Last fall I asked you about organizations that do important work in our district, so I could advocate for their funding in this year’s budget. I want to thank everyone who submitted a request to my office and everyone who helped share the information about how to do so. 
 
Thanks to your input, we were able to successfully advocate for the budget to include direct funding for many great organizations – viewable in this annual budget bill called “Aid to Localities.” 
 
In addition to this funding, state budgets can also include discretionary funding, which is allocated by Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to Senators as she chooses. The State Senators who represent those districts can then distribute those funds to organizations — with some restrictions. 

This year, we received $449,500 with specific guidelines on how to disburse it:  

$150,000 to support human services programs. Portions of this sum are going to: 

• Ali Forney Center
• Women in Need, Inc.
• The United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg
• GRIOT Circle, Inc.

$175,000 to support public safety and protection programs, including:

• $100,000 to youth leadership programs for the Center for Justice Innovation and Children of Promise NYC
• $50,000 to support community violence intervention programs going to Kings Against Violence Initiative, Inc.
• $17,500 for legal services assistance going to Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
• $7,000 for criminal justice and public safety programs going to Arab American Family Support Center

 $125,000 to support education programs. Portions of this sum are going to: 

• Big Apple Leadership Academy for the Arts, Inc
• Entertainers for Education Alliance, Inc
• Brooklyn Children's Museum Corporation
• Young Mens Christian Association of Greater New York
• Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services
• Fort Greene Park Conservancy

If you did not receive funding in this year’s budget, please apply again for next year’s budget! My goal is to support a diverse set of groups in the district each year.