If you’re not happy with what you’re given, sometimes you have to go out there and get it yourself.

• Out of a sense that New York’s most populous borough isn’t receiving its fair share of philanthropic attention despite a huge amount of charitable giving by New Yorkers, Brooklyn-based Independence Community Foundation is taking matters into its own hands.
• The largest private charity in Brooklyn is changing its name and its tax status to become the first borough-specific foundation with the ability to publicly raise and distribute funds within its own borders.
• Local nonprofits are concerned that the new foundation will divert local donations away from their programs, but officials from the foundation say they will focus on new donors rather than trying to lure existing ones.

Facts & Figures

• The combined net worth of Brooklyn’s residents is estimated to reach $154 billion in 2010.
• According to a 2002 Foundation Center study, almost 90% of charitable donations in New York are sent to Manhattan.
• Brooklyn has 2.5 million residents, making it bigger than the 4th-largest city in America.

Best Quote

“When you’re out here looking at the fact that New York State is still No. 1 in philanthropic giving, with over $5 billion annually, and then you start to look at how much is coming to Brooklyn, given our size and given our need, you realize that the landscape of philanthropy is quite uneven.” – Marilyn Gelber, President of Independence Community Foundation

Tags: Brooklyn, philanthropy, private foundations, public foundations