Brotherhood Sister Sol receives New York City Council grant

The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) received $283,333 grant from the NYC Council Empowering Black Communities initiative.

BroSis, a New York-based, nationally recognized, Black-led and founded nonprofit focused on empowering youth and communities through education, organizing, and training, aims to create a network of community-led composting sites actively involved in protecting their communities from environmental harms that affect their food resources and health, and setting the pathway to empowerment for hundreds of NYC communities. 

“This investment from the NYC Council’s ‘Empowering Black Communities’ initiative is so important - it affirms that solutions come from youth and community,” says Khary Lazarre White, executive director and co-founder of the Brotherhood Sister Sol. “These composting boxes will be installed citywide, and we are so proud that our youth and staff are the change agents driving this environmental and sustainability work. We are deeply appreciative of the funding from the city council.”

The NYC Council’s Empowering Black Communities initiative aims to address systemic disparities impacting black communities by fostering measurable improvements in the areas of health, economic equity and civic engagement. BroSis says with this funding, the city will have invested $583,333 to date, supporting over 50 community composting sites.

“Through active intergenerational civic engagement, community composting has significant environmental, economic, and social benefits, ultimately improving health outcomes,” BroSis says.

The composting sites use the hotbox composting system, a patented technology co-developed by BroSis staff. The organization says this system enables efficient and rapid composting of organic waste while drastically reducing the time and space compared to traditional composting.

BroSis says the technology empowers local communities to reduce waste while creating nutrient-rich soil for urban gardens and green spaces.

“Brotherhood Sister Sol doesn’t just make compost, they make the next generation of composters, teaching young New Yorkers about the value of helping the planet and fighting rats,” NYC Sanitation Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan says. “I want to thank the city council for allocating these funds, which will allow BroSis to serve more community gardens across the city and keep even more of the rat food out of the black bags and out of landfills.”