{"id":152750,"date":"2026-03-04T19:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T19:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/152750\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T19:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T19:22:12","slug":"brooklyn-org-celebrates-2026-spark-prize-winners-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/152750\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Org celebrates 2026 Spark Prize Winners \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a time when non-profit organizations experience steep funding cuts from Washington, five Brooklyn-based non-profit organizations celebrated a funding boost at Brooklyn Org\u2019s annual Spark Prize Breakfast at the Barclays Center on March 3.<\/p>\n

Since its launch in 2016, the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize has invested over $5 million in local nonprofits for their work to improve the lives of Brooklynites. Winners are selected by a committee of leaders from Brooklyn\u2019s civic, business, and philanthropic sectors following application review and interviews, and this year\u2019s Spark Prize recipients are the Asiyah Women\u2019s Center<\/a>, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (BTFA)<\/a>, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.)<\/a>, The B.R.O. Experience Foundation<\/a>, and YVote<\/a>. Each org will receive a $100,000, no\u2011strings\u2011attached grant to to expand and support their communities.<\/p>\n

Addressing the crowd, Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Org<\/a>, emphasized that, despite the challenging times, she found strength in the organization\u2019s work, supporting Brooklyn\u2019s nonprofits that provide \u201cstability, care, and opportunity\u201d across the borough.<\/p>\n

\"jocelynneDr. Jocelynne Rainey said the Brooklyn Org\u2019s work gives her strength in challenging times. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann \"sparkFive organizations won grants from the 2026 Spark Prize. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooklyn can be a national model for what it looks like to build community around philanthropy, and in truly challenging moments like the one we are currently facing, it becomes even clearer: the way forward is to build strength globally,\u201d Rainey said. \u201cWhen national systems fail us, community becomes the safety net, neighborhood institutions become the backbone. And the world of nonprofits is not just enriching, but essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

James Jefferson, a 19-year-old participant at B.R.O. \u2014 Brothers Redefining Opportunity \u2014 recalled that for a long time, people only saw him as the kid who couldn\u2019t sit still, who talked too much or too little,\u00a0 or who got frustrated too easily. The B.R.O. Experience gave him time to grow without judgment, even when he made mistakes, and taught him to turn the behavior others judged him for into his spark, like strength, passion, and creativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey believed in my spark. They believed it wasn\u2019t something to extinguish. It was something to be nurturing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all need someone to see our spark and say, \u2018Yeah, I see it, and I\u2019m not going anywhere. I\u2019m here for you.\u2019 That\u2019s what the B.R.O. Experience gave me, and now I\u2019m connecting with my spark. I\u2019m using it; I\u2019m owning it, and I\u2019m believing in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The B.R.O. Experience was one of this year\u2019s Spark Prize recipients. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

Former Asiyah Women\u2019s Center resident Soraya accepted the award on behalf of the organization and shared her personal story of overcoming hardship with the center\u2019s support.\u00a0 Her family had abandoned her after ignoring her abuse for years, and the Asiyah team treated her with dignity and patience, supported her in rebuilding her life,\u00a0 and also helped her move into her first own apartment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave me dignity. They gave me patience. They sat with me in my pain. They spoke to me like I was a whole person,\u201d Soraya said of the Asiyah team. \u201cThese people love us. They genuinely, deeply love us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Obie Award-winning actress N\u2019Yomi Allure Stewart, who accepted the prize on behalf of BTFA, described the organization not only as a \u201clifesaver\u201d but also as an artistic incubator for Black trans femme artists seeking sisterhood and mentorship on their artistic journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe evolution of N\u2019Yomi Allure Stewart as an artist in New York would not be possible without the support of Black Trans Femme in the Arts,\u201d said Stewart, who is making her debut as associate director of the Broadway show \u201cCATS: The Jellicle Ball. \u201c I understood that all it takes is one person to say yes, and with that yes came support, an action that granted me permission to be here today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Obbie Award-winning actress N\u2019Yomi Allure Stewart and BTFA founder Jordyn Jay attend the Spark Breakfast. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

YVote participant and youth leader Ariel Segura, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization, said that with the rise of undemocratic actions, civic engagement and holding lawmakers accountable were more important than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must learn about their actions. We must interact with them, but most importantly, we must vote,\u201d Segura stressed.\n<\/p>\n

U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (D-Brooklyn\/Manhattan) also attended the breakfast and told Brooklyn Paper that organizations like Brooklyn Org are essential for identifying smaller nonprofits and community-based organizations that make a significant impact in their communities but don\u2019t have the resources to expand their missions. The Spark Prize winners are \u201coutstanding organizations,\u201d he said, and groups like YVote are \u201cexactly what our democracy needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we are going to make sure that we\u2019re preserving our democracy is by people leaning in and becoming more involved. And when we see kids really take an interest in it, then we know we\u2019ve got a bright future,\u201d Goldman said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, YVote participant and youth leader Ariel Segura, and YVote Executive Director attend the 2026 Spark Prize Breakfast. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann \"\"Dr. Syeidah McBride, Ariel Segura, Rep. Dan Goldman, and YVote Executive Director Ron Frazer attend the 2026 Spark Breakfast. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

Hildy Simmons attended the breakfast with her friends Katharine Darrow and Anita Nager.\n<\/p>\n

Simmons was a board member of the Brooklyn Community Foundation \u2014 the foundation was transformed into Brooklyn Org in 2023 \u2014 when she came up with the concept for what is now known as the Spark Prize, honoring outstanding nonprofit organizations that weren\u2019t necessarily participating in the foundation\u2019s programs, but that offered great services that Brooklyn should know about.<\/p>\n

She told Brooklyn Paper that she was \u201cecstatic\u201d about the important role the Spark Prize had manifested.\n<\/p>\n

\u201c[The Spark Prize] has evolved to more than I could have ever imagined. And I think the groups that have been selected over the years are fabulous. It really introduces people to extraordinary work that they might not otherwise know about, and it raises the profile of all the good things that are going on in Brooklyn. So I think it\u2019s great. It makes me very happy, very, very happy,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a time when non-profit organizations experience steep funding cuts from Washington, five Brooklyn-based non-profit organizations celebrated a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152751,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[60905,3353,63597,98,100,99,13709,58015,63598,5320,13710,63599,24100,9,24,12,370,19343,63600,63,63601,58018,63350],"class_list":{"0":"post-152750","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-2026-spark-prize","9":"tag-barclays-center","10":"tag-black-trans-femmes-in-the-arts-btfa","11":"tag-brooklyn","12":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","13":"tag-brooklyn-news","14":"tag-brooklyn-org","15":"tag-brooklyn-org-spark-prize","16":"tag-congressman-dan-goldman","17":"tag-dan-goldman","18":"tag-dr-jocelynne-rainey","19":"tag-e-asiyah-womenu2019s-center","20":"tag-grants","21":"tag-new-york","22":"tag-new-york-city","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-newsletter","25":"tag-nonprofit","26":"tag-nonprofit-philanthropy","27":"tag-nyc","28":"tag-surveillance-technology-oversight-project-s-t-o-p","29":"tag-the-b-r-o-experience-foundation","30":"tag-yvote"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}