heights, home to approximately 100,000 residents of Haitian descent. At the historic Westbrook Memorial Garden in North Crown Heights, HCX will engage local Haitian Diaspora artists to become community organizers by aligning their creative work with the needs and concerns of residents as part of the Lakou NOU program. Lakou NOU means “OUR Yard” in Haitian Creole; in the garden, artists will facilitate performances and programming that activates the garden space and creates cross-cultural engagement between diverse community members.
Funding will double the current time that the garden is open to the public and generate activity that will attract hundreds of new local residents. Additional activities will include community workshops and discussions around topics such as gentrification, cultural preservation and access to public space, and two summer concert series.
New York Community for Change
New York Communities for Change
$30,000 to support community-led mobilizations for the inclusion of community voices to inform the development plan of the city-owned Bedford-Union Armory
NYCC will coordinate an advocacy project to mobilize residents to envision a new proposal for the development of the city-owned Bedford-Union Armory building. Over the next year, NYCC will create spaces for residents across Crown Heights to mobilize and plan meetings, organize actions led by residents, and offer trainings for residents around the scheduled ULURP process.
NYCC will also partner with Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY) to develop a new RFP process for the Armory with an alternative plan of 100% affordable housing, and recreation facilities that would offer programming for seniors, language classes, legal rights trainings, and community engagement opportunities. If the current proposal goes forward, NYCC will work with MHANY and community residents to advocate for the inclusion of more fair and affordable options. Additional partners include Crown Heights Tenant Union, the Black Institute, Picture the Homeless, Legal Aid Society, the Crown Heights Community Council, and the tenants associations of Ebbets Field and Tivoli Towers.
Repair the World
REPAIR THE WORLD (RTW)
$20,000 to support increased accessibility, programming and community partnerships for the utilization and activation of the storefront space on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights.
Repair the World NYC was created in 2015 to train volunteers to address issues related to systemic racism, education, and food injustice in Central Brooklyn. It has since engaged more than 10,000 volunteers, hosted 380+ community events and service projects, and partnered with over 20 nonprofit and community groups. Its collaborative community storefront space at 808 Nostrand Avenue is a hub for learning, service, and social justice initiatives. The space accommodates community meetings and events, and brings together new and long-term residents to meet community needs in deep partnership.
Funding will support new programming, community events and partnerships. Specific goals include keeping the space open on additional weeknights and weekends to host more community events and offering free access and expanded hours for local community groups. Additionally, Repair the World NYC will expand its own programs, including weekly Social Justice Shabbat dinners, quarterly “Meet Your Neighbors Brunch & Service” Sunday brunch and community service series, and Friday Teen Nights hosted by youth from the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center.
What is your vision for Brooklyn?
A Brooklyn Community Foundation project produced by Inspired Storytellers, web development by Erin Allen.