BKLYN Incubator includes professional development, partnerships, funding and resources to help staff create initiatives that understand and proactively respond to community needs. Proposals require an external partner and mini-grants are included during the planning stage to encourage community input. In this way, Incubator supports BPL’s overall strategic goal of becoming community-centered, with services tailored to community needs and staff prioritizing partnerships and relationship building in their neighborhoods.

BKLYN Incubator has become a core BPL staff engagement initiative providing tools and resources to help staff design and implement community-focused projects in a meaningful and impactful way. Staff put together proposals, solicit community and staff feedback and compete for funding to pilot their projects. This has expanded the types of programs offered within branches; built new partnerships with 55 community organizations, local artists and schools; and strengthened collaboration throughout the BPL library system.

BKLYN Incubator has awarded over $250,000 to 35 programs ranging from cooking classes for teenagers to fashion entrepreneurship for adults. The programs have positioned BPL to raise over $350,000 in private funds, including $75,000 to replicate successful past programs. Overall, it has engaged over 250 public service staff from 49 of BPL’s 58 locations and 11 of Central Library’s departments or divisions. The Incubator is part of a cultural shift that prioritizes staff empowerment, collaboration and feedback.