How to Apply for BKO Funding

We fund organizations that advance racial justice and provide critical resources to BIPOC and other groups who have been historically disempowered and discriminated against across Brooklyn.

Our new strategic grantmaking process replaces our previous stand-alone grantmaking initiatives and portfolios (except for the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize, which maintain its own timeline and application process), in favor of a universal application that welcomes the full scope of racial justice work beyond any one priority issue or focus area.

All eligible Brooklyn-serving organizations are invited to apply for general operating support. Applications are accepted at any time; funding decisions are made twice per year (see timeline below). All organizations will receive notification of their status, and select organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal for review by our Community Advisory Council.

Current grantees will finish their grant portfolio cycle, and going forward, can apply through the new application.

Application Timeline

After the initial application, select organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal and take part in a site visit. Grants are awarded in May and December.

We fund organizations that:

• Strengthen communities via quality direct services, programming, and training
• Connect to government-managed benefits or services via culturally- and linguistically- responsive case management
• Increase rights via advocacy, coalition-building, and base-building that position community members as leaders

As we review proposals, we give preference to organizations that:

• Respond to inequities based on race
• Understand how multiple systemic oppressions impact the lives of the people with whom they work
• Work at the community level
• Were created in direct response to a need in Brooklyn
• Emphasize systemic solutions for the issues they are working on (This is required of all organizations with budgets of over $2,000,000)
• Address trending concerns in Brooklyn informed by our community engagement work

Eligibility

• Be incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or be working under the auspices of an authorized fiscal sponsor
• Have a minimum annual budget of $100,000. Grant awards will not exceed 20% of the applying organization’s annual budget
• Have a regular physical presence in Brooklyn. All non-Brooklyn-based organizations must apply for support for their relevant Brooklyn-based work

Please note that we do not fund individuals or capital campaigns. We will consider funding programs working within and partnering with schools, prioritizing District 75 students. We do not fund schools or PTAs directly.

Organizations must take a pause from applying for Brooklyn Org funding for one year after two consecutive multi-year grants, excluding the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize. Former grantees eligible for funding after the pause must apply to the open RFP to be considered and will follow the general process of our grantmaking model.

Please submit only one application per review period: November 1st – May 15th and May 16th – October 31st. Multiple submissions will not be considered and the last one received will be reviewed. This does not include applications for the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize, which are reviewed through a separate process.

Questions

For any questions, email our team at programs@brooklyn.org. No phone calls, please.

Additional Nonprofit Resources

Explore additional nonprofit resources, including Capacity Building workshops and tools, here.