The NBA Foundation announced grants totaling $11 million being distributed to 38 organizations around the U.S. and Canada whose missions seek to further economic empowerment in the Black community.
It was the largest of four rounds the foundation has awarded so far as part of its $300 million commitment to assist underserved communities, mostly in cities that host NBA teams. The grants go to local and national organizations that serve Black people between the ages of 14 and 25. The organization launched in August 2020.
Among the recipients: Anti-Recidivism Coalition (Los Angeles), which works to end mass incarceration; Brothers@ (New York), a high-school retention and college persistence organization; Children’s Defense Fund (national), which works in a variety ways to help marginalized children flourish and grooms local leaders with the same goal; and the Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco). The full list is on the foundation website.
The amount of the individual grants was not disclosed.
The foundation’s board includes team franchise owners such as Michael Jordan, players such as Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA Players Association director Michele Roberts.
Grantees provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development for high school, college-aged, job-ready and mid-career individuals in Black communities across the United States and Canada.