New Yorkers vie for $200K grants to build NYC's future
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — From education, healthcare, mental wellness, and the arts, two dozen New Yorkers are vying for $200,000 in grants to build New York City's future.
Barry Cooper, one of the finalists, is recognized as a first responder in creating healing spaces and providing mental health programs for young men of color in his neighborhood.
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Cooper grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant. With two sisters, Cooper says his mom gave him the nickname 'the protector.' Now he wants to help his community.
Cooper is the executive and founder of The B.R.O. Experience Foundation, an organization that creates authentic and connected spaces for young men in Bed Stuy. Cooper also wrote a book called the Provider Guide for co-parenting dads, available on Amazon. Cooper says it's the perfect gift for Father's Day.
After five years of trying, Cooper is one of 14 finalists chosen out of thousands and is now in the running to receive the David Prize, supported by the Walentas Foundation.
Erika Augustine is the founding executive director of the David Prize. It awards five New Yorkers with $200,000 each year, no strings attached.
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Right now, Augustine's team is working with all of the finalists to prepare for a final interview. Winners will be announced in September.
Meanwhile, Copper is releasing a children's book in July, and says whether he's a winner or not, he says process has changed his life.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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To The Good Dads on Father's Day: You're the Gift
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an hour ago
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On Father's Day, I'm thankful for a special uncle and making amends with my Dad
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- New York Times
Pierre Franey's Five-Star Grilled Swordfish
Good morning. I suppose there are fathers looking forward to Father's Day on Sunday, a day of rest, the family surrounding them with gifts and heartfelt cards, muffins, a plate of scrambled eggs and the promise of an uninterrupted afternoon watching the Yankees play the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Not me. I don't like the attention and get restless besides. Better to gamble good money on excellent beef and spend the day preparing a smoked prime rib as a cave man would. The recipe's excellent, a Texas-forever preparation developed by a pit cook at Kreuz Market in Lockhart who happens to be the dad of one of our photo editors, Gabriel Sanchez. I'll get it set up for a dry brine on Saturday evening, and then get it on a grill fueled by lump charcoal around noon on Sunday for a few hours in a smoke bath, followed by a blast of high heat and a long rest wrapped in butcher's paper in advance of dinner, with macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. (Yes, you can make the roast on a gas grill, though you'll need a tube smoker filled with wood pellets, or soaked wood chips wrapped in aluminum foil that you perforate with a fork.) We have plenty of recipes to cook for the old man on his special day. If mine were still around, I might start him off with a Dutch Baby for breakfast, with a giant pile of sliced strawberries and some maple syrup. Then an Italian sub for lunch, with a slash of mayonnaise because that's how it's done where I stay. And for dinner? These grilled marinated swordfish steaks, an old Pierre Franey recipe that's been satisfying Times readers since its publication in 1993. I'd pair it with his green bean and tomato salad and then set ourselves up in front of a screen to watch one of our favorites before bed. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
