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Dear Friend,
With Independence Day upon us, we are inspired by our remembrance of the Battle of Brooklyn, and the valor and courage of those who sacrificed everything in their pursuit of independence. Our challenge today – building a new community foundation for Brooklyn - clearly does not compare with the challenge of building a new nation. But, like our forebears, it is inspired by a passion for social and economic independence and justice. When we first launched in October 2009, we challenged ourselves to build a sustainable new civic and charitable institution to improve the lives of people in Brooklyn. We challenged ourselves to serve as champions of the nonprofit community; we challenged our grantee partners to continue and build upon their important work, and we challenged—and invited—Brooklynites and those who love Brooklyn to join us in our efforts to Do Good Right Here.
Nine months following our official launch, I am pleased to say that we have made significant inroads. Thanks to the generosity of donors and to our invested funds from the historic Independence Community Bank, we have been able to put nearly $3 million back into the local nonprofit community. Our grants will support more than 170 nonprofits working throughout Brooklyn’s 70 neighborhoods, ranging from small local neighborhood projects to ambitious undertakings by larger, long-established Brooklyn organizations. We can rest a moment at this latest milestone, but we know difficult challenges and a long road lie ahead. If we are to do more to help Brooklyn realize its full potential, we need Brooklynites from every neighborhood and every community to recognize the importance of giving locally. This Independence Day, we ask you to help us meet our Brooklyn challenge. As a donor to one of our five fields of interest funds, you can be assured that 100% of your donation goes to support Brooklyn’s most effective, innovative and thoughtful organizations. And this year all donations up to $250 will be matched by a generous, anonymous donor as a challenge to us to reach more people. Help us build a stronger Brooklyn, together / Join the conversation: "Like" our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. PS: As we gear up for our one-year anniversary celebration, this summer we will be launching a borough-wide initiative to identify Brooklyn’s most generous “Do Gooders” and give them the recognition they deserve. Stay tuned for more information on how to submit nominees and how to get involved. Until then, have a great holiday weekend and stay in touch.
The Brooklyn Investment During these difficult economic times, we are all forced to find new ways to survive and to serve. The Brooklyn Community Foundation continually works to strengthen the nonprofit community serving Brooklyn. We challenge our partners and invest locally so that these groups can become stronger and do more. And now more than ever, it is important that we work together, give together and remain committed to the principle of Doing Good Right Here. In our first full cycle as the Brooklyn Community Foundation, one way by which we ecourage local giving, is by creating challenge grants with our nonprofit partners. At a time when libraries are being financially threatened, our grant to the Brooklyn Public Library matches dollar for dollar all local contributions to seven southern Brooklyn branches as part of the Save our Shelves campaign. We also made a grant to 826NYC, a creative Park Slope after-school tutoring and creative arts program with a large base of volunteers and challenged this innovative organization to use our funding to increase the number and of hours of volunteer service. Similarly, as bike riding and environmental awareness continues to be on the rise, our grant to Transportation Alternatives’ Biking Rules safety campaign in Brooklyn, challenges this once-grassroots organization to not only educate, but also to recruit and sign-up 300 new Brooklyn members. To help strengthen Brooklyn’s communities, we also challenge our nonprofit partners to move from good to great through our capacity building and technical assistance grants. Working with the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services, our grant helped improve this incredible human services organization’s ability to track results for clients and help establish an outcome-oriented culture; for Heights and Hill Community Council—a long-time nonprofit taking on an expanded geographic and service role to Brooklyn’s seniors, our funding helped hire its first-ever development director; and for Green Guerillas, an organization which helps grassroots groups establish and maintain community gardens,we provided a technical assistance grant focused on community gardeners in Central Brooklyn to increase the amount of produce grown and network garden leaders together. Learn more about our recent grantees and search for your favorite nonprofit.
Brooklyn Community Foundation News:
Until next time,
Marilyn Gelber, President, Brooklyn Community Foundation
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