After Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday is #GivingTuesday.
Giving Tuesday, this year taking place on November 27, is the global day of giving when individuals and organizations are encouraged to be generous and philanthropic to those nonprofit organizations that serve as the backbone and strength of every community.
Started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, Giving Tuesday has become a response to commercialization and consumerism spurred by Black Friday and Cyber Monday and demonstrates how every act of generosity counts.
The Brooklyn Reader has compiled a list of local nonprofit organizations that will greatly benefit from your help. Take a look at some of the great work they're doing in your neighborhood, and if you find it in your heart (and your wallet), give!
The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College
Spearheaded by Dr. Brenda M. Greene, the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College builds on the tradition and legacy of the National Black Writers Conference and serves as a voice and resource for black writers and the general public to study the literature of people from the African Diaspora. It is the only center devoted to this in the country. The center's mission is to expand, broaden and enrich the public's knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of the value of Black literature.
Through a series of programs that build an audience for the reading, discussion and critical analysis of contemporary Black literature, the center convenes and supports various literary programs and events such as author signings, conferences, panel discussions, symposia, and writing workshops. To make a donation please go here.
Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project
The Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project is a Flatbush-based educational and advocacy nonprofit, serving the needs of local Haitian youth. Since its launch in 2005, the organization has assisted hundreds of Haitian newcomer youth in NYC public high schools. The project is dedicated to ensuring that students 14-21 years old are appropriately placed in high schools, to support their ability to remain in school and graduate.
Additionally, Flanbwayan offers programs to develop the kids' capacity as productive citizens through youth and leadership development activities that build their self-esteem and nurture their voices. To support the Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project, go here.
Grow Brooklyn
Grow Brooklyn is a financial service nonprofit that is focused on enabling families in underserved communities to grow and preserve their assets, thereby securing their economic future.
Grow Brooklyn offers free tax preparation for individuals and families through the VITA program. The organization is also a HUD-approved housing counseling agency offering free foreclosure prevention counseling and homeownership counseling as well as workshops for first-time buyers. Lastly, Grow Brooklyn offers legal services for foreclosure defense and for end-of-life planning and estate administration.
To make a donation please go here.
Kings Against Violence Initiative, Inc. (KAVI)
Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) offers youth-focused interventions that are school, community and hospital-based in Central Brooklyn.
Founded in 2009, KAVI programs consist of weekly workshops and activities that focus on identity exploration, self-governing conflict resolution, communication/peer mediation, goal development, critical thinking and life skills development. Through increased self-awareness and by empowering youth, KAVI hopes to assist youth in cultivating their own untapped potential. The program is almost entirely volunteer-based and the young participants also volunteer to spend one class period during their school day taking part in the program.
The program has served as a successful mentorship model for hundreds of young black boys and girls, many of whom will testify that the program has changed the way they view their environment, themselves and their approach to problem-solving. To support KAVI, go here.
The Noel Pointer Foundation
For over 20 years, the Noel Pointer Foundation has offered string music instruction for students of all levels, including parent- children programs to encourage intergenerational learning for adults and children. Founded in 1995, the foundation honors the legacy of the late Grammy-nominated jazz violinist and arts education advocate Noel W. Pointer by providing string music instruction in New York City public and charter schools, as well as after-school, Saturday and summer programs. Noel W. Pointer believed that learning to play a string instrument is a transformative experience that advances children's lives.
Since its inception, the foundation has served over 30,000 students citywide. If you would like to make a contribution, you can donate online.
Brooklyn Community Foundation's 'Brooklyn Gives'
The Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF), the first and only public foundation solely dedicated to Brooklyn's charitable community, is re-launching Brooklyn Gives, a borough-wide local giving campaign this Giving Tuesday. For 24 hours on November 27—from midnight to 11:59PM— BCF has committed to match total donations up to $5,000 to twenty local non-profit organizations— finalists of the Foundation's Spark Prize!
All Spark Prize finalists were chosen because of their diversity, scope and excellence in either serving immigrant communities, promoting criminal justice reforms, strengthening neighborhoods, tackling food insecurity, protecting the environment or advancing the arts.
Donations can be made to any of the below Spark Prize finalists at Brooklyn nonprofits at BrooklynGives.org:
Arab American Association of New York
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp
Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger
Brooklyn Community Pride Center
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A
Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES)
Cypress Hills Child Care Corporation
Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Brooklyn CDC, Inc.