NBA Foundation marks 4 years of reshaping the narrative

In 2020, the NBA Foundation was established with the collective pledge from the NBA Board of Governors of all 30 teams to allocate $300 million over the span of 10 years to support the economic and career development of Black youth. The primary goal is to positively impact the lives of young individuals and provide them with the tools and resources needed to achieve their maximum potential.

Since its inception, the NBA Foundation has been dedicated to working with all 30 NBA teams, charitable local organizations in NBA markets, and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to advance its mission.

Today, the foundation celebrates four years with its 12th round of grants, awarding over $119 million to more than 240 organizations in all 28 NBA markets. This is a clear testament to the positive impact the foundation has had on the community, with more than 440,000 youth impacted by its initiatives.

On August 1, the NBA Foundation hosted an anniversary celebration with 125 guests, partners and social impact leaders at the NBA offices in Midtown Manhattan for a panel discussion, networking event and the announcement of the latest grant round, which will provide $13.2M in grants to 47 nonprofit organizations in NBA team markets.

The panel discussion, moderated by Angela Yee,

included people that have directly benefited from the Foundation’s grant-making and signature programs such as the All-Star Pitch Competition and HBCU Fellowship

.

The NBA Foundation’s annual Pitch Competition at NBA All-Star has been a key initiative, distributing over $250,000 since 2022 to support diverse entrepreneurs. This has allowed emerging entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas and gain valuable support from investors. Additionally, the NBA Foundation’s HBCU Fellowship program has been instrumental in providing career development opportunities for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

With 200 students participating in the fellowship program to date, 31 of them have secured full-time roles at the League office, highlighting the program’s success in creating pathways to meaningful careers in the business of basketball.

Following the panel discussion, guests had the opportunity to network and engage in impactful conversations while enjoying catering and refreshments from 10 Black-owned businesses. This provided a platform for further connections and collaboration among the attendees.

Kathy Behrens, President of Social Responsibility & Player Programs at the NBA, reflected on the foundation’s journey. “Our programs and partnerships have deepened to now focus more on philanthropy. Community and social impact work is part of the DNA of the NBA. What makes the foundation so special is that our teams are integral to the work that the foundation is doing and vice versa,” Behrens said.

“No organization in this country can reach young people the way the NBA can. Our players and our game stand for things that are attractive to young people, and we use that as a way to bring them in and create opportunities for them that they wouldn’t otherwise have,” she added.

The impact of the NBA Foundation extends beyond financial support. Karen Johnson, President and CEO of New Pathways For Youth, emphasized the importance of mentorship and personal development in their program.

“Our program connects each young person to a dedicated adult mentor, and we also have a personal development curriculum that our goal is really to connect every young person to all the joy and purpose they have inside of themselves,” Johnson explained.

In 2020, New Pathways For Youth successfully raised over $6 million and moved into a new building in Phoenix, strengthening their partnership with local teams such as the Phoenix Suns and Mercury. The NBA grant has further enabled them to expand their reach and deliver their personal development curriculum to more African American kids in schools resulting in 95% of their youth graduating high school and 80% going on to post-secondary education and training. 

The lack of professional pathways in underserved communities often results in limited access to resources and opportunities. Adrian Smith, Interim Executive Director of LITE Memphis, works to address the historical lack of resources and opportunities for Black and Brown youth in Memphis and the greater Mid-South region. 

“Founded in 2013 in a high school classroom, LITE Memphis emerged to address the historical lack of resources and opportunities for Black and Brown youth in our city and the greater Mid-South region. We recognized that traditional business and entrepreneurship education often failed to meet the unique needs of our communities,” Smith said. 

“Seeing untapped potential in this generation, we created a space where students could identify community needs, harness their interests, and develop impactful social initiatives and programs while gaining access to mentorship and micro-funding,” Smith added. 

LITE Memphis has guided the launch or expansion of 101 student-led businesses in 2023. Additionally, their free Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) which is a 16-week accelerator with college-accredited entrepreneurship training, one-on-one business coaching, access to capital, and a network of mentors provides free transportation to all events and offers student entrepreneurs up to $1,200 in seed funding to kickstart their ventures.

In addressing small-market communities and defeating the odds, Allison Wagner, Founding Executive Director of All-In Milwaukee, highlighted the impact of bringing a proven model from Minneapolis to Milwaukee. 

“Only 14% of high school graduates in Milwaukee will earn a two or four-year degree,” Wagner stated. “To ensure our scholars are workforce-ready, we’re truly focusing on building their skills, network, and experiences through local partnership with 8 university partners, who

create the best financial aid packages possible for their students

.”

The impact of the NBA Foundation is evident in success stories like that of Chris Jimenez, “a graduate from Milwaukee public schools who transitioned to Marquette University with the support of the Milwaukee Bucks”, Wagner shared. Despite facing challenges during his college years, including the disruption caused by COVID-19, with the help of the Bucks and All-In Milwaukee, Jimenez graduated with no debt and is now working at Accenture in its IT department.

The NBA Foundation has made a significant impact on over 440,000 Black youth across all 28 NBA markets. Through grants, mentorship programs, and career development initiatives, the foundation has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for young people across the nation to thrive. 

Looking ahead, the NBA Foundation remains committed to its mission of creating greater economic and career advancement opportunities for Black youth.

“We will continue to elevate the voices of the Black community and continue to identify fantastic organizations,” Behrens said. “We know that if we keep doing that, the impact that the foundation is making is going to be surpassed by the impact that our grantees are making in their community.”

Full list of grantees from the 12th round of grants

11 New Grants:

All-In Milwaukee, Black Boys Code, Code2College, Compudopt, Foundation for Foster Children, Inc., iUrban Teen, Native American Connections, New Pathways for Youth, Open Doors Academy, Spy Hop, United Way California

36 Renewal Grants:

30,000 Feet, A Call To Men, Black Girl Ventures Foundation, Black Physicians of Utah, Cafe Reconcile, Capital IDEA Houston, Carolina Youth Coalition, Center for Leadership Development, CodeCrew, Coded by Kids, DC Central Kitchen, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, East Oakland Youth Development Center, Emerge Fellowship, Hopeworks ‘N Camden, iMentor, Let’s Innovate Through Education, Memphis Equity Through Arts dba Memphis Music Initiative, Overtown Youth Center, Inc., PeacePlayers, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, Road2Hire, Running Rebels Community Organization, SIS Circles, Inc., Sphinx Organization, The Academy Group, The Collective Blueprint, The Skills Center, The Soulsville Foundation, Inc., Ujamaa Place, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Valley of the Sun United Way, VestedIn, Year Up, Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project, & YouthForce NOLA