COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

NATIONAL CONGRESS OF NEIGHBORHOOD WOMEN INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 112400731 · Form 990EZ · FY2023 · Micro (<$100K) · neighborhoodwomen.org
revenue
$63K
expenses
$57K
net assets
$174K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH SUPPORT.

profile · synthesized from sources

The National Congress of Neighborhood Women (NCNW) is a Brooklyn-based organization dedicated to the education and empowerment of low-income women through grassroots leadership development. It supports community transformation by creating physical and symbolic spaces for women to lead, including affordable housing, community centers, and intergenerational programs. The organization operates primarily in Williamsburg-Greenpoint, where it has a decades-long history of organizing around housing, education, and civic engagement.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Neighborhood Women Houses
Thirty-three units of affordable housing created from former Greenpoint Hospital buildings, developed through community organizing and coalition advocacy.
Neighborhood Women Living and Learning Center
Provides a space for community building, intergenerational mentoring, and leadership development; serves as headquarters for NCNW and co-managed with global networks Huairou Commission and GROOTS International.
Neighborhood Women Walking Tour
Highlights the historical contributions of grassroots women leaders in Williamsburg-Greenpoint, showcasing sites transformed by their activism and leadership.
Swinging Sixties Community Center & Small World Day Care Center
Community center offering services for children, parents, and seniors; includes a day care center and senior programs.
You Can Community School
Offsite education services program directed by Juanita Orengo-Rodriguez, recognized as a top-performing program under NCNW leadership.
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Women's Leadership & Peace Network Building 5 activities
    • Documentation and knowledge sharing platform
      Develops a platform and archive to document training models, track learning outcomes, and share resources across grassroots women’s networks, supporting ongoing capacity building and peer learning.
    • International exchange and UN engagement
      Hosts international exchanges at James Weldon Johnson Houses for United Nations visitors, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, to promote global dialogue and elevate grassroots women’s voices in international forums.
    • Leadership development and peer learning programs
      Operates a global peer learning center and delivers face-to-face and virtual leadership workshops, academies, and exchanges to build practical skills and foster peer learning among grassroots women leaders. Implements and continuously revises the Leadership Support Process Training (LSP) model first developed in 1979.
    • Provision of physical space and facilities for women’s organizing
      Provides office space, meeting facilities, and housing for women and women-led organizations to organize and lead community change. Hosts local, national, and international groups including NCNW, GROOTS International, and the Huairou Commission. Also provides housing for women community leaders from the global south visiting New York City to advocate at the United Nations.
    • Support for grassroots women’s leadership networks
      Connects women-led and community-based initiatives across regions to share strategies and collective wisdom. Provides secretariat support for four organizations at local, national, and international levels, including coordination of advocacy and leadership training. Expanded to include over 100 members across 45 countries.
  • Affordable Housing Development and Management 1 activity
    • Affordable housing development for women
      Converted three former Greenpoint Hospital buildings into thirty-three units of affordable housing for women, known as Neighborhood Women Houses, to support women’s stability and community leadership.
  • Senior Congregate Centers 1 activity
    • Community programs for older adults and children
      Operates the Swinging Sixties Community Center & Small World Day Care Center, providing services for seniors and children. Offers programs for older adults through the Swinging Sixties center and helped establish daycare centers in NYC neighborhoods by securing funding and facilitating service grants.
  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
    • Community well-being and food access programs
      Provides programming and services supporting physical, emotional, and mental well-being in the local community. Oversees food distribution to residents three days per week.
  • Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development 1 activity
    • Education and empowerment programs for women
      Provides education, supportive services, and empowerment programs for women, particularly low-income women, to organize, lead, and influence community change. Includes intergenerational mentoring, resource pooling, and leadership development through the Neighborhood Women Living and Learning Center.
  • SDG Advancement & Global Advocacy 1 activity
    • Local implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
      Implements projects to adapt and localize the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to community contexts. Established a working group with board members, UN Foundation staff, Pratt Institute scholars, and community leaders to apply SDGs to local planning. Hosts an interactive public installation on the SDGs with a focus on violence against women.
  • Parent-Led Education Advocacy 1 activity
    • NYCHA community partnership and engagement
      Serves as a Community Associate in NYCHA’s Family Partnerships Department, supporting parent engagement in children's education and co-creating programs to advance parents' rights.
  • Guided Historic Site Tours 1 activity
    • Walking tours and public education on grassroots women’s leadership
      Operates walking tours in Williamsburg-Greenpoint to educate the public about the impact of grassroots women leaders and activists, honor their contributions, and inspire community participation.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Advocacy for women's rights and systemic change
      Became a founding member of GROOTS International and helped establish the Huairou Commission in the 1990s. Organized a 1992 student and parent boycott at Eastern District High School that led to reduced overcrowding, increased security, more teachers, and expanded counseling programs.
    • Historical and early community programs
      Implemented early initiatives including a neighborhood-based College Program, a Center for the Elimination of Violence in the Family, CETA employment programs, and National Urban Housing Conferences. These foundational programs supported education, employment, safety, and housing advocacy for women.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$63K
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$63K100%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$57K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$177K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$174K
2 years on record · 2020–2023 · YoY revenue -51.2%
relationships · 21

Who they work with

  • African American students Partner — Collaborated with African American students integrating into white high schools on a civil rights support project.
  • Brooklyn Public Library Government — Successfully advocated to prevent the closure of Leonard Library, resulting in the reversal of a closure decision.
  • GROOTS International Network — Founding member of GROOTS International, collaborating on global grassroots women's development.
  • GROOTS International Network — International network supported at the Center; provides backing for global grassroots women's organizing.
  • GROOTs International Partner — Co-manages the Neighborhood Women Living and Learning Center with NCNW and shares office space in New York.
  • Grassroots women’s leadership learning centers in various countries Network — Partners with a growing network of women’s grassroots leadership learning centers globally to support shared learning and collaboration.
  • Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation Coalition — Member of a coalition of neighborhood groups that advocated for the reuse of Greenpoint Hospital buildings and secured housing for women.
  • Huairou Commission Network — International network supported at the Center; collaborates on global women's community development initiatives.
  • Huairou Commission Partner — Co-manages the Neighborhood Women Living and Learning Center with NCNW and shares office space in New York.
  • Huairou Commission Partner — Helped establish the Huairou Commission to advance community-led development by grassroots women globally.
  • NCNW Network — National network hosted at the Center; supported through secretariat functions.
  • National Congress of Neighborhood Women Partner — Collaborated to develop programs supporting parents' rights and community engagement in public housing.
  • Neighborhood Women Williamsburg/Greenpoint Network — Local network hosted at the Center; supported through secretariat functions.
  • North Brooklyn Angels Partner — Collaborates with North Brooklyn Angels on food distribution to residents.
  • Pratt Institute Partner — Collaborates with Pratt Institute on the development and installation of an interactive public exhibit about the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • St. Nicks Partner — Collaborated with St. Nicks, a social housing initiative formed by NCNW, before being evicted due to lack of building ownership.
  • St. Nicks Alliance Partner — Debra Benders serves on the board of St. Nicks Alliance, a nonprofit focused on improving lives through employment, education, housing, and healthcare.
  • UN Foundation Partner — Partners with UN Foundation staff through a working group to localize the Sustainable Development Goals in North Brooklyn.
  • United Nations Government — Collaborates on the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals through advocacy and community-level implementation
  • Women Make Movies Partner — Collaborated with Women Make Movies as part of Project Open Doors coalition in New York City.
  • Women’s Interart Center Partner — Partnered with the Women’s Interart Center through Project Open Doors in New York City.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Cross-Sector Coalition Building
    methodology: cross-sector coalition building
    By bringing together women across racial, ethnic, class, and organizational lines, the organization builds broader collective power because diverse coalitions rooted in shared experience create stronger, more inclusive movements for social change.
  • Grassroots Women-Led Development
    methodology: grassroots_women-led_development
    By centering low-income and working-class women as leaders and decision-makers, the organization produces community resilience and equity because lived experience drives more effective, self-determined solutions. This approach integrates peer learning, participatory design, and collective action to build power from within communities.
  • Participatory Leadership Model
    methodology: participatory_leadership
    By co-creating programs and leadership structures through shared values, group standards, and mutual support, the organization increases ownership and effectiveness because inclusion in decision-making strengthens commitment and accountability among participants.
  • Peer-Led Learning Networks
    methodology: peer_learning_networks
    By using peer relationships and collaborative networks instead of top-down training, the organization fosters sustained leadership development because mutual support and shared wisdom increase engagement, relevance, and retention among grassroots women.
  • Spatial Ownership for Empowerment
    methodology: spatial-ownership-for-empowerment
    By ensuring physical ownership and control of space, the organization enables stable, autonomous leadership and organizing among low-income women because secure space removes external dependencies and institutional barriers to sustained activism.