More than $90 million invested in Youth & Amateur Athletics nonprofit programs since 1977
DEDHAM, July 15, 2021 – The Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation today announced $1.2 million in Program & Small Capital grant funding to 19 Youth & Amateur Athletics nonprofit organizations in Greater Boston dedicated to providing access to high-quality athletic and recreation programs.
“Tom Yawkey and his wife Jean Yawkey were committed to supporting youth athletics not only because they were passionate about baseball, but also because they understood how team sports could build important skills that benefit young players off the field,” said Maureen H. Bleday, CEO of Yawkey Foundation. “The Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation believe that the missions and programs of these Youth & Amateur Athletics grantees would resonate with Tom and Jean, because high-quality youth recreation was so important to their lifelong values of respect, teamwork and sportsmanship.”
Tom Yawkey grew up around the game of baseball, with his uncle (who was also his adopted father) William Yawkey as co-owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball team from 1903 – 1919. Tom played intramural baseball while he was a student at Yale University, and as team owner of the Boston Red Sox, which remained under Yawkey ownership from 1933 to 2002, he could often be found participating in batting practice or watching a game with fans in the stands.
The recent grants include support for baseball and softball programs, as well as youth recreation and enrichment programs, with a particular emphasis on providing opportunities for underserved children and families. Among the nonprofits receiving grants for Youth & Amateur Athletics from the Yawkey Foundation in 2021 are the following organizations:
- Adaptive Sports New England
- Boston Baseball Camp/A Sporting Chance
- All Dorchester Sports & Leadership
- Bay State Games
- Bishop Stang High School
- Boston Park League
- Boys & Girls Club of Fall River
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester
- Camp Harbor View Foundation
- Cape Cod Baseball League
- Good Sports
- Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston
- The Summer Fund/Philanthropy Massachusetts
- Special Olympics of Massachusetts
- The BASE
- Camp Shriver
- Yawkey Baseball League
- Youth Enrichment Services (YES)
Since the Foundation’s founding in 1977, the Trustees have invested more than $90 million to support Youth & Amateur Athletics nonprofit programs in Massachusetts, New England, and Georgetown County, South Carolina.
The Yawkey Foundation is dedicated to perpetuating the philanthropic legacy of Tom and Jean Yawkey, whose eight decades of quiet generosity supported individuals and families in the communities that were closest to their hearts – Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina. Having awarded more than $500 million to-date in charitable grants to organizations focused on Health Care, Education, Human Services, Youth and Amateur Athletics, Arts and Culture, and Conservation and Wildlife, Yawkey Foundation is committed to preserving and sustaining the charitable values of the Yawkeys by investing in impactful nonprofits providing resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved. For more information, please visit www.yawkeyfoundation.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for the latest announcements.