Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso Launches Third Annual Community Baby Shower Fund

Brooklyn Nonprofits Can Apply for Up to $5,000 in Matching Funds for Community Baby Showers Occurring Before May 31, 2027

Since 2024, Reynoso’s Community Baby Shower Fund Has Awarded $100,000 to Nonprofits Serving Brooklyn Parents

***APPLICATION AND FORMS HERE***

*** PHOTOS FROM COMMUNITY BABY SHOWERS FUNDED BY BOROUGH PRESIDENT REYNOSO’S SECOND ANNUAL BABY SHOWER FUND AVAILABLE HERE***

BROOKLYN, NY (Sept 28, 2026) – Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso today announced that he is renewing his $50,000 Community Baby Shower Fund for a third year to support community-led baby showers for new and expecting parents across the borough. Brooklyn nonprofits hosting community baby showers in Brooklyn taking place between July 1, 2026, and May 31, 2027, can request up to $5,000 in reimbursed funding from the Community Baby Shower Fund for non-personnel expenses. The Borough President’s renewal of the Community Baby Shower Fund builds on his historic maternal health agenda aimed at addressing staggering disparities in maternal health outcomes for new and expecting parents in Brooklyn.

“We cannot improve maternal health outcomes solely within the walls of hospitals—new parents need support networks in their own neighborhoods,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Community baby showers foster those connections while equipping new parents with essential resources and celebrating the milestone that is starting or growing a family. For the past two years, we’ve seen organizations across Brooklyn use the Community Baby Shower Fund to create a lifeline for new and expecting parents, and I’m proud to renew the Community Baby Shower Fund for its third year so that more Brooklynites can step into parenthood knowing they have a community to lean on.”

Ten Brooklyn nonprofits received funding from the second annual Community Baby Shower Fund, which was announced in July 2025. The community baby showers, which took place between July 2025 and May 2026, served hundreds of new and expecting parents across the borough. Organizations offered activities and workshops, gave away essentials like diapers and baby clothes, and connected attendees with clinical and social services resources in their communities. 

Awardees who received funding from the Borough President’s second annual Community Baby Shower Fund include:

1. Life Equip Group, serving East New York and Brownsville.
2. Brownsville Community Culinary Center, serving Brownsville.
3. New Neighbors Partnership Association, serving Flatbush and Midwood.
4. Kiwanis Kings Plaza & Canarsie, serving Canarsie.
5. Holding Hands Ministries, serving Coney Island.
6. Nuestros Niños Daycare Center, serving Williamsburg.
7. Public Housing Community Fund, serving Bed-Stuy.
8. Hope Center Development Corporation, serving Brownsville.
9. For The Better Inc., serving Canarsie.
10. Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc., serving Brownsville.

“Support from the Brooklyn Borough President’s Community Baby Shower Fund allowed New Neighbors Partnership to create a welcoming space where recently-resettled refugee moms from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Nicaragua and beyond could receive essential supplies while building connections with other parents and members of the community. Each participating family received a package of baby essentials worth more than $500, including diapers and wipes, clothing, books and educational toys, feeding supplies, swaddles and safe sleep sacks, nursing bras, diaper bags, and hygiene products. The funding also provided transportation assistance to help isolated moms attend, as well as culturally-familiar food, music activities to help mothers and babies connect through movement, and professional family portraits, making the shower a meaningful celebration as well as a source of practical postpartum support. For families who are new to Brooklyn, these gatherings are an important opportunity to feel welcomed, less alone, and strengthen their support network,” said Shoshana Barzel, Founder and Executive Director of New Neighbors Partnership Association.

“With the support of Borough President Reynoso, Community Board 18, Senator Roxanne Persaud, Assemblymember Jaime Williams, Millennium Development, and over 25 resource tables, Kiwanis Kings Plaza & Canarsie transformed P.S. 276 into a comprehensive health and wellness hub serving over 300 local families. In an area impacted by high maternal mortality and morbidity rates, this funding enabled us to pair essential baby gear distributions with direct medical access and life-saving health education. We are deeply grateful for this continued partnership in uplifting Brooklyn’s newest community members and their parents,” said Naomi Lehrer, a member of Kiwanis Kings Plaza & Canarsie.

“Receiving this funding allowed Holding Hands Ministries to provide new and expecting parents across Brooklyn with essential baby supplies, trusted resources, and a joyful community baby shower experience. This support helps families feel seen, celebrated, and empowered while easing some of the financial stress that comes with welcoming a new baby,” said Pamela Harris, Director of Operations at Holding Hands Ministries.

“We are deeply grateful for the support Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso provided as he understood the disparities faced by Black and Brown parents in our community. The funding offered maternal care education, baby supplies and emotional support. Several City Agencies and One Brooklyn Health (Brookdale Campus) were on hand to provide support. We were able to host over 140 expecting and new mothers at our first Community Baby Shower. On behalf of all who benefited, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to BP Reynoso and his entire team for supporting our Community Baby Shower initiative here in Brownsville,” said Diana Nelson, Executive Director of Hope Center Development Corporation.

“Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc. appreciates the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office for funding three intimate baby showers across Brooklyn this spring. The events served 55 individuals and their families, offering gifts for parents and babies, food, games, and educational workshops—support many participating families seldom receive. Community partners participated at each site, with services provided in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and African dialects. We hope to continue this partnership and host baby showers for BPN clients again next year,” said Denise West, Chief Program Officer/Deputy Executive Director at Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc.

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. 
• 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 1, 2026, and May 31, 2027.

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: 

• Brownsville
• Crown Heights
• Red Hook/Gowanus
• East New York
• East Flatbush
• Bedford-Stuyvesant
• Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights
• Flatlands/Canarsie

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.

How to Apply

1. Submit your application via the Community Baby Shower Fund request form available on our website at https://www.brooklynbp.nyc.gov/departments/budget/
2. 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.

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