Invest in BELA
When you invest in BELA, you invest in the future. You invest in young women who will serve as the next generation of leaders in our communities.
As a public charter school, we cherish the independence that enables us to create a vibrant learning space and a flexible, learner-centered curriculum that nurtures the potential of all our students. However, we also receive significantly less funding than a traditional public school. In fact, New York City charter schools receive on average 33 percent less than traditional public schools.
“My greatest return on any investment I have ever made has come from investing in girls’ education. I just don’t know of anything more powerful in the world.”
– Oprah Winfrey
Your Gifts At Work
The generous support of our community helps bridge the gap and enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. Your generosity allows us to elevate our educational offerings and expand the unique programs and opportunities we can offer students, such as technology-enabled classrooms, summer enrichment programs and a robust STEAM curriculum. Looking forward, our vision includes an Ethnic Studies writing center, expanded athletic offerings, BELA Changemakers alumni program and increased “Beyond BELA” opportunities such as Study Abroad programs and paid internships.
Thank you for your support!
“BELA is about providing the opportunities that may not have existed for your great-grandmother, grandmother or perhaps your mother and unleashing the possibilities for your daughters, granddaughters, nieces and those that will follow.”
– Nicia Fullwood, Co-founder, Head of School
How to Give
Cash Gifts
Gifts of cash are the most popular way to invest in BELA. You can use a credit card to make a secure donation online right on our site. If you would prefer to give using a personal check, simply make your check payable to: Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy and send to:
Development Office
c/o Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy
125 Stuyvesant Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11221
Corporate Matching Gifts
Many employers offer matching gift programs. These employers will match your gift to BELA, allowing you to maximize your level of support. Contact your human resources department to learn about your company’s matching gift policies.
In Kind Gifts
We always appreciate new classroom supplies, equipment, software and other useful items for our students. We currently have a need for:
- Headphones
- Graphing calculators
- Water bottles
- Uniform sponsorship
Gifts of Securities
You can make a gift today by transferring stock to BELA. Gifts of securities can provide several tax advantages. Please contact Shannon Riley at shannon@belahs.org for more information.
More Ways You Can Give
BELA participates in several programs that earn funds and perks for the school when you do everyday activities like shop or socialize on Facebook:

This makes us all smile! Just designate BELA as your charitable organization of choice and then shop as you normally would at Amazon online. Amazon Smile will automatically give a percentage of your purchases back to BELA! The next time you shop on Amazon, visit smile.amazon.com and choose Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy as your preferred organization.



You can create a Facebook Fundraiser in honor of your birthday or at any time! Then, invite your family and network of friends to join you in your support of BELA. You’ll raise donations for the school directly through the Facebook platform.



With eScrip, you shop and participating area merchants give back! Register any or all of your existing grocery loyalty, debit and credit cards at eScrip, and participating businesses will contribute a percentage of your purchases back to the school. Your purchases are tracked and available to you online, so you can see how much you’ve earned for BELAl. You can learn more at www.escrip.com



iGive partners with more than 2,300 stores including Macy’s, Walmart.com, Chewy, Kohls and Walgreens and donates a portion of your purchases to BELA when you shop on their sites! You can download a web browser app that automatically activates at participating stores, or just start your online shopping trip by going to www.iGive.com first.