Brooklyn, NY—on April 30, 2025 the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) awarded $1.4 million to the recipients of its East Brooklyn Workforce Development Fund.
Launched in November 2024, the fund aims to expand local workforce development programs that connect East Brooklyn job-seekers to employment opportunities in existing industrial and emerging construction and green economy industries. By providing seed funding for critical pre-development activities, the Fund intends to enable nonprofit organizations to incubate and deploy targeted workforce development services that respond to local needs.
The fund has a commitment to long-term equitable growth in the neighborhoods surrounding Broadway Junction.
Each of the five awardees has had a significant impact within their community, with a demonstrated commitment to investing in and empowering the local East Brooklyn workforce. These awards will allow for the continuation and expansion of their important work and, more broadly, lay the groundwork for NYCEDC’s investment in Broadway Junction and the East New York IBZ.
The awardees include:
. Brighter Opportunity through Trade, a workforce training organization, for the expansion of a welding training and certification program, in partnership with Lambo Mechanical and Imagine That.
· Brownsville Think Tank Matters, a workforce development and community empowerment organization, for the launch of a construction upskilling program, in partnership with Monadnock Construction.
· IMPACCT Brooklyn, a workforce development and affordable housing advocacy organization, for the launch of workforce development programs in entrepreneurship and real estate/property development, in partnership with BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers, Community Mediation Services, and Urbane Development.
· Local Development Corporation of East New York, a workforce and economic development organization, for operational investments in programs that connect East Brooklyn residents to career pathways linked to major development initiatives at Broadway Junction and the Innovative Urban Village Construction Academy.
· Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, a workforce development organization, for the launch of an East Brooklyn iteration of their Renewable Energy & Sustainable Construction pre apprenticeship program.
“As the city continues to make significant investments into the equitable growth of East Brooklyn, it is essential that the local workforce is well equipped and connected to both the existing and newly-created jobs of tomorrow,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball.
