Tag: NBA Foundation

Houston organizations benefit from new NBA Foundation grants

The NBA Foundation was created in August 2020 with a 10-year, $300 million commitment by team owners, including Tilman Fertitta. Several of the latest grants benefit groups with ties to Houston.

Earlier this week, the NBA Foundation announced 38 new grants totaling $11 million to help create employment opportunities, further career advancement, and drive greater economic empowerment for Black youth. The NBA Foundation was created in August 2020 with a 10-year, $300 million commitment by all 30 team governors, including Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta. It is the league’s first-ever charitable foundation.

Houston’s Urban Enrichment Institute (UEI) received a grant, as did the Social Justice Learning Institute, which operates in Houston and Los Angeles. Other national organizations selected which are active in Houston include the National Urban League, Children’s Defense Fund, National Black MBA Association, BMe Community, and A Call to Men.

The Urban Enrichment Institute, formerly the Fifth Ward Enrichment Program, is a youth leadership and development program for at-risk males between 12 and 19 years old. Its central focus is to help at-risk boys during the critical age of adolescence. According to a press release from the Rockets, their holistic approach to youth development and inclusive programs is aimed at redirecting young people to focus on future goals rather than falling into destructive paths.

“The Urban Enrichment Institute is proud and honored to be the recipient of this transformative gift from the NBA Foundation,” said Keith E. Cornelius, executive director. “We are thankful for the over 20 years of support & encouragement from the Houston Rockets organization and Mr. Tilman Fertitta. This donation will showcase the collaboration between UEI, the Houston Rockets, and the NBA. It will also raise the profile of UEI beyond the City of Houston.”

The Social Justice Learning Institute works to improve the education and well-being of youth of color in Houston and Los Angeles. They will use the grant to bolster their “Power Up!” program, which provides participants ages 13-18 and alumni ages 18-24 with year-long activities such as workshops, professional coaching, monthly meetings, and retreats aimed towards advancing education and building careers.

“Funds from the NBA Foundation will deepen our investment in strengthening the youth voice and experience while building capacity for these emerging leaders who will help solve some of today and tomorrow’s most pressing challenges,” said Derek Steele, executive director.

The recipients were named as part of the NBA Foundation’s fourth grant round during the league’s Season of Giving (Nov. 22 – Dec. 25), a five-week celebration when NBA family gives back by supporting and uplifting youth, families, and organizations across the country.

The grants will help enhance the impactful work of these national and local organizations in alignment with the NBA Foundation’s mission to provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development for high school, college-aged, job-ready, and mid-career individuals, focusing in team markets throughout the United States and Canada.

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Thunder PG Chris Paul: $300M fund is big reason union agreed to play in bubble

Thunder point guard and NBPA president Chris Paul said the players being allowed to choose the cause of the $300 million fund was important.

The day the NBA announced the creation of a $300 million fund for social justice matters focused on education, job creation and career advancement, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul spoke about the importance of that fund.

The president of the National Basketball Player’s Association, Paul said it is a “big reason” players agreed to join the bubble and finish the season.

“I think getting that money allocated to the foundation, to the fund, and for players to have a say-so on where that money is going is huge. It’s huge,” Paul said after the win over the Lakers on Wednesday.

“It’s one of the biggest reasons guys said we can come down here and play in the bubble.”

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Every NBA team owner will contribute $1 million annually to the newly formed NBA Foundation over the next 10 years, which will create a base of $300 million throughout the lifetime of the agreement.

The foundation’s primary focus will be on career growth and advancement through increasing access and training opportunities.

Money will go toward organizations around the country that are centered around education and employment from youth jobs and internships through career advancements at older ages.

Paul credit the players and league for working together to put the plan together.

“We got a special league. The players as well as the executive committee,” he said. “Over the course of this time, obviously there’s been so much discussion about the jerseys, Black Lives Matter on the court, and the work. The real work. … We’re excited about the work ahead.”

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NBA’s $300 million commitment focuses on employment, career advancement in Black community

The NBA Foundation will donate to causes centering on education, employment and career advancement for people in the Black community.

Over the next 10 years, NBA team owners will contribute a total of $300 million to different areas of social justice, the NBA Board of Governors and the National Basketball Players Association announced Wednesday.

This annual $30 million will be the base of the newly formed NBA Foundation, which centers around helping the Black community with educational, employment and career advancement opportunities.

“The creation of this foundation is an important step in developing more opportunities for the Black community,” NBPA President and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul said in a statement.

“I am proud of our league and our players for their commitment to this long-term fight for equality and justice, and I know we will continue to find ways to keep pushing for meaningful institutional change.”

The foundation’s primary focus will be on career growth and advancement through increasing access and training opportunities.

Money will go toward organizations around the country that are centered around education and employment.

This includes youth employment, internship programs, shadow jobs and apprenticeships, education in STEM fields, non-traditional higher education, networking opportunities and partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The NBA Foundation plans to work with people through three parts of the workforce: finding a first job, getting employed after graduating high school or college, and then advancing in the career once employed.

“We are dedicated to using the collective resources of the 30 teams, the players and the league to drive meaningful economic opportunities for Black Americans,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

“We believe that through focused programs in our team markets and nationally, together with clear and specific performance measures, we can advance our shared goals of creating substantial economic mobility within the Black community.”

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