New York state awards $14 million to three Brooklyn cultural institutions

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A children's science garden, a rooftop television production facility and repairs to a 1908 theater building are getting $14 million from New York State. The money goes to the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) will administer the grants. The museum gets $7 million, HITN gets $5 million and BAM gets $2 million. No construction schedules or completion dates have been announced.

Why it matters

The grants move $14 million in state capital into Brooklyn cultural facilities, funding physical upgrades the institutions say they need.

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Key Indicators

$14M

Total state funding

Split among three Brooklyn cultural institutions.

$7M

Brooklyn Children's Museum

For the Earth Science Garden and infrastructure upgrades.

$5M

HITN

For a rooftop production facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

$2M

BAM

For exterior repairs at the Peter Jay Sharp Building.

35M

HITN household reach

Nationwide Spanish-language network reach cited by the state.

17,000 sq ft

Planned HITN rooftop facility

Production and event space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Institutions funded

Brooklyn Children's Museum, HITN and BAM.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Kathy Hochul

Governor of New York

Announced the $14 million funding package

Robert J. Rodriguez

President and CEO, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York

Leading the agency administering the grants

Atiba T. Edwards

President and CEO, Brooklyn Children's Museum

Leading the museum's Earth Science Garden project

Mike Nieves

President and CEO, Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network

Leading HITN's Brooklyn Navy Yard expansion

Tamara McCaw

President, Brooklyn Academy of Music

Leading BAM's exterior repair project

Organizations Involved

Dormitory Authority of the State of New York

State authority

Administering the $14 million in grants

State authority that administers capital grants for construction and infrastructure.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Cultural institution

Receiving $7 million for the Earth Science Garden and infrastructure

Children's museum in Crown Heights planning an Earth Science Garden.

Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network

Nonprofit media organization

Receiving $5 million for a rooftop production facility

Nonprofit Spanish-language television network based at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Brooklyn Academy of Music

Performing arts center

Receiving $2 million for exterior repairs

Performing arts center in Fort Greene.

Timeline

1 event Latest: Today

November 2026
State announces $14 million for three Brooklyn cultural projects
Today Funding

Hochul announces $7M to museum, $5M to HITN and $2M to BAM; DASNY administers.
Today

Scenarios

Brooklyn Children's Museum starts Earth Science Garden construction

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: State and museum officials, who announced the project but gave no construction schedule.

The museum has a $7 million grant and a defined project: converting its courtyard into a year-round earth science garden. A construction start would show the grant moved from announcement to building. The state has not published a timetable.

HITN opens rooftop production facility at Brooklyn Navy Yard

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: HITN and state officials, who described the 17,000-square-foot project but announced no completion date.

HITN plans to build a rooftop production facility and event space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The $5 million grant is meant to expand studio capacity. An opening would mark the project's completion.

BAM completes exterior repairs at Peter Jay Sharp Building

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: BAM and state officials, who described repairs to the building envelope but gave no timeline.

BAM will use $2 million to repair the exterior of its Peter Jay Sharp Building, addressing water intrusion and weather damage. Completion would show the grant achieved its stated preservation goal.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1935-1943

Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project (1935-1943)

As part of the New Deal, the U.S. government paid thousands of artists to create murals, posters, photographs and theater productions during the Great Depression. The program put money into cultural work when private funding had collapsed.

Then

It left public art in federal buildings and gave many artists their first steady paycheck.

Now

The project ended as World War II shifted federal spending, but it set a precedent for direct government support of cultural institutions.

Why this matters now

The Brooklyn grants are smaller and state-run, but they follow the same idea: public money can fund cultural infrastructure that private donors may not cover.

1966

National Historic Preservation Act (1966)

The law created the National Register of Historic Places and a federal framework for preserving historic buildings. It encouraged public funding and tax incentives for restoration.

Then

It slowed demolition of historic structures and made preservation a routine part of public projects.

Now

It established the idea that government has a role in maintaining historic buildings.

Why this matters now

BAM's repairs to its 1908 Peter Jay Sharp Building fit the preservation model the law normalized: public money for keeping older cultural buildings in use.