The New York State Brewers Association (NYSBA) is dedicated to building a more inclusive, sustainable, and connected craft beer community. Through our social impact initiatives, we strive to foster an equitable industry by expanding access to education, employment, and leadership opportunities. We are committed to encouraging environmentally responsible brewing practices that protect natural resources, supporting brewery-led community engagement projects, and empowering the next generation of brewers and leaders.
The NYSBA will invest $10,000 annually in scholarships and grants ($2,500/quarter), allocated through a member-driven application process that supports social impact initiatives aligned with the association’s goals.
No idea is too big or too small, whether it’s a neighborhood cleanup, a mentorship program, an education workshop, or a sustainability pilot at your brewery, your project could make a difference.
Some ideas to get your creativity flowing:
The New York State Brewers Association is committed to supporting a more inclusive,
sustainable, and connected craft beer community. Through its social impact initiatives, the
NYSBA aims to:
NYSBA Members can submit their project proposal and supporting documents via this application form: https://forms.gle/PfkneGPbogxU1G8e7
Founded in 2025, the Social Impact Committee is comprised of 8-10 members of the NYS craft beer community of various backgrounds and capacities. They meet regularly to set goals, share resources, and discuss how to help the NYSBA uphold its Social Impact mission. If you’d like more information about how you can get involved, please email Dawn Schulz at dawn@prisoncitybrewing.com
The path to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the New York State Brewers Association is not a clear-cut or straightforward one. A lot of us devote our professional lives to craft beer because of how open and welcoming the community is. It truly is a great unifier. So we understand how it can be hard to hear criticisms that there are practices within the community that are harmful or not accommodating to certain groups. That doesn’t mean that people in the industry are bad people, but rather that we can all stand to reflect on our actions. It may feel like it’s not up to you to “fix” these problems, or that these issues don’t have a place in craft beer. It may feel easier to leave it to the experts. After all, you have a business to run. But we believe that we can all do small things to be good neighbors and community members. Those small things add up to create a more resilient business for you, and a better environment for us all.
We choose to view this mission as an opportunity for giving people hope and we invite you to come along with us as we build on that.
Q3 2025 RECIPIENT – NEWBURGH BREWING “BOOKS FOR THE BURGH” + “MEALS FOR THANKSGIVING”
Newburgh Brewing will receive $2,500, funded by the New York State Brewers Association to support two community initiatives, “Books for the Burgh” and “Meals for Thanksgiving”.
“Craft breweries throughout New York, and the country, have strong ties to their community and do so much great work to support charities and not for profits. Our Thanksgiving Meals program and Books for the Burgh are 2 initiatives we embarked on this year that we are very proud of. Books for the Burgh, our 3rd year doing this, resulted in over 500 brand new children’s books in 3 different languages being purchased for 8 local libraries. And our Thanksgiving Meals gave close to 400 meals to those in need. Our entire team at the brewery, from our kitchen to our bartenders to our brewers, work extremely hard and take great pride in the work we do in our community. Thank you to the NYSBA for recognizing this great work and encouraging it through the Social Impact Program” – Paul Halayko (Newburgh Brewing Co.)
Books for the Burgh
Newburgh Brewing Company’s third annual Books for the Burgh initiative transformed their Taproom into a scholastic-style book fair, where community members purchased brand-new children’s books that were immediately donated to local libraries. To encourage participation, each book purchaser received a complimentary beer along with a special thank-you bundle that included a pint glass, tote bag, koozie, and poster.
This year’s event supported eight participating libraries, each receiving nearly 70 new children’s books. In total, the community helped donate over 550 books, making this their most impactful year yet and significantly expanding access to literacy resources across the region.
Thanksgiving Meals for Those in Need
To address food insecurity within the community, Newburgh Brewing Company partnered with DuBois Law Group and Bivona’s Simply Pasta to prepare and distribute more than 300 fully cooked, individually boxed Thanksgiving meals. The meals included turkey, stuffing, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce, and pasta.
The initiative operated with no requirements, no signups, and no questions asked, ensuring that anyone in need—whether an individual or a family—could access a warm holiday meal. Community members were encouraged to pick up as many meals as needed for themselves or for others facing hardship.
This effort provided dignity, comfort, and nourishment to hundreds of neighbors during the holiday season.
Q2 2025 RECIPIENT – THE LOVIBOND PROJECT
The Lovibond Project will receive $2,500, funded by the New York State Brewers Association, to support their 8 week internship program designed to introduce People of Color into the New York craft brewing industry.
Interns will have hands-on instruction in key areas of working in the craft beer industry coming together in a project in which they will participate in brewing, marketing, distributing, and releasing a collaboration beer.
Built into the experience will be opportunities for interns to be mentored by People of Color in the industry presently, and network with the wider New York craft beer community.
Q1 2025 RECIPIENT – ELI FISH BREWING COMPANY
Eli Fish Brewing Company was awarded $2,500, funded by the New York State Brewers Association, to certify all female staff as Cicerone® Certified Beer Servers, expanding their access to professional education, leadership, and industry recognition.
Michael Jackson Foundation
The core mission of the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling is to advance technical education and facilitate career opportunities for people of color within these industries in the US. Over $507,213.90 has been raised since the organization launched in 2020 to fund scholarship awards to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color within the brewing and distilling trades. The NYSBA has contributed $7,250 to the foundation to-date & encourages anyone who is able to make a donation.
