Brooklyn’s Grammy-winning kids’ choir is staring down a financial cliff, and it is arriving at the worst possible time.
Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the after-school vocal powerhouse that has trained thousands of young singers since 1992, says recent federal funding problems could force it to scale back programs or even close. Founder Dianne Berkun Menaker says the loss hits as the chorus is still rebuilding enrollment after the pandemic and gearing up for a high-profile spring gala.
Cut grant worsened ongoing strain
The chorus’s money troubles intensified last year when, organizers say, a $25,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant was pulled on the night of a Brooklyn Navy Yard performance of its site-specific work Port(al). That blow, combined with pandemic-era enrollment declines, has stretched staff capacity and programming dollars thin. The pulled grant was first reported by the Brooklyn Eagle, while federal records list a separate $25,000 NEA project grant tied to Brooklyn Youth Chorus in 2025, highlighting how confusing the funding landscape has become for small arts organizations, according to HigherGov.
What the chorus does and where it operates
Founded in 1992, Brooklyn Youth Chorus runs a multi-level training program for singers ages 5 to 18, commissions new music and regularly appears with major ensembles and recording artists. The organization says it serves hundreds of students each year from a headquarters at 179 Pacific Street in Cobble Hill, and it offers heavily subsidized tuition along with need-based financial aid, according to Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Federal cutbacks have a local ripple
The squeeze on BYC mirrors a broader national trend. Shifting federal priorities and budget proposals have led to canceled NEA awards and growing uncertainty for arts nonprofits. NPR has reported sweeping NEA grant terminations in 2025, and the Los Angeles Times has documented the administration’s renewed 2027 budget proposal to shutter the NEA and other small cultural agencies outright.
Gala, appeals and what is next
To stay afloat, chorus leaders are banking on a community push and their “Brooklyn Stories” spring gala on May 7 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to help plug budget gaps. Berkun Menaker told the Brooklyn Eagle the group “could actually lose the entire organization” if sustained funding does not materialize. Organizers are urging neighbors, alumni and arts patrons to step up with long-term support. Ticketing and donation details are available on the event page for the gala on the Brooklyn Youth Chorus site.
