2024 Highlights: DICK'S Foundation Supports Youth Sports, Community Grants, and Special Olympics

Today, we’re excited to share the latest update in the quarterly giving series from The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation, showcasing the incredible efforts being made to advance our mission of inspiring and enabling youth sports participation. 

In the second quarter of 2024, we:

• Pledged over $1 million in Sports Matter Grants to support youth sports organizations nominated by our teammates.
• Strengthened key partnerships to ensure all children have equal opportunities to play.
• Hosted Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes at our House of Sport for a Field Day, where we surprised them with a Sports Matter Grant. 

The DICK’S Foundation first connected with Harlem Lacrosse in 2014 when Dyjae Pearson and Jordany Baltazar were teenagers seeking guidance. They found support through Harlem Lacrosse and Coach Joel Censer. A decade later, Pearson and Baltazar returned to present Coach Censer and Harlem Lacrosse with a $100,000 Sports Matter Grant in celebration of The DICK’S Foundation’s 10th Anniversary. Watch the surprise here. 

In April, The DICK’S Foundation launched a $2 million grant initiative to mark 10 years of Sports Matter. As part of this initiative, DICK’S Sporting Goods teammates were invited to nominate school sports teams or youth sports organizations making a difference in their communities for grant consideration. We approved 75 submissions, representing each store region, the Customer Support Center, and our community marketing managers. Altogether, The Foundation will allocate $1,030,500 in Sports Matter Grants to these deserving organizations. 

We are also proud to continue our partnerships with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Project Play. Through our collaboration with LISC, we are supporting the second year of the Game On-Community Places to Play Initiative, which provides funding and technical assistance to community-based organizations that create and renovate multi-use youth sports spaces in under-resourced areas nationwide. Grant awards will range from $50,000 to $100,000, with a 1:1 match funding requirement. Eligible organizations can apply through September 5. 

Our partnership with Project Play has led The DICK’S Foundation to become a 63x30 Partner Organization. The 63x30 initiative was launched after the federal government set a national target for youth sports participation at 63% by 2030. 

In collaboration with On, DICK’S Sporting Goods hosted a field day at the Ross Park House of Sport for Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA). The athletes engaged in Olympic-style activities and received full gear from On. SOPA was then surprised with a combined $60,000 Sports Matter Grant ($30,000 from The DICK’S Foundation and $30,000 from On) to expand their unified sports programming. 

The 2024 Summer Camp at McKeesport Area School District (MASD) near Pittsburgh has come to a close. Over 480 K-8 students participated in this year’s camp, which offered four weeks of STEAM activities, crafts, field trips, and more. The school also partnered with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to host several farmers' markets, providing MASD students, families, and community members with fresh, local produce throughout the summer. 

Click here to read The DICK’S Foundation’s partnership with MASD.