Capital Campaign
Current Construction
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The Brotherhood/Sister Sol (Bro/Sis) is proud to announce that on October 12th, 2018 we broke ground on our new home. This 20,000 square foot capital project provides critical support to one of the leading citywide youth development organizations in New York City. This development allows for the creation of the necessary physical site for an organization that is being modeled across the country.
Completion is scheduled for the summer of 2021.
We have secured $18,300,000 in funding for this two-year $18,800,000 development and construction effort.
We need your help today to reach our goal of $18,800,000
The architectural firm Urban Architectural Initiatives, designed the building and Gilbane Building Company, one of the largest privately held and family-owned construction companies in the field, manages the project. Our government relations firm, one that has been critical to the success of this project, is Kasirer Consulting. The Board of Directors of Bro/Sis is deeply committed to this expansion and their advice and leadership has been critical to the success of the effort.
Bro/Sis was founded in 1995 and provides holistic and long-term support services to youth who range in age from eight to twenty-two. Bro/Sis offers wrap around evidence-based programming such as four to six year rites of passage programming, thorough five day a week after school care, school and home counseling, summer camps, job training, college preparation, employment opportunities, community organizing training, and a month long international study program to Africa and Latin America. Bro/Sis is a locally based social justice organization with a national reach as we publish assorted curricula and collections of our members’ writings; train educators throughout the nation on our approach; and organize and advance policy around issues of education, immigration, the environment and criminal justice issues.
The themes of Bro/Sis are Community, Knowledge, Positivity and Future. Our educational model is based on our Curriculum Focus Issues, which include themes of leadership development, educational achievement, sexual responsibility, sexism and misogyny, conflict resolution and violence prevention, political education and social justice, Pan-African and Latino/a history, and global awareness. Bro/Sis’ Theory of Change is to provide multi-layered support, guidance, education and love to our membership, to teach them to have self-discipline and form order in their lives, and then to offer opportunities and access so that they may develop agency.
Bro/Sis has earned national recognition for our evidence-based model, receiving an array of awards, including from Oprah Winfrey, Ford Foundation, Brown University, New York Women’s Foundation, Fund for the City of New York, the National Recreation Foundation, and the New York State Department of Education.
This new building will be an expanded state of the art site for our children and the community and a model for the educational field. Assorted New York State and New York City agencies have stated that this development is one of few buildings of its kind being built in NYC and the only one in Harlem – 100% community educational use, no housing or retail or other areas of focus. This is solely a home for the development of Bro/Sis, a space to work to change policies that will more broadly and systemically help our children and a site to train in the field so that others can improve their youth development outcomes. Bro/Sis is excited and proud of this vitally important step. We hope you will support us.
- $18,300,000 of $18,800,000 goal
Bro/Sis Vision for The Future
- Create the only state-of-the-art youth focused community center with a technology center and 3-lot environmental education center in Harlem.
- Create pathways out of poverty for children in New York City and across the nation.
- Work to address the access and opportunity gaps that challenge our youth.
- Meet the growing demand for Bro/Sis’ services locally and nationally.
- Provide a space to train youth facilitators from around the country on Bro/Sis’ proven model.
- Enhance the quality and depth of its programs.
Supporters
Government support for this project is provided by: The New York City Council and Council Member Mark Levine, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, the late New York State Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell, Jr., New York State Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez and former New York State Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright. Leading private supporters include: The Marlene Nathan Meyerson Family Foundation, The NoVo Foundation, Gladys and Roland Harriman Foundation, Ann and Weston Hicks, The Corbett Family Charitable Foundation, Lida Orzeck, Con Edison, Goldman Sonnenfeldt Foundation, Pinkerton Foundation, Walentas Foundation, Kevin Durant Charitable Foundation and the Rabbi Rachel Cowan Fund.