Five Brooklyn nonprofits that might not yet be household names are about to have a lot more resources to do their work. Earlier this year, Brooklyn Org — the borough’s leading community philanthropic organization — announced the winners of its 2026 Spark Prize, an annual award that hands out $100,000, no-strings-attached grants to exceptional nonprofits that are building a more equitable Brooklyn.
The winners were celebrated at the Brooklyn Org Spark Breakfast on March 3, 2026, at Barclays Center, and the organizations they represent tell a story about what the borough’s most pressing challenges actually are right now: domestic violence, artistic survival, civil rights in the digital age, mental health for young men of color, and youth civic engagement.
“This year’s Brooklyn Org Spark Prize winners reflect the ingenuity and determination to overcome every challenging moment that define what makes Brooklyn great,” said Jocelynne Rainey, president and CEO of Brooklyn Org, in the official announcement.
The Five 2026 Winners
Asiyah Women’s Center provides emergency shelter, advocacy, mental health support, and housing services specifically for survivors of domestic violence from Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities in Brooklyn. The center uses a culturally sensitive, survivor-led model built on community trust and partnerships with local mosques. Founder and Executive Director Dania Darwish started the organization seven years ago using personal savings to rent a single apartment as a safe space. Today, Asiyah operates four locations serving more than 35 women and their children. The Spark Prize funding will go toward building more housing and a permanent wellness center.
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA) supports Black trans femme artists in Brooklyn through community-led programming, event production, and mutual aid that meet both creative and material needs. BTFA offers residencies, emergency grants, free studio space, and public platforms for performance and storytelling — from ballroom events to a hit YouTube series. Founder Jordyn Jay has described the organization’s mission as “building infrastructure where Black trans femme artists own the means of production and care.” The Spark Prize will help grow BTFA Studios into a full-scale production hub.
Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) was founded in Brooklyn in 2019 to protect civil rights by confronting the expansion of discriminatory surveillance technologies — including facial recognition tools — that threaten privacy and deepen racial and religious profiling of overpoliced communities. S.T.O.P. pairs community-led digital safety trainings with litigation, research, and policy advocacy. The Spark Prize funding will help scale community trainings and strategic litigation focused on protecting privacy and limiting the NYPD’s use of invasive technology.
The B.R.O. Experience Foundation offers trauma-informed mentorship and healing programs for Black and Latino young men in Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, and Bushwick. Programs include summer camps, rites of passage groups, fatherhood workshops, and facilitated spaces for reflection and connection. The organization’s goal is to help young men of color build emotional resilience and leadership skills. Founder Barry Cooper has said the Prize will help The B.R.O. Experience reach more than 2,000 young men annually and expand its BRO Space Wellness Center.
YVote builds pathways for young Brooklynites to actively shape democracy through peer-led, issue-driven civic engagement. Founded in Brooklyn in 2017 by students who were frustrated with the political process and decided to do something about it, YVote now works in high schools across the borough through voter registration drives, participatory budgeting campaigns, and school-based civic clubs. The Spark Prize will help YVote expand civic clubs and launch new internships so Brooklyn teens can shape policy, run campaigns, and vote with power.
About Brooklyn Org and the Spark Prize
Brooklyn Org (formally the Brooklyn Community Foundation) is the leading philanthropic organization focused exclusively on Brooklyn. Each year, it invests more than $5 million in the work of grassroots, community-led nonprofits working to address inequity across the borough. The Spark Prize, launched in 2016, has now invested more than $5 million in pioneering local organizations through unrestricted general operating support — giving organizations the flexibility to grow and serve their communities without restrictions on how the money can be spent.
Winners are selected by a committee of leaders from Brooklyn’s civic, business, and philanthropic sectors following application review and interviews. This year’s prize was presented by NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
Brooklyn Org also hosts the Changemakers Ball in October and a Nonprofit Conference in June — mark June 16 if you’re involved in the borough’s nonprofit sector.
What You Need to Know
- Five Brooklyn nonprofits each received $100,000 no-strings-attached grants as the 2026 Brooklyn Org Spark Prize winners.
- 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.
- The awards were presented at Barclays Center on March 3, 2026.
- Brooklyn Org invests more than $5 million per year in Brooklyn grassroots nonprofits.
- To nominate organizations for future prizes or support Brooklyn Org, visit brooklyn.org.
- Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Conference: June 16, 2026 — open to nonprofit professionals across the borough.
Source: Brooklyn Org official press release, January 8, 2026 (primary).
