On Tuesday, November 27th, thousands of Brooklynites made a point to give where they live through our #BrooklynGives on Giving Tuesday campaign, which has raised over $560,000 (and counting!) for 92 local nonprofits at www.BrooklynGives.org. 

The marathon day of giving began with our #BrooklynGives Kickoff Celebration at National Grid's headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn, featuring rousing remarks from Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Brooklyn Community Foundation CEO Cecilia Clarke. The event centered around in-depth conversations led by three Brooklyn thought leaders—NY1’s Errol Louis, activist and Brooklyn Community Foundation Fellow Heather McGhee, and New Lab Founder David Belt—highlighting the success stories of local organizations including Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger, The Hope Project, VOCAL-NY, Arab American Association of New York, Bard Prison Initiative, and Extreme Kids and Crew. 

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Brooklyn Community Foundation CEO Cecilia Clarke
Photo Credit: Marc Goldberg Photography

"We are reclaiming our values here in Brooklyn. We are not allowing anyone to define who we are—we know who we are. I’m so proud of Cecilia and the Brooklyn Community Foundation for launching this effort. We must commit ourselves to making Brooklyn the best borough!” said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.  

“Only 4% of NYC philanthropic dollars make it to Brooklyn. #BrooklynGives allows us the opportunity to bring recognition to and celebrate the incredible work that is happening in our borough”, added Cecilia Clarke.

Errol Louis with Jennifer Mitchell of the Hope Program and Melony Samuels of Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger
Photo Credit: Marc Goldberg Photography

Exalt Youth raised the highest amount during the 24-hour period, with over $47,000 donated, and the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger earned the collective support of over 305 donors—the most of any other participating organization by far!

Together with four of our #BrooklynGives sponsors—National Grid, Santander Bank, Sugar in the Raw, and Cleary Gottlieb—we provided additional donations throughout the day, including our $100,000 match for the 20 finalists for our annual Spark Prize, which honors Brooklyn’s leading nonprofit changemakers. The Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, Sadie Nash Leadership Project, United Community Centers of East New York, and Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) each received a $1,000 bonus donation thanks to our sponsors.

Spark Prize Finalists gathered on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall
Photo Credit: Marc Goldberg Photography

We created the #BrooklynGives on Giving Tuesday in 2016 to drive greater awareness and support to community-based nonprofits across Brooklyn. This year’s campaign is sponsored by National Grid, Santander Bank, Sugar in the Raw, Kirkland & Ellis, Cleary Gottlieb, and Industry City.

Giving Tuesday was founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y as an alternative to the shopping events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving. It has since become a global phenomenon and an unofficial kickoff to the holiday giving season, inspiring millions of people to give back and support the causes they believe in. In 2017, nonprofit organizations raised over $300 million online on Giving Tuesday.

Sponsors:

Community Partners: