The David Prize has selected five winners for its third annual prize. 

Established in 2020 by the Walentas Family Foundation, the David Prize celebrates individuals with ideas for creating a better, brighter New York City. The prize selects people with the determination and vision to change New York City’s communities, culture, and future for good. Five winners will each receive $200,000 in unrestricted funding.

This year’s winners include David Shalleck-Klein, founder and executive director of the Family Justice Law Center; Diana Rose, creator of Essential Kitchen, the first Black-owned shared commercial kitchen space in southern Queens and New York City’s first Black-owned farmer’s market; Geneva White, founder of Scope Of Work, a talent agency that sources, trains, and places young people of color in the creative industry in New York and beyond; Jason Gibson, founder of Hood Code, a no-cost afterschool coding program for youth ages 8-15 living in New York City Housing Authority facilities; and Mark Winston Griffith, founder of Brooklyn Deep, a deeply reported local journalism endeavor focused on Black Brooklyn. 

“New York City is a breeding ground for innovation, creativity, and perseverance and we most certainly see that in the prize’s winners and finalists,” said David Prize executive director Erika Boll. “Our five winners are the true representation of determination and selflessness—even using their own funding to make their plans possible and help others–and we’re honored to help elevate and support their upward trajectory. We look forward to watching them improve the greatest city in the world and meaningfully impact their communities.” 

(Photo credit: Janick Gilpin)