FY24 Community Project Funding

1. 67th Precinct Clergy Council – Project ECHO (Empowering Communities through Healing and Opportunities)

Amount Received: $963,000

Description: This is a violence intervention program which addresses unresolved trauma and lack of resources through community-based approaches. Further, this project offers life-changing opportunities for community members who are deemed “at risk”, enabling them to grow as individuals and acquire skills that will allow them to reach their full potential through victim services, mentorship and leadership opportunities, and street engagements. Additionally, this project addresses the urgent need for trauma support, mentorship, and mental health counseling within the East Flatbush community. The prevalence of violence among young people, especially young men, is a significant issue in this area, and Project ECHO provides access to adequate resources and training, empowers community members to combat poverty, unemployment, and poor mental health – ultimately reducing gun violence in Brooklyn and creating safer, healthier communities.

2. 77th Precinct United Clergy Council – I Can Make A Difference Initiative – Alternative to Gang/Crime

Amount Received: $125,000

Description: This funding will be used for alternatives to crime by providing children aged 10-16 a safe, supportive, and positive environment for them to develop their skills, build relationships and learn important life lessons. This program will offer a sense of community and support to young people who may be at risk of getting involved in criminal activities, substance abuse or other negative behaviors. The participants in the program will meet with a counselor twice a week to address issues they are facing in the homes, school or with peers. They will learn skills such as, but not limited to, discipline, teamwork, communication, and leadership. They will also participate in basketball drills and games; learning and/or developing their skills, should they decide to pursue a basketball career.

3. East Flatbush Village – E.N.O.U.G.H Anti-Violence Program & S.T.A.N.D. Mental and Physical Health Initiative. E.N.O.U.G.H. Anti-Violence Initiative (Educating, Neighborhoods, Organizing, Underserved, Grassroots-organizing and Health-awareness) & S.T.A.N.D. Mental and Physical Health Initiative (Self-care, Tender-love, Always, Needed, Daily)

Amount Received: $963,000

Description: This funding will allow EFV to expand on the Anti-Violence work through crisis management interventions and community engagement. EFV provides participants with programs and activities that are developed with you and for youth, particularly initiatives that seek to end gun violence at the neighborhood level by changing local norms around violence and creating more opportunities, such as our “Anti-Gun Violence” panels for meaningful educational and employment opportunities within our community. To keep both our students and educators safe, the EFV has sustained a successful partnership with surrounding schools within the proposed project area to facilitate crisis-management problems. 

4. Community Board 17 Housing Committee – Shower Bus

Amount Received: $358,407

Description: Amidst a housing crisis, CB17 seeks to alleviate some of the pressures various organizations may be under while administering their services to various communities. Therefore, the Community Board 17 Housing committee will have a shower bus to assist the unhoused residents within our community by providing them with transportation to social services and showers as they seek a more permanent housing solution.

5. Neighborhood Housing Service – Condominium Conversion Program

Amount Received: $1,616,279

Description: This funding will increase the number of available affordable homeownership opportunities for moderate-income families-of-color throughout the NY-09 Congressional District. NHS Brooklyn will achieve this goal by expanding our existing Small Building Preservation Initiative by piloting the development of a new Condominium Conversion Program. Specifically during the next 12 months, NHS Brooklyn will purchase at least four buildings in the NY-09 Congressional District that each have a minimum of two housing units, at an average price of $750,000. NHS will then convert these buildings to small condominium complexes, which will enable a minimum of eight moderate-income families to sustain or achieve homeownership for the first time by purchasing these units for an average price of $425,000.

6. Pakistani American Skilled Women Organization (PASWO) – Community Food Bank and Workforce Training Center

Amount Received: $100,000

Description: This project is designed to provide individuals and families in need with access to nutritious food while also offering job training and employment opportunities. This project is aligned with the existing Food Pantry program, established in 2020. The Community Food Bank component of the project will involve the establishment of a food bank that will distribute food to those in need. The food bank will offer a wide range of nutritious food items, including fresh fruits and vegetables, canned goods, and other non-perishable items. The Workforce Training Center component of the project will offer job training and employment opportunities to individuals who are struggling to find work. The training center will provide a variety of vocational training programs, including computer skills, basic accounting, customer service, and other relevant job skills. Additionally, the training center will offer job placement services to individuals who complete the training programs.

7. Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty – Preston Court Food Warehouse Capital Improvement

Amount Received: $1,000,000

Description: This funding will be used to support infrastructure and operational improvements for Met Council’s 22,000 square foot emergency food warehouse. 

8. The Campaign Against Hunger – Permanent Community Food Hub

Amount Received: $2,500,000

Description: The Campaign Against Hunger’s permanent community food hub will be a first-of-its-kind ecosystem that uses food access, education, and innovation in urban farming to break the systemic and interconnected cycle of hunger in NYC. TCAH plans to acquire an 88,000 SF warehouse at 909 Remsen Avenue, Brooklyn to amplify the emergency food network’s capacity to store, pack, and distribute healthy food by providing storage, loading, refrigeration, and freezer space. TCAH plans to outfit the hub with 30,000 SF of green space to grow and expand access to healthy food, a commercial kitchen for meal preparation, disaster response capabilities and culinary arts training, on-site workforce development and innovation programs to boost job creation and provide skills and employment pathways for disadvantaged youth and adults. The food hub will reduce food waste through composting and recycling and advance bioenergy by converting organic waste material into renewable natural gas and probiotic plant food, generate renewable energy into heat, hot water, light, electricity, and vehicle fuel, and serve as a community hub for food education, family activities, and service opportunities.

9. SBH Community Service Network – Client Hub Improvement

Amount Received: $975,000

Description: The SBH Renovation of 425 Kings Highway, Brooklyn NY project will renovate, remodel, and expand the client choice pantry and food preparation area of the building and replace the roof to allow for improved quality of client services, more efficient delivery of services, expansion of services, and the hiring of additional staff. Due to cramped conditions, the Food Pantry can currently only accommodate 2 clients at a time. A newly renovated and redesigned Food Pantry will accommodate at least 5 clients at a time. It will more than double in size and will be able to maintain as much as twice the number of food items that it currently maintains. It will have space for 4 refrigerators and 3 freezers for more food storage. It will also have a larger waiting area for clients and additional office space for staff and volunteers.

10. Brooklyn Emerge – Community Food Bank

Amount Received: $149,000

Description: Brooklyn Emerge’s Halal Hot Meal Share and Food Pantry Program are designed to address food insecurity in the community. The plan includes the Halal meal-share program, which provides hot, halal meals to those in need, fruits, vegetables and other grocery items such milk, peanut butter etc. Through these initiatives, Brooklyn Emerge aims to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in the community and empower individuals to access healthy, nutritious food. Overall, the organization is committed to providing a range of services that address various community needs, including education, environmental sustainability, and empowerment for marginalized groups.

11. My Time Inc. – Parent Support and Resource Center

Amount Received: $500,000

Description: 

My Time Inc.’s Parent Support and Research Center will educate, uplift, and empower parents of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. My Time Inc. was founded to support these parents and help them live a life they deserve in their community. 1,500,000 for JCC of Greater Coney Island – Home Delivered Meals Program. JCCGCI operates three separate Home Delivered Meals (HDM) programs. All are experiencing significant budget deficit challenges due to increases in food, fuel and staffing costs complicated by an absence of an increase in reimbursement from NYC DFTA. Collectively, these programs serve Brooklyn Community Districts 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 and include a high-standard Glatt Kosher menu which, for many Ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Older Adults, is the only acceptable source of City-funded HDM. These programs serve 500 meals daily. In addition, this project will address the documented unmet need of HDMs for Holocaust survivors which is a vulnerable and high-risk population.

12. JCC of Greater Coney Island – Home Delivered Meals Program

Amount Received: $500,000

Description: JCCGCI operates three separate Home Delivered Meals (HDM) programs. All are experiencing significant budget deficit challenges due to increases in food, fuel and staffing costs complicated by an absence of an increase in reimbursement from NYC DFTA. Collectively, these programs serve Brooklyn Community Districts 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 and include a high-standard Glatt Kosher menu which, for many Ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Older Adults, is the only acceptable source of City-funded HDM. These programs serve 500 meals daily. In addition, this project will address the documented unmet need of HDMs for Holocaust survivors which is a vulnerable and high-risk population.

13. HASC Center – Avenue M Facilities Construction and Renovation

Amount Received: $500,000

Description: HASC Center Inc. requests funding to build out space in its new building to house services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), as well as those with physical disabilities and autism. The project will construct “home rooms” for day-hab programs, conference rooms, reception rooms, sensory rooms for individuals with autism, a kitchen, dining areas (to teach self-sufficiency), space for vocational and supportive employment training, and office and storage facilities. The building will be fully handicapped accessible to allow for various types and sizes of mobility devices. Total square footage of the proposed construction is 25,000 square feet. This project will enhance HASC’s capacity to provide services and programming for adults with I/DD, as well as those with physical disabilities and autism. HASC currently serves more than 2000 clients per year. Once completed, HASC will be able to significantly expand the number of individuals served and expand its work force. Advanced programming for individuals with autism will be introduced based on the larger space in the new facility.

14. Flatbush Development Corporation – Newkirk Plaza Storefront Improvement

Amount Received: $575,000

Description: The Newkirk Plaza 34 businesses is home to a diverse range of mom and pop shops that are proud to be a hub of economic activity in the Flatbush area. However, the reality of Newkirk Plaza over the last several decades has been of underinvestment due to economic downturns, and its multijurisdictional ownership between the MTA, DOT, and private owners. Without proper investment, the Plaza has not lived up to its potential. Its worn out storefront facades give way to high vacancy rates, limited retail mix, unattractive storefronts, and insufficient greening and sanitation services. Many neighbors describe the Plaza as sad looking and unsafe even in daylight and prefer to shop elsewhere. The pandemic has exacerbated these long-term challenges with increasing crime, rodent infestations, and homelessness that negatively impact small businesses in the Plaza—mostly owned by women, immigrants, and low income New Yorkers. With the support of this funding, FDC plans to implement a series of storefront improvements to the Plaza. These may include: Repainting and repairing facades, updating signage and awnings, Installing new lighting fixtures, repairing or replacing windows and doors, and enhanced landscaping. By making these improvements, we aim to create a more vibrant and visually appealing business district that will make it a destination for shopping, transportation and green space.

FY23 Community Project Funding

1. Brooklyn Children’s Museum – Upgrade Interior Exhibit Spaces’ HVAC System

Amount Received: $1,250,000

Description: Brooklyn Children’s Museum is requesting funds to replace non-functioning components, install new equipment to prolong the life of the overall system and better control energy usage in the building. These funds would go towards allowing year-round usage of BCM by the community, including our visitors, local community-based organizations, elected officials, city agencies and more. Currently, the museum must close if the temperature is too hot outside due to an inability to cool the 100,000 sq ft space. This would allow for BCM to serve as a cooling center if needed and continue being a viable resource for the community.

2. Brownsville Community Development Corporation – Brownsville Multi-Service Health Hub

Amount Received: $2,200,000

Description: This funding will cover the cost of equipment for the Brownsville Multi-Service Health Hub, a new 50,000 square foot health center as part of a re-development and expansion of the BMS flagship health center that in Brownsville. The additional space will help mitigate existing facility challenges and close the gaps in services, yielding improved clinical workflows and better healthcare outcomes for BMS patients. As one of the seven sites that are part of the BMS health center network, we envision this new re-designed site as a state-of-the-art facility that will advance BMS’ mission of improving health outcomes in central Brooklyn and addressing social determinants of health. 

3. CAMBA, Inc. – Capital Improvements for CAMBA Headquarters

Amount Received: $3,000,000

Description: Capital improvements for CAMBA’s headquarters building, which houses vital Human Resources, Strategic Partnerships, Fiscal, Budget, Payroll, Purchasing, COVID Response, and IT teams, totaling 103 employees who support the functioning, staff, and leadership of the agency. These administrative teams are indispensable to CAMBA’s programmatic achievements and are currently working in an environment that is in critical need of repairs and upgrades. With refurbishment, CAMBA can once more welcome visitors at Headquarters. 

4. Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College – Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature (ROLL) Program

Amount Received: $191,160

Description: Medgar Evers College’s Center for Black Literature’s ROLL Program is a partnership with elementary, middle, and high schools to help students use the literary arts as a basis for re-seeing and re-imagining their lives through reading literature that aligns with and integrates into the English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum in create ways. The program uses texts written by writers of the African Diaspora to broaden the experiences of students and expand their knowledge of diverse cultures while improving critical reading, writing, and communication skills. 

5. Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College – Esmeralda Simmons Pre-Law Program

Amount Received: $534,981.86

Description: The Center for Law and Social Justice (CLSJ) at Medgar Evers College proposes funds for the Esmeralda Simmons Pre-Law Program, which works closely with ten MEC juniors for one year as it engages in policy and legislative research and launches community education campaigns. The pre-law program will offer mentorship and guidance for MEC students seeking to enter the legal field; law school preparation programs like access to LSAT training, and hands-on experience applying the law to meet the needs of the community. The program will include a speaker series, workshops, conferences, and a full slate of opportunities for MEC students to strengthen their academic experience and prepare them to advocate for their communities. Students in the program, who will have completed 30 credits and achieved a GPA of 3.0 in order to qualify, will attend court and legislative hearings; meet legal practitioners to ask pragmatic questions about the practice of law; engage in community organizing and community education campaigns to assist New Yorkers in knowing their rights; students will learn about and educate their peers on key pieces of legislation such as the pending New York State John R. Lewis Voting Rights Bill and other state and federal laws that secure civil rights.  Further, the Esmeralda Simmons Pre Law program will give students the opportunity to learn and practice specific skills that are key to the practice of law and to advocacy in general.   

6. Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush – Adult Education Classes

Amount Received: $250,000

Description: COJO requests funds to establish two different educational programs for adults over the age of 18. The first is an English as a Second Language (ESL) course offered at both the beginner and intermediate/advance levels, respectively. The second program would focus on improving participants’ computer skills from the basics (how to use a computer, the internet, and email) to Microsoft suite to web design. Courses would all take place over 12-15 weeks and meet twice a week. Each course will offer daytime and evening options to maximize flexibility for the community.

7. Council of Peoples Organization – Community Service Center

Amount Received: $750,000

Description: COPO requests funding to complete the purchase of three adjacent buildings at 1075, 1077, and 1079 Coney Island Avenue, where they currently rent the first floors. COPO hopes to purchase these buildings to gain a permanent home to serve the community and expand services offered. COPO has already secured $4.5 million from NYC for the purchase.

8. EmblemHealth – Mental Wellbeing Education and Support for New Yorkers at Neighborhood Care

Amount Received: $450,000

Description: EmblemHealth requests funding to hire 2 full-time Licensed Clinical Social Workers at its Crown Heights location, as well as for series courses, per diem instructors to lead programming, support for program participants (i.e. babysitting services) and educational materials. This project would provide two approaches to addressing mental wellbeing challenges and needs: community members could opt to join one of two to six week-long series focused on family and home life or on life as New Yorkers, or they could join individual general educational sessions whenever it fits into their schedule. The family and home life series would address topics such as transitioning to new parenthood, supporting caregivers, mental wellbeing for children and teens, living alone, and more.  New York City focused programming would address some of the challenges we know are exacerbated by city life such as working as an essential worker, burnout and chronic stress, financial stress, and commuting safely. General educational sessions would cover similar topics, as well as provide education and access to tools such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and art therapy. There would also be supportive discussion sessions specifically tailored to African American, Latinx, Asian, and LGBTQ community members.

9. Erasmus Neighborhood Federation – Community Development and Housing Initiative

Amount Received: $795,000

Description: There has been an increase in the need to support individuals facing housing crises because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Legal services and counseling are essential to help individuals remain in their home. Clients are often referred to ENF by local elected officials and nonprofit organizations in Central Brooklyn. The requested funds will allow Erasmus Neighborhood Federation to hire legal professionals and support staff for outreach and case management in response to this growing need. This new program will offer legal services, counseling, and housing assistance to prevent wrongful evictions, homelessness, and the loss of home ownership. Funds will be used for direct program services including staffing, program supplies, advocacy and outreach services, tenancy, and office maintenance, to ensure that vital services are available in Congressional District 9 during some of the most unprecedented, critical economic times. 

10. New York Community Hospital – Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology Laboratory

Amount Received: $2,200,000

Description: This funding will help provide state of the art cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology services to Southern Brooklyn residents and will broaden access to critical cardiac services while ensuring clinical quality and outcomes. Patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest generally need urgent interventional cardiac care. Not having these interventional services available at NYCH forces these patients to be sent to a more distant hospital and thus causes a delay in the care of these patients for whom time is of the essence. Having a cardiac center of excellence, with the proper equipment and Cath Lab, manned by some of most renowned Specialists, within the Midwood area, could mean the difference between life and death.

11. New York Sun Works – STEM with Hydroponic Farming in the Classroom

Amount Received: $800,000

Description: New York Sun Works is a non-profit organization that provides hydroponic farm-classrooms and related Discovering Sustainability Science curriculum to K-12th grades in New York City public schools, using hydroponic farming technology to teach STEM, sustainability, and climate education while growing food year-round in the classroom. This funding will allow NY Sun Works to bring hydroponic farm-classrooms to 20 new public schools in NY-09, reaching more than 6,000 K-12th grade students and their families, in the communities hit hardest by Covid infections and the economic effects of the pandemic. Together, the curriculum and hydroponic classroom experience provide students with science knowledge, essential 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving, and the opportunity to learn about nutrition, health, and food justice, leveling the education playing field and building foundations for further study and future careers as we prepare the next generation of environmental leaders to confront the climate challenges of the future.

12. NYC Health and Hospitals (KCHC) – Construction of new Ambulatory Cancer Center

Amount Received: $2,200,000

Description: KCHC requests funding for the construction of a new ambulatory cancer center. Currently, outpatient cancer care and chemotherapy treatments are provided in an old building that is challenging for patients to access. This plan would move the center to the Ambulatory Care Services location, thereby providing ease of access to patients. In addition, the demand for cancer care to KCHC has outstripped current capacity, leading staff to refer patients to other system hospitals to receive care. The new center would consolidate cancer services in one location, providing a comprehensive “one-stop” service for cancer care.

13. The Hope Center Development Corporation – Construction of Community Food Pantry

Amount Received: $445,000

Description: Currently, The Hope Center operates a Community Food Pantry out of the 12-unit apartment complex owned by the Church of God of East Flatbush, its parent organization, and is outgrowing the space as currently constructed. Hope Center has been using several rooms to accommodate growing pantry operations. This funding for renovations will allow the building to serve as a warehouse as well as a food distribution center for our community. This renovation will also allow for an office area for HCDC, restroom, storage for pantry supplies (basement), client choice pantry distribution and storage (first floor). Additional costs will include structural work at the basement as well as the distribution/office/restroom area, and steps leading to the pantry.

14. Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services – Renovation of 4^th Floor Headquarters 

Amount Received: $2,000,000

Description: Ohel requests funding to build out the currently vacant fourth floor of their main facility in Midwood. The project will construct classrooms, conference rooms, reception locker rooms, computer training rooms, kitchen, and dining areas (to teach self-sufficiency), a simulated office, and storage facilities for the PROS Day Program and the Prevocational and Supported Employment Program. Total square footage of the proposed construction is 13,000 square feet. This project will enhance Ohel’s capacity to provide services for adults with psychiatric disabilities as well as those with developmental disabilities. Ohel currently serves more than 2,000 clients a year from the surrounding area. Once completed, the proposed construction project will allow Ohel to significantly expand the number of clients served by about 110 a year with an additional 50 new staff members. Additionally, moving programs from its second floor makes room for 100 new clients and 4 new staff members for Ohel’s Health Homes Program (Medicaid-funded care management), which is also currently squeezed onto the second floor with the PROS and the Employment Programs. Ohel’s clients that will benefit from this project include developmentally disabled and/or people living with mental illness, many of whom are Medicaid and Social Security recipients. To qualify, a person’s income must be at or below the federal poverty line.

15. Sesame Flyers International – Renovation of Cultural Center

Amount Received: $750,000

Description: Sesame Flyers International requests funding for equipment for the proposed Main Office and Cultural Center which will house small and medium sized community center-like spaces for classes, performances, and events to support our community. Sesame Flyers Cultural Dance Company and Steel Pan Orchestra will rehearse and record their audiovisual presentations in one of the two recording and sound studios. A mobile outdoor performance space and storage containers will extend to outdoor audiences as well. Sesame’s Carnival costume Presentations will be displayed and incorporated into costume making classes. Dance Company participants will learn a variety of Caribbean, African and South American dances. Steel Pan Orchestra participants will learn to play an instrument, receive an introduction to a variety of musical forms and genres. All arts participants will learn about the culture and history behind their chosen medium, including creative writing, visual arts, and drama.

FY22 Community Project Funding

1. City of New York – Girls Club Community Center

Amount Received: $3,000,000

Description: This project consists of the construction of a girls club/community center space on the site of an existing City-owned multi-service center.  The existing building, which is in poor condition, will be demolished.  The new building will be designed to accommodate both the current multi-service center tenants and the new girls club. This project addresses a specific need identified by community members, local elected officials, and other community stakeholders in Brownsville: the need for a space designed to nurture girls in middle and high school by providing a safe space to explore programming in the arts, sciences, leadership, entrepreneurship, and wellness at no cost to families

2. Brooklyn Museum – Arts of Africa Collections

Amount Received: $3,000,000

Description: This grant will support critical costs for the upcoming creation of our first-ever permanent galleries for our world-renowned collection of African Arts. Located in the heart of Central Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Museum was the first major museum in the United States to collect and exhibit the Arts of Africa as art rather than ethnography, transforming how our visitors understood and appreciated African cultures for decades to follow.  Focusing primarily on historical works from Western, Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa — with particular strengths in art from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Ghana — the collection represents approximately 400 peoples (ethnic groups) and thirty-one primarily sub-Saharan countries

3. City of New York – Cure Violence

Amount Received: $3,000,000

Description: This grant will support Cure Violence initiatives led by community organizations within the 9^th Congressional District, including the neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Cure Violence (CV) is a community-based public health model for preventing gun violence in targeted areas, which has been deployed both nationally and internationally. The core CV program staff include Outreach Workers, Violence Interrupters, and Hospital Responders who are the frontline teams identifying potential incidents of gun violence and preventing and intervening in conflicts in real time that may lead to gun violence and retaliation. CV staff follow up in the immediate aftermath of shooting incidents to connect impacted parties to essential services and resources within the network to initiate positive lifestyle changes.

4. SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University – Downstate Community Health Network

Amount Received: $1,925,000      

Description: There is a dire need in central Brooklyn for integrated and coordinated primary care and social services. Compared to the rest of Brooklyn and New York City, the residents of central Brooklyn experience less access to health care, more social determinants of health, less preventative health care and worse health outcomes. This grant will help to develop a connected artificial intelligence (AI) driven primary care technology hub infrastructure and establish a network of five care and community connected sites that will integrate primary care, mental health and social services in central Brooklyn. The purpose of this request is to design and operationalize the technology enabled population health infrastructure hub and build out and operate the first connected primary care practice pilot site. SUNY Downstate will contribute funding in support of this pilot and infrastructure set up, including equipment, IT data management platform connectivity, contracted services, and provider salaries by using operating funds.

5. West Indian American Day Carnival Association – Caribbean Cultural Arts Education Program

Amount Received: $1,000,000

Description: WIADCA functions on four core tents: education, culture, music, and community. We have played a critical role in enabling society acceptance and appreciation of the Caribbean culture by engaging, exposing and educating others through year-round programs that centers culture, arts, history and traditions. Arts education and expression has shown to reduce incarceration, make communities safer and stronger, and contribute to positive youth outcomes. This $1,000,000 funding will enhance that as we aim to provide a sustainable cultural approach to enhance historical relevance, cultural stewardship, and knowledge of Caribbean contributions for participants. Students will learn about the background and culture of Caribbean communities and their contributions to the United States.

6. New York Community Hospital – Infusion Center at New York Community Hospital

Amount Received: $975,000         

Description: The Infusion Center at New York Community Hospital (NYCH) will provide specialty infusion therapy, used to deliver antibiotics, pain medications and other infusion treatments as needed for patients to fight cancer and ensure sufficient access to these services which are critical for population health, particularly among marginalized communities in southeast Brooklyn. Through a partnership with Maimonides Medical Center (MMC), the joint program will expand the reach of MMC’s world class cancer care in the borough by extending a core of community-based hematology and oncology providers to NYCH. The center will focus initially on breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers for community patients, with higher-complexity cases being referred to MMC’s Cancer Center to provide the right care close to home in Brooklyn, ultimately ensuring coordinated, high-quality care for cancer patients that will in turn reduce cancer mortality in Brooklyn.

7. Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center Local Development Corporation – GMDC Brownsville Industrial Center

Amount Received: $2,500,000      

Description: This funding will support the development of a first-of-its-kind mixed-use project in Brownsville, Brooklyn. This project is expected to become a strong anchor for investment in manufacturing in Brownsville, and is expected to be a catalyst for job growth in East Brooklyn. The building will offer a haven to small manufacturing businesses by offering affordable rents, long-term leases, and the opportunity to build business networks. The small businesses in GMDC’s multi-tenanted facility will play a critical role in stabilizing and strengthening the surrounding communities by providing employment to New Yorkers from every strata: high school to college graduates; life-long NYC residents to recent immigrants; and workers just developing their skill set to those trained in specific trades. Manufacturing jobs will pay well above a living wage, providing upward mobility and an entry into the middle class for workers. GMDC will connect all tenants with New York’s Workforce1 training program and New York City’s HireNYC program, which emphasize local hiring.

8. One Brooklyn Health System, Inc. – Medical Equipment

Amount Received: $425,000         

Description: These funds will support the effective coordination of patients’ care across the One Brooklyn Health service continuum and with community physicians and federally qualified health centers. Specifically, this funding will enable Interfaith Medical Center (IMC) to better serve Central Brooklyn residents in need of acute inpatient care through the purchase of life-saving medical equipment. This project will improve the quality, access, and patient satisfaction of healthcare for the populace of Central and South Brooklyn.

9. Brownsville Community Development Corporation / BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers – BMS: Workforce & Training Center Initiative

Amount Received: $1,000,000      

Description: As a Federally Qualified Health Center, BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers serves as a critical health and wellness resource for members of Brownsville and East New York communities and beyond. Through this project, BMS aims to ensure our community partners have a “seat at the table” as groundbreaking technology is developed and deployed, such as Telehealth, advanced Electronic Health Record (HER) analysis, and emerging treatment strategies that are currently being deployed in the health care industry. Funds will go towards the implementation and startup costs of a community workforce and training initiative centered on building BMS workforce and professional capacity building services, through a multitude of strategies, with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of our residents entering occupations within the health care industry. One aspect of workforce capacity building will come in the form of trainings in health and information technology educational courses aimed at preparing participants for careers in the rapidly changing healthcare industry.

10. Brooklyn Communities Collaborative – Expanding Access to Specialty Services Through eConsults

Amount Received: $875,000

Description: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers have rapidly implemented and expanded telemedicine programs to deliver needed care with the convenience and safety of virtual visits. An electronic consultation, or eConsult, involves remote, asynchronous communication between referring providers and specialty providers. In particular, eConsults have been linked to reduced wait times for specialty care, showing that for patients requiring an in-person specialty care visit, the median wait time decreased by as much as 50%. To expand on early success with telemedicine, this grant will support an eConsult program to provide efficient, asynchronous consultations to scarce specialties that are most appropriate for eConsults, such as endocrinology, thereby improving access and efficiency while decreasing wait times for patients most in need of in-person consultations. The program will license and configure a shared platform for referral access across a network of community providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers throughout Brooklyn, including the Brownsville Multi-Service Family Health Center, Maimonides Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health, and SUNY Downstate. Following a traditional pilot model, the program will begin with two high-demand specialties in months 1-6 and then expand to additional specialties.