Some say the biggest changes in Brooklyn in recent years are the wave of gentrification that has swept the borough and the arrival of a Silicon Valley-style entrepreneurial culture. The first has brought with it both new business opportunities and skyrocketing rents; the second has revitalized neighborhoods like Dumbo, where major startups such as Etsy have their offices, and put Brooklyn on the map as its own destination outside the shadow of Manhattan.

But Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, with a long history of high poverty and crime rates, has seen little of either. The Dream Big Foundation is hoping an entrepreneurial focus will help the neighborhood improve and maintain control over its future.  Read More