What Brooklyn Community Foundation does

Brooklyn Community Foundation, operating under the brand Brooklyn Org, is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit community foundation established as the borough's home for local philanthropy. The organization functions as a platform and partner that connects Brooklyn-based donors with Brooklyn-based nonprofits across twelve issue areas: Families, Youth, Immigrants, Older Adults, Civil Rights, Justice Reform, Civic Engagement, Environmental Justice, Housing, Health & Well-Being, Jobs & Economic Opportunity, and Arts & Culture. It serves two principal constituencies — Brooklyn donors seeking structured giving vehicles, and Brooklyn nonprofits seeking funding, training, and capacity-building support — and annually invests millions of dollars in community nonprofits, with community-level visibility supported through events such as the Changemakers Ball and the annual Nonprofit Conference.

Brooklyn Org's core offerings consist of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) managed through a third-party FC Suite portal; the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign, which provides matching grants and leadership development to Brooklyn cultural institutions including Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Ballet; grant programs across the twelve issue areas; volunteer coordination services; nonprofit resources and training (including the annual Nonprofit Conference); and the Spark Prize as an annual recognition program. The organization also operates a branded merchandise line ("Rep The Borough") and runs a multi-channel community engagement motion spanning its website, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo/YouTube, email newsletters, and direct community outreach through listening tours.

The foundation's revenue model is philanthropic rather than commercial: contributions are generated through monthly giving, one-time donations, major gifts, and Donor Advised Fund establishment, with the foundation itself functioning as the intermediary channeling funds to vetted grantees. As a 501(c)-style public charity, Brooklyn Community Foundation does not sell products or services and pricing is not applicable; it instead monetizes community trust and donor relationships to deploy capital into the Brooklyn nonprofit ecosystem. The go-to-market motion is community-led, anchored by events, listening tours, and direct donor engagement rather than traditional sales, and the organization operates exclusively within Brooklyn, New York, with no disclosed geographic expansion outside the borough.

Name

Brooklyn Community Foundation

Legal name

Brooklyn Community Foundation

Website

https://brooklyncommunityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brooklyn Community Foundation (Brooklyn Org) is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit community foundation that connects local donors with local nonprofits via Donor Advised Funds, grantmaking across twelve issue areas, and the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn matching-grant campaign for cultural institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Donor advised funds
• Grantmaking services
• Nonprofit support
• Charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation generates revenue through donations from Brooklynites, including monthly giving, one-time donations, and major gifts. Donors can establish Donor Advised Funds to recommend grants to Brooklyn nonprofits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brooklyn Community Foundation (operating as Brooklyn Org) is a platform for local philanthropy in Brooklyn that connects donors with Brooklyn-based nonprofits. It offers Donor Advised Funds for structured giving, runs the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign providing matching grants and leadership support to cultural institutions, and administers grant funding across twelve issue areas including families, youth, immigrants, housing, and arts & culture. The organization also provides volunteer coordination, nonprofit training, and an annual Nonprofit Conference to build capacity in the local social sector.

Product overview

Brooklyn Org is a philanthropic platform operated by Brooklyn Community Foundation, offering a unified suite of giving and nonprofit support services. The core offerings consist of Donor Advised Funds (allowing donors to create and manage charitable giving accounts), the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign (providing matching grants and leadership investment to cultural institutions), grant funding programs across multiple issue areas (Families, Youth, Immigrants, Older Adults, Civil Rights, Justice Reform, Civic Engagement, Environmental Justice, Housing, Health & Well-Being, Jobs & Economic Opportunity, and Arts & Culture), volunteer coordination, and nonprofit capacity-building resources including conferences and training. The platform serves both individual donors seeking structured giving vehicles and nonprofit organizations seeking funding and support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Brooklyn Botanic GardenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 June 2026Brooklyn Org sponsors the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Block Party 2026 as a community event partnership, demonstrating the foundation's support for Brooklyn cultural institutions through the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign.
• Brooklyn BalletminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrooklyn Org supports Brooklyn Ballet through the Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn campaign which provides matching grants and leadership investment to cultural institutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Charitable: Major national DAF sponsor offering Donor Advised Funds, investment options, and grantmaking services; competes for the same donor pool but lacks Brooklyn Org's hyperlocal community positioning.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest national DAF sponsor with massive scale, investment menus, and brand recognition; competing for the same DAF dollars while operating as a non-geographic sponsor with lower local-impact positioning.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Leading national DAF sponsor providing institutional DAF infrastructure and donor services; an incumbent competing with community foundations for DAF assets at scale.

Direct peers

• The New York Community Trust: Largest community foundation serving NYC; directly comparable model (Donor Advised Funds, grantmaking across issue areas, donor-driven philanthropy), though operating at borough-wide NYC scale.
• United Way of New York City: Community-rooted fundraising and grantmaking platform serving NYC neighborhoods with similar nonprofit support, volunteer coordination, and donor engagement programs targeting local giving.
• Jewish Community Foundation of Greater New York: NYC-based community foundation offering Donor Advised Funds, endowment services, and grantmaking — comparable structure with similar philanthropic infrastructure serving a defined constituency in the same region.

Regional players

• Long Island Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Long Island with similar DAF, grantmaking, and nonprofit capacity-building offerings; geographic peer operating a comparable local philanthropy model just outside NYC.
• The Staten Island Foundation: Borough-based community foundation in NYC operating a similar DAF and grantmaking model focused on local nonprofit support and donor engagement within a single borough.

Others

• Nonprofit New York: Membership organization providing training, advocacy, and capacity-building resources for NYC nonprofits — a peer in the nonprofit-support and training programming Brooklyn Org delivers.

Emerging players

• ioby: Resilience-focused crowdfunding platform for neighborhood-level projects; an emerging alternative giving channel that overlaps with Brooklyn Org's hyperlocal community-philanthropy positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user25506399
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brooklyn-org
• Instagraminstagram.com/BklynOrg
• Xx.com/BklynFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/BklynFoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Brooklyn Community Foundation