Brooklyn Brewery has launched a grant program called “Calling All Makers” that will award $10,000 grants to five talented winners. The new program aims “to empower creative innovators.”
The local Williamsburg brewery, which is moving to a brand new space soon, “has always been dedicated to fostering the creativity, innovation, and passions of their community” and “through this program, the brewery aims to empower individuals that have the potential to positively influence their respective fields,” as stated in a recent press release.
Five winners, chosen in five categories that include Food & Drink Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Arts, Music, and Activism, will each receive a $10,000 grant to help bring their vision to life.
The winners will also receive a trip to visit Brooklyn Brewery, a coaching session with their category’s judge, the opportunity to be featured on Brooklyn Brewery’s platforms in 2025, and a party to celebrate them.
“Brooklyn Brewery is proud to be a part of the long tradition of entrepreneurship and enterprise of Brooklyn and New York City,” said Brooklyn Brewery’s co-founder, Steve Hindy, who is one of the judges.
The five categories will be judged by five different individuals who are veterans or leaders in those fields.
Hindy will be the judge for the Entrepreneurship category. The Brooklyn Brewery co-founder is described as a “champion of entrepreneurs and dreamers” who “helped transform the company from humble brewhouse sketches into a global name in craft beer.”
The judge for the Food & Drink Innovation category will be Garrett Oliver, a James Beard Award-winning brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery. Oliver is also the founder of The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling, an organization dedicated to funding scholarship awards for Black, indigenous, and people of color within the brewing and distilling trades.
Illustrator Lauren Martin will judge the Arts category. Her portfolio includes brands like Uniqlo, Nike, Apple, Only NY, and Brooklyn Brewery.
The music category will be judged by Saidah Blount, the Executive Director of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, New York City’s oldest outdoor music festival.
The activism category will be judged by Stacy Lentz, the co-owner of The Stonewall Inn and CEO and co-founder of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. Lenz is a champion of equality and the LGBTQ+ community.
To learn more about what each judge will be looking for, visit Brooklyn Brewery’s page about the contest here. The submission period started on October 22 and ends December 31.