In a borough that has always taken care of its own, Brooklyn Org’s 2026 Spark Prize just made that tradition official — handing five trailblazing nonprofits $100,000 each, no strings attached, to do the work they know best.
The winners were announced in January 2026 and celebrated at a breakfast at Barclays Center on March 3. Together, they represent some of the most urgent and quietly powerful work happening in Brooklyn right now: protecting domestic violence survivors, uplifting trans artists, defending communities from surveillance technology, mentoring young men of color, and building the next generation of civic leaders.
Who Won — and What They’re Doing With It
Asiyah Women’s Center has been serving Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian survivors of domestic violence since founder Dania Darwish started it with her own savings — renting a single apartment to give women a safe place to land. Today the center serves more than 35 women and their children across four locations in Brooklyn, offering emergency shelter, legal support, counseling, and economic empowerment. The Spark Prize funding goes toward building more housing and a permanent wellness center.
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) supports Black trans femme artists through residencies, emergency grants, free studio space, and public platforms — from ballroom events to a YouTube series. Founder Jordyn Jay says the $100,000 will help grow BTFA Studios into a full-scale production hub, so artists can make work, make history, and make a living.
Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), founded in Brooklyn in 2019, fights the expansion of discriminatory surveillance technology — facial recognition tools, predictive policing systems, and other technologies that disproportionately impact communities of color. Executive Director Michelle Dahl says the funding will scale up digital safety trainings and strategic litigation across the borough.
The B.R.O. Experience Foundation works in Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, and Bushwick with Black and Latino young men, offering trauma-informed mentorship, summer camps, fatherhood workshops, and rites-of-passage groups. Founder Barry Cooper says the goal is to reach more than 2,000 young men per year and expand the BRO Space Wellness Center.
YVote, founded in Brooklyn in 2017, works directly in high schools to turn students into civic leaders — through voter registration drives, participatory budgeting campaigns, and school-based civic clubs. Executive Director Randy Frazer says the prize will fund expanded clubs and new internships so Brooklyn teens can shape actual policy.
Ten Years of Betting on Brooklyn
The Spark Prize, launched in 2016, has now invested more than $5 million in Brooklyn nonprofits. The model is intentionally simple: unrestricted general operating support, selected by a committee of civic, business, and philanthropic leaders who conduct real interviews with applicants. No earmarks, no reporting hoops, no strings.
Brooklyn Org president and CEO Jocelynne Rainey put it plainly at the ceremony: “This year’s Brooklyn Org Spark Prize winners reflect the ingenuity and determination to overcome every challenging moment that define what makes Brooklyn great.”
The timing matters. All five organizations are navigating cuts to federal funding while demand for their services has grown. Unrestricted cash is not just recognition — it is runway.
Beyond the Spark Prize, Brooklyn Org announced more than $1.5 million in additional new grants across Brooklyn in May 2026, continuing its model of community-led philanthropy that keeps dollars close to the neighborhoods that need them most.
What You Need to Know
- Brooklyn Org awarded five nonprofits $100,000 each through its 2026 Spark Prize, presented by NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
- Winners: Asiyah Women’s Center, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), The B.R.O. Experience Foundation, and YVote
- All grants are no-strings-attached general operating support
- The Spark Prize has invested more than $5 million in Brooklyn nonprofits since launching in 2016
- Brooklyn Org also announced more than $1.5 million in new grants across the borough in May 2026
- To learn more, visit brooklyn.org/sparkprize
For context on how local governance supports community organizations like these, see our guide to NYC City Council Districts and Community Boards. And for more on Brooklyn’s deep roots in community service, Brooklyn Community Services recently marked 160 years of work in the borough.
