NEW ORLEANS (news agencies) — A classic summertime scene unfolded at a nonprofit’s newest site. The girls’ team was winning a lively indoor kickball game among young campers. Air conditioning blared. The hit song “Dance Monkey” played throughout the old school building’s gym.
None of it was possible just two years ago at this New Orleans East location.
The Youth Empowerment Project long saw an urgent need to house its out-of-school enrichment programs in this historically underserved, majority-Black suburb with high concentrations of kids, poverty and violence after Hurricane Katrina. But YEP couldn’t afford the extra $500,000 in staffing costs for another location, according to founder Melissa Sawyer.
That changed with support from the recently established NBA Foundation.
The National Basketball Association formalized its giving over the past four years through a new $300 million grantmaking arm, sending flexible funding to nonprofits focused on boosting economic opportunity for Black youth. Recipients report few strings attached and comprehensive application processes — a forward-thinking model they’d like to see adopted across other foundations and professional athletics.
The end goal is also one that receives scant attention from donors. Funding specifically in support of Black people made up about 2% of overall philanthropy in the U.S. from 2006 to 2017, according to research group Candid, peaking the year after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
This story is part of an news agencies ongoing series exploring the impact, legacy and ripple effects of what is widely called the Ferguson uprising, sparked a decade ago by Brown’s death.
It wasn’t until 2020’s reckoning that many corporations increased their commitments to Black youth. While donations faltered in the following years, the NBA Foundation’s leadership believes it is well-suited to have a lasting presence because of the league’s longstanding connection to social justice.
“It’s consistent with the NBA’s values of diversity, inclusion and opportunities for all,” NBA Foundation President Mark Tatum said.
“It’s a real need, which is why we started it,” he added.
The league’s first charitable arm grew out of the nationwide conversations around racial inequality following the 2020 police murder of George Floyd. All 30 NBA teams agreed to contribute $10 million each over 10 years. The money also reaches organizations in cities without a professional basketball team like St. Louis. Tatum said the foundation hopes to build “evergreen” support by courting outside money in addition to team governors’ contributions.
Critics note, however, that the figure makes up a fraction of the NBA’s revenue, which now tops more than $10 billion per season. And, the league’s new media rights deal set records for both its length and total value of 11 years and $76 billion.
New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas said communities should expect investment from teams that often build stadiums with public tax dollars. He added it’s especially necessary they invest in “disparaged” areas that don’t typically get attention from professional sports.
“The ballplayers don’t live in those communities. The owners don’t live in those communities,” said Thomas, who represents New Orleans East. “But it’s important to see them and envision them in terms of life.”
Individual teams and some players have long had their own charitable endeavors. Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s civil rights activism is well known. Modern stars have led symbolic protests against racial stereotyping and police violence, wearing hoodies in solidarity with Trayvon Martin and donning “I can’t breathe” shirts to recall Eric Garner’s last words.
But, the league wanted to ensure everyone worked toward the same goals. The NBA arrived at an economic opportunity for Black youth ages 14-24 as an area of focus where leaders felt it held a particular knowledge set.
Proposals are reviewed by grants teams before they get approved by a board composed of NBA governors, athletes including National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Andre Iguodala and commissioner Adam Silver.
The NBA Foundation has always welcomed the New Orleans Pelicans’ recommendations, according to Senior Director of Social Unification/Youth Sports Development Elicia Broussard Sheridan.
“They’re almost on speed dial at times,” she said.
Boys Town Louisiana leaders praised the foundation for its “personable” approach. Grantmakers typically require a quantitative report with evidence of the nonprofit’s impact. But, Executive Director Rashain Carriere said success can be difficult to measure; Boys Town houses young people who need life coaching as they transition out of some form of incarceration.
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