The NBA Foundation has announced 31 grants totaling over $16 million to help expand employment and career opportunities for Black youth.

Part of the National Basketball Association’s 10-year, $300 million commitment to advance economic empowerment in the Black community, the grants were announced to coincide with Black History Month and include support for programming and capacity building to 19 first-time recipients. Grantees include African Youth & Community Organization (Portland, Oregon), a settlement organization led by and for the city’s East African immigrant and refugee community; the Campaign Against Hunger (Brooklyn, New York), which provides access to nutritious food and related resources in lower income neighborhoods; and Freedom House (Dorchester, Massachusetts), which works to build economic, racial, and social equity through education and leadership development.

The awards also include renewal grants to 12 recipients, including BMe Community, a national training network of and for Black leaders and innovators; the National Urban League to promote economic empowerment through education and job training; and the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), which will receive funds totaling $3.6 million over three years to advance the NBA’s professional development partnership with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) providing student internships in the marketing, human resources, community relations, and operations offices of the NBA and its 30 teams.

“We are excited about the expansion of our partnership with CDF to bolster the NBA HBCU Fellowship program,” said NBA Foundation executive director Greg Taylor. “CDF’s legacy of social justice and unique approach to professional development for young people of color elevated them as the perfect collaborator and will help our program step into a new model centered on youth well-being.”

For a complete list of recipients, see the NBA website.

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