Financial Inclusion

We provide counseling and resources on topics such as budgeting, credit repair, savings and accessing benefits and social services to help clients to achieve financial success.

Real Estate and Commercial Development

Restoration forges strategic partnerships with developers and city officials to make the process and outcomes of real estate development in Brooklyn more inclusive and equitable.

Health and Wellness

We use advocacy, public events, and meaningful partnerships to transform the health and wellness of the community we serve.

Job Creation

We create professional mobility by connecting individuals to training, networking and opportunities for meaningful employment.

Housing Stabilization and Homeownership

We empower our clients to build intergenerational wealth by providing affordable housing and pathways to homeownership.

Small Business and Entrepreneurship

We provide business owners with resources and support, including one-on-one counseling, webinars, and workshops, to help them start, grow and scale their businesses.

Higher Connections 2025: A Small Business Experience

Restoration’s Business Exchange + Accelerator (RBXa), hosted its 3rd Annual Higher Connections: A Small Business Experience at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. This transformative full-day event brought together both cannabis and non-cannabis businesses, equipping them with vital resources.

Industry leaders Tremaine Wright – Office of Cannabis Management and Dasheeda Dawson – Cannabis NYC shared their knowledge and provided attendees with a deeper understanding of the rapidly evolving cannabis industry and how to navigate the regulatory and business landscape effectively.

Attendees had access to invaluable 1-on-1 expert guidance on a variety of critical business topics, including: contract opportunities, access to capital, bookkeeping and personal finance.

Innovative businesses competed for grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 at the LIVE pitch competition and awards ceremony. These grants will help entrepreneurs take their ventures to the next level, fostering economic empowerment and sustainable success.

Thank you to our esteemed supporters who helped make this event possible: Hope Knight – President, CEO & Commissioner, Empire State Development, Dynishal Gross – NYC Commissioner, Small Business Services and Blondel A. Pinnock – President & CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

The Failure of DEI: It Did Not Equate to Black Progress, So Why Keep Fighting for It?

Reevaluating DEI: Has It Truly Served Black Communities?

For decades, Black leaders have championed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a strategy to address systemic inequalities and create meaningful change. However, over 50 years later, the outcomes paint a troubling picture. DEI initiatives have largely fallen short of their promise to uplift Black communities, instead reinforcing existing power structures.

If DEI were truly about dismantling systemic oppression, why have its greatest beneficiaries been White women, while Black families face increasing barriers to building generational wealth and economic stability?

It’s time to critically examine DEI’s impact and question whether it has addressed the root causes of inequality—or simply rebranded the status quo. For Black communities to thrive, solutions must move beyond surface-level representation and tackle systemic injustices at their core.

What will it take for true equity to be achieved?

Tale of Two Cities: Report Finds Stark Racial Wealth Gap Among New Yorkers

Building wealth in New York City remains an uphill battle for Latino and Black residents, according to a recent Robin Hood Foundation report. The study, based on data from the Poverty Tracker, a partnership with Columbia University, offers a revealing look at the deep economic disparities across the city.

Unlike income, which reflects earnings at a given moment, wealth encompasses accumulated assets—such as savings, property, and investments—minus debts. It serves as a critical measure of long-term financial stability and opportunity. The report highlights an alarming wealth gap among racial and ethnic groups in New York City.