Park Slope's Camp Friendship Gets $75K Donation From BK Nonprofit

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Park Slope's own Camp Friendship recently got a $75,600 boost from a Brooklyn nonprofit donating to areas most impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

The Brooklyn Communities Collaborative unveiled a final set of grants on Friday that went to local nonprofits with the aim of helping communities most impacted by the pandemic. The final 14 grants helped the organization achieve its goal of investing $3 million to support other nonprofits during the pandemic.

“...With the devastating impact of COVID on Black and brown communities, at two times the rate of their white counterparts, we knew we had to act and act quickly,” said BBC Board Member Marilyn Fraser, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.

“We began this journey to give $3 million to Brooklyn’s non-profits, knowing that these incredible organizations would continue to work every day to make this borough and our residents better. While we acknowledge that there is much more to be done, we are encouraged that we were able to assist in some way."

Among the recipients was Camp Friendship, which started a food pantry during the coronavirus crisis to provide meals for hundreds of neighbors each week and delivery to seniors across the borough.

Other Brooklyn organizations that got a funding boost include the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, the YWCA of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled.

Find a full list of the grant recipients, with descriptions from BCC, here:

• United Community Centers, a social justice-driven community center that works to address community challenges, was awarded $125,000.
• YWCA of Brooklyn, a social justice organization that works to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, has been awarded $100,000.
• Camp Friendship, a year-round facility dedicated to supporting and encouraging childhood development, was awarded $75,600.
• Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, which works to empower persons with disabilities by improving their quality of life and fostering their integration into the mainstream of society, was awarded $63,173.
• Center for Community Alternatives, which works to engage incarcerated youth while also pursuing criminal justice reform in New York City, was awarded $55,000.
• Sadie Nash Leadership Project, a social justice education organization that builds college and career readiness for young women and gender-expansive youth in New York City, was awarded $54,850.
• Madison Square Boys and Girls Club, which engages local youth in recreational and vocational programs and serves under-resourced communities, was awarded $50,075.
• Qualitas of Life Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides financial education to Hispanic individuals and their families, in order to foster their financial security and improve their standard of living. The organization was awarded $50,000.
• Her Village, which distributes essential items like diapers, wipes, infant formula, and period supplies to sex trafficking survivors, domestic violence survivors, teen mothers, criminal justice-involved youth and families living in shelters, was awarded $40,920.
• Kings County Tennis League, which serves children living in and around public housing by using tennis and off-court educational activities as instruments for youth development, was awarded $35,000.
• Seeds in the Middle, which works to fight obesity and combat health disparities in schools, was awarded $35,000.
• Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn DMA, which supports a vibrant neighborhood commercial corridor that serves a diverse community of property owners, businesses, residents, workers, and visitors by maintaining a clean and safe environment, building community, and engaging with community residents, was awarded $14,000.
• Brooklyn Book Bodega, which provides access to books through free community events and literacy-based community programming to create a passion for learning, was awarded $10,000.
• First Tech Fund, which works to close the digital divide by supporting students of underserved backgrounds with technology, practical skills, and opportunities to succeed in the modern world, was awarded $10,000.