(Photo credit: A.R. Shaw for rolling out)
The NBA Foundation announced its largest grant to date on Dec. 7, and it’s to benefit its most profitable demographic — Black youth.The announcement included 38 new grants totaling $11 million, the highest in league history, to create employment opportunities for Black youth. The announcement was the latest installment of the league’s Season of Giving, a five-week celebration during the holiday season when the NBA donates to causes supporting and uplifting the youth, families, and organizations across the country.
Some of the 38 grant receivers included the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project in Philadelphia, Memphis Music Initiative, Legal Outreach in New York, Hack the Hood in San Francisco, and national organizations like A Call to Men and Youth Advocate Programs Inc. (YAP).
“As we near the conclusion of the NBA Foundation’s first year of grant-making, we’re excited to announce our latest round of awards to 38 new, deserving non-profit organizations,” Greg Taylor, NBA Foundation executive director, said in an announcement. “We are confident that our support will create short- and long-term advancement opportunities for these organizations and the communities that they serve.”
The NBA Foundation was founded in August 2020 and is the league’s first charitable organization. It started with a 10-year, $300-million commitment from the 30 NBA team governors.
Over 74% of NBA players were Black in 2020, according to Statista. The average age of players in the league is 26.2 years old, according to NBA.com.
