What East Brooklyn Congregations does

East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC) is a non-partisan, interfaith community-organizing non-profit founded in 1980 in East New York and Brownsville, Brooklyn. It is composed of dues-paying member institutions—congregations, schools, and homeowners associations—with deep membership across Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville/Ocean-Hill, Bushwick, Crown Heights, and East New York, representing more than 15,000 active families. EBC's operating model is the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) institution-based organizing methodology: relational one-on-ones, house meetings, leader development, and large public actions that pressure public officials and developers to deliver concrete outcomes. Member institutions commit to developing organized leadership teams that identify local issues and align with EBC's borough and city-wide agenda.

EBC's core "products" are campaign outcomes rather than software: affordable-housing development (3,298 Nehemiah Homes and 898 rental units delivered with Community Preservation Corporation and Common Ground; Spring Creek's 2,665 all-affordable units in partnership with Monadnock Development), education reform (two public high schools established), neighborhood infrastructure ($5M in park renovations), and public-safety/NYCHA accountability (75th precinct murder rate decline from 126 in 1993 to 12 in 2024). The Nehemiah program, executed through affiliate Nehemiah HDFC, has produced an estimated $1.5B in wealth for first-time Black and Latino homeowners and has scaled nationally to 6,500 units. EBC was a founding affiliate of the IAF and anchors the Metro IAF NYC network alongside Manhattan Together, Queens Power, South Bronx Churches, and the newly founded The Bronx First (February 2026).

EBC operates as a 501(c)(3)-style non-profit with a headcount of 251–500 employees and a headquarters at 516 Schroeders Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11239. Revenue is generated through institutional membership dues (recurring) and foundation, corporate, and individual donations, including a $30,000 M&T Charitable Foundation grant recorded in March 2024. Specific dues amounts and audited financial figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a Strategy Team of member-institution leaders, with Rev. Dr. David K. Brawley, Rev. Edward Mason, and Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey serving as Co-Chairs. Distribution occurs almost entirely through member-institution networks and earned media (New York Times, CBS News Sunday Morning, Spectrum News 1, PIX11, amNewYork); EBC does not sell any technology product and maintains no API or SDK surface.

Name

East Brooklyn Congregations

Legal name

East Brooklyn Congregations

Website

https://ebc-iaf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC) is a 1980-founded Brooklyn non-profit community-organizing coalition of 50-plus congregations, schools, and homeowners associations representing 15,000+ families. It delivers affordable homeownership, education, and neighborhood outcomes through IAF-style relational organizing and Metro IAF partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Organizing Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Community organizing services
• Affordable housing development
• Nonprofit coalition building
• Faith-based organizing
• Community advocacy campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: EBC is supported by member organizations paying dues. EBC membership requires participation—an organized team of top leaders in institutions to identify and train other leaders, identify and act on local issues, and help develop and support EBC's borough and city-wide agenda.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: EBC is supported by foundations, corporations, and individuals who believe in making Brooklyn a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

East Brooklyn Congregations is a non-profit community organizing coalition that builds collective power through 50+ dues-paying member institutions (congregations, schools, homeowners associations) to address systemic issues in East Brooklyn. Its core deliverables are the Nehemiah affordable homeownership program (5,000+ homes built), public high school establishment, NYCHA public housing advocacy, public safety campaigns, and leadership development programs that train thousands of community leaders to negotiate with public and private sector actors.

Product overview

East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC) is a community organizing non-profit organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy campaigns, organizing programs, and community development initiatives rather than a unified software product or platform. The organization runs campaigns focused on affordable housing (Nehemiah Homes program), school transformation, criminal justice reforms and mental health, and public housing (NYCHA) advocacy. EBC is composed of member institutions including congregations, schools, and homeowners associations who work together to build community power and create change in Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nehemiah Homes Initiative Affordable homeownership housing program that constructs homes for first-time low- and moderate-income families, primarily Black and Latino, in East Brooklyn. Includes the construction of 3,298 Nehemiah Homes, 898 rental units in partnership with Community Preservation Corporation and Common Ground, and the Spring Creek transformation of a former landfill into 2,665 all-affordable homes and apartments. Targets families in East New York, Brownsville, Ocean Hill, and Bushwick seeking affordable pathways to homeownership and intergenerational wealth building.
• EBC Public High Schools Program Education reform initiative through which EBC helped establish two new public high schools — EBC H.S. for Public Service and Academy for Young Writers — as part of its small-schools strategy to address school quality and educational inequity in East Brooklyn. Schools serve as EBC member institutions and benefit from parent engagement infrastructure.
• NYCHA Advocacy Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 affordable Nehemiah homes and apartments constructed since 1980
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBC is a founding affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation, the nation's first and largest network of multi-faith community organizations with seven decades of experience. IAF provides organizing training, national network support, and proven methodologies for building citizen power. EBC helped support the founding of sister IAF organizations in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens.
• Metro IAFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBC is part of Metro IAF, the New York City network of IAF affiliates including Manhattan Together, Queens Power, South Bronx Churches, and The Bronx First. Metro IAF coordinates city-wide campaigns on affordable housing, NYCHA, education, and public safety.
• Community Preservation CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBC partnered with Community Preservation Corporation to develop 898 rental units as part of their affordable housing initiatives.
• Common GroundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBC partnered with Common Ground to develop 898 rental units as part of their affordable housing initiatives.
• Monadnock DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBC partnered with Monadnock Development for the Spring Creek transformation project, building nearly 2,700 affordable Nehemiah homes and apartments on former landfill.
• Nehemiah HDFCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNehemiah HDFC is the affordable housing developer created through EBC's organizing efforts. The nonprofit has developed over 5,000 affordable homes in Brooklyn and expanded the model nationally to 6,500 homes.
• Queens PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister Metro IAF affiliate in Queens working on affordable housing initiatives including the Creedmoor development. EBC supported the founding/refounding of this organization.
• Manhattan TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister Metro IAF affiliate in Manhattan. EBC supported the founding/refounding of this organization as part of the Metro IAF network expansion.
• The Bronx FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewest Metro IAF affiliate in the Bronx founded in February 2026 with 50 institutions and thousands of leaders. EBC participated in the founding assembly alongside 1,500 Bronx residents.
• South Bronx ChurchescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister Metro IAF affiliate in the South Bronx. EBC supported the founding of this organization as part of the Metro IAF network.
• Breaking GroundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember institution of EBC and supportive housing nonprofit partner for affordable housing development in Brooklyn.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Make the Road New York: NYC-based member-led community organizing nonprofit serving immigrant and low-income communities through organizing, advocacy and member-services programs — directly comparable in mission, member-led model, and Brooklyn/NYC footprint to EBC.
• Community Voices Heard: NYC-based low-income member-led organizing group focused on housing justice, public-housing preservation and economic opportunity — directly comparable issue focus and member-driven model to EBC.
• Faith in New York: Interfaith community-organizing coalition of NYC congregations working on housing, criminal justice and economic issues — uses an institution-based organizing model closely mirroring EBC's IAF methodology.
• New York Communities for Change: NYC community-organizing nonprofit focused on housing affordability, tenant protections and economic justice across Brooklyn and other boroughs — a direct peer in issue agenda and target neighborhoods to EBC.
• Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition: Faith-based, institution-based community organizing coalition in the Bronx pursuing housing, education and public-safety wins — same IAF-style relational organizing playbook as EBC, just borough-adjacent.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Community Change: National nonprofit supporting a network of grassroots community organizing groups on economic, racial and housing justice — comparable organizing ecosystem role at greater geographic scale than EBC.
• Right to the City Alliance: National alliance of tenant, housing and community-organizing groups focused on displacement, gentrification and affordable housing — comparable agenda to EBC's housing campaigns at a national coalition level.
• PICO National Network / Faith in Action: The largest U.S. faith-based community organizing network; EBC is IAF-affiliated but PICO/Faith in Action represents the leading national sibling network using a similar congregation-based organizing approach.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC: Major community-development financial institution financing affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization across NYC; an adjacent capital-and-intermediary peer to EBC's community-organizing approach to the same issues.

Emerging players

• Habitat for Humanity New York City: NYC affordable-homeownership developer and organizer of volunteer housing builds; overlaps with EBC's Nehemiah homeownership thesis but uses a more volunteer/donor-driven model rather than institution-based organizing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EBCBKNY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-brooklyn-congregations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East Brooklyn Congregations