The Center for Law and Human Values (DBA The Action Lab)

Amount Appropriated?

$6.2M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

As development and gentrification make rents increasingly unaffordable, long-term residents and small businesses in Bushwick have been forced to leave their homes, shut down their businesses, and witness the devastating cultural displacement of their communities. Community resources such as houses of worship or social clubs and organizations have also been disappearing, limiting space for community meetings and gatherings. Lastly, Bushwick\u2019s small businesses and entrepreneurs, especially those of long-time residents and families, are in need of support to ensure they benefit from the neighborhood\u2019s growing economy and recover from the devastations of the pandemic. \n\nThe BCSEA will be a new multigenerational arts and cultural production hub that draws from Bushwick\u2019s rich heritage to generate opportunities for longtime residents to reclaim space, preserve their artistic traditions to inspire and create new works, and define their priorities through cultural practice, political and economic organizing, and entrepreneurship. It will serve and protect the interests of Bushwick\u2019s long-time residents by providing: free or affordable arts programming that\u2019s community-oriented and culturally resonant; a business incubator to stimulate economic opportunity for the area\u2019s small businesses and entrepreneurs; meeting facilities for neighborhood groups and associations; frontline direct services related to affordable and fair housing, tenant rights, racial equity and immigrants' rights, financial health and literacy, job training, and connecting residents to vital citywide services through a network of partners anchored in the neighborhood; and and civic engagement activities, trainings, and direct services informed by the needs and aspirations of Bushwick\u2019s long-term residents.