Each Organization Will Receive Up to $5,000 From Reynoso’s Renewed Community Baby Shower Fund
Community Baby Shower Fund Remains Open for Submissions
**PHOTOS FROM PREVIOUSLY FUNDED COMMUNITY BABY SHOWERS HERE**
BROOKLYN, NY – Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso today announced the first seven organizations to receive funding from his second annual Community Baby Shower Fund. Launched in August 2024 and renewed in July 2025, Borough President Reynoso has dedicated $50,000 in discretionary funding each year to support community-led baby showers for Brooklyn’s new and expecting parents. Community baby showers are events organized by local community groups to distribute essential baby supplies like diapers, wipes, blankets, and breast pumps, and to connect new parents with organizations and city agencies whose services support parents and families. Nonprofits from around the borough applied to receive the funding – up to $5,000 in matching funds – for community baby showers occurring before May 31, 2026 and serving neighborhoods with historically high maternal mortality and morbidity rates.
“Brooklynites thrive when their community shows up for them, and pregnancy and early parenthood are no different. Community baby showers are so impactful because, beyond distributing essential baby supplies, they foster support networks that parents can lean on, right in their own neighborhoods,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Each organization receiving funding recognizes the unique needs of the neighborhoods they serve, and the importance of community support for parents welcoming our youngest Brooklynites into the world. I can’t wait to see their community baby showers improve outcomes for families across our borough.”
Awardees receiving funding from the second annual Community Baby Shower Fund include:
- Brownsville Community Culinary Center, serving Brownsville.
- Holding Hands Ministries, serving Coney Island.
- Kiwanis Kings Plaza & Canarsie, serving Canarsie.
- Life Equip Group, serving East New York and Brownsville.
- New Neighbors Partnership Association, serving Flatbush and Midwood.
- Nuestros Niños Daycare Center, serving Williamsburg.
- Public Housing Community Fund, serving Bed-Stuy.
Over the past two decades, Black women in New York City were on average eight times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts. Since beginning his administration in January 2021, Borough President Reynoso has pursued a historic maternal health agenda aimed at addressing this staggering disparity. In his first year in office, he allocated the entirety of his capital funding – a total of $45 million – to Brooklyn’s three public hospitals for maternal health improvements. This marked the first time a Borough President has ever allocated an entire fiscal year’s capital funding to one cause, and within one city organization. The renewed Community Baby Shower Fund is one of Reynoso’s latest initiatives and remains open for applications.
“This support from Borough President Reynoso’s Community Baby Shower Fund strengthens our work to nourish and empower Brownsville families. At BCCC, we believe that food, education, and community connection are essential foundations for new and expecting parents. This funding allows us to expand access to nutritious meals, wellness resources, and supportive programming that help Brooklyn families thrive from the very beginning,” said Brownsville Community Culinary Center Executive Director Alexis Aquino.
“This funding has allowed Holding Hands Ministries to bring comfort, dignity, and relief to new and expecting parents through our community baby showers. For families in Coney Island where resources are limited and the cost of welcoming a baby can feel overwhelming these moments of support mean everything. By providing essential baby items and a space where parents feel seen and celebrated, we help ease fear, restore hope, and remind families that they are not alone as they begin their journey,” said Holding Hands Ministries Vice President of Operations Pamela Harris.
“We are deeply grateful for the Borough President’s vision and his unwavering commitment to health equity for our local families. The funding, combined with support from Community Board 18 and various local organizations, allows us to provide essential supplies and medical education to families most in need, directly addressing healthcare disparities by providing both material support and life-saving education to over 300 new and expecting parents,” said Kiwanis Kings Plaza Canarsie Vice President Naomi Lehrer.
“On behalf of Life Equip Group Inc., in collaboration with the Brown Girls Learn Scholarship Fund, I extend my sincere gratitude to the Brooklyn Borough President and your entire team for awarding $5,000 in reimbursement funding to support our Community Baby Shower initiative,” said Life Equip Group Inc. Founder & CEO Alyssa C. Abernathy. “We are truly honored and excited. This investment affirms the importance of community-centered maternal and family support, and we deeply appreciate your belief in our work. Creating a space where new and expecting parents feel supported, celebrated, and connected aligns directly with our mission and lived values in service to Brooklyn families.”
“Receiving support from the Borough President’s Community Baby Shower Fund allows Nuestros Niños Daycare Center to continue uplifting new and expecting parents by providing essential resources during a critical moment in their lives. Community baby showers not only help meet immediate needs but also strengthen trust, connection, and dignity for families navigating early parenthood. This investment reinforces our mission to build healthier, more supported communities in Brooklyn,” said Nuestros Niños Executive Director Ingrid Chungata.
About the Community Baby Shower Fund
Information for Prospective Applicants
Overview
Borough President Reynoso will provide up to $5,000 in matching funds, provided on a reimbursement basis, to support the cost of non-personnel expenses associated with the community baby shower.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the Community Baby Shower Fund, applicants must:
- Have a current 501(c)3 status.
- Be able to match requested funding amount by submitting a description of where matching funds are coming from, whether internal to the organization, in-kind sponsorship, etc.
- Have a history of service in at least one of the initiative’s target neighborhoods.
- Have a history of serving prenatal and postnatal/postpartum individuals and their families.
- Have a history of planning community baby showers or similar resource events.
- Host their event between July 21, 2025 and May 31, 2026.
Priority Neighborhoods
Borough President Reynoso will prioritize funding to applicants holding community baby showers in neighborhoods with historically high maternal mortality and morbidity rates, including:
- Bedford-Stuyvesant
- Brownsville
- Bushwick
- Canarsie
- Coney Island
- Crown Heights
- East Flatbush
- East New York
- Flatbush/Midwood
- Sunset Park
Important Information
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are no longer available.
- Submission of an application does not guarantee funding.
- All funding is issued on a reimbursement basis.
Community Baby Shower Guide
Borough President Reynoso offers a guide on how to host a community baby shower, which includes ideas for activities, step-by-step planning suggestions, best practices, as well as helpful templates. You can find the Borough President’s Community Baby Shower Guide here.
How to Apply
- Submit your application via the Community Baby Shower Fund request form available on our website here.
- Submit these three documents to [email protected] with the subject line “Community Baby Shower Fund.”
- 501(c)3 Letter of Determination.
- Most recent Form 990 or financial statement.
- Project budget.
