Legacy Cares Inc., the 501c3 organization that owns Bell Bank Park, has announced a partnership with Bell Bank to help make youth sports and activities available to underserved families and communities through a new initiative, the Play it Forward Grants Program Powered by Bell Bank.
Play it Forward provides funding to 501c3 nonprofit organizations who lack the resources to pay for youth sports and activities for the populations they serve. Grants are available to qualifying organizations in low-income areas within Maricopa County, serving large numbers of families and children. Individual grants can be used by each organization for where it is needed most.
“Legacy Cares and Bell Bank recognize that the rising cost of youth sports has left many families and communities not financially able to participate in sports. Our vision for this program is to provide an opportunity for organizations to run at full capacity with general operating support so they may use these dollars where it’s needed most,” said Douglas Moss, president of Legacy Cares. “Legacy Cares is grateful for our partnership with Bell Bank as our primary objective is always to give back to our local communities and to support children of all abilities.”
There are two different grant opportunities that organizations can apply for, a Rookie Grant and an MVP Grant. The Rookie Grant is for qualifying organizations who have demonstrated true impact in the communities in which they serve through strategic partnerships and engagement with local at-risk youth through sporting events, athletic engagements, clubs, leagues, volunteer opportunities and other activities empowering the community to be active in youth sports.
The MVP Grant is for an exemplary organization who has fostered relationships with organizations throughout Arizona and served an outsized impact in the development of youth sports and programs. This grant award is for an organization who has truly shown how leadership and collaboration promotes success in the state’s most vulnerable communities by lifting kids out of the status quo and ushering them into extracurricular activities challenging them to be better leaders, stewards of positive character and team comradery.
Grant applications are currently open online at Play it Forward Grants Program – Legacy Cares, Inc. (legacycaresinc.org). The deadline for grant submissions is Dec. 1, grantees will be notified on Dec. 15, and a check signing ceremony will take place at Bell Bank Park on Dec. 20. Letters of recommendation will be requested for either grant during the application process.
“At Bell Bank our core values are simple - take care of our employees, let them take care of our customers, and then all of us take care of our community,” said Kyle Kennedy, Phoenix president and Arizona banking director at Bell Bank. “We are partnering with nonprofits who will leverage our Play it Forward funds to help promote youth athletes who demonstrate leadership, character and teamwork. These athletes are our future leaders, and what a great way for Bell Bank to pay it forward.”
To qualify for a grant, organizations must be a nonprofit in good standing with the IRS with operations based in Maricopa County. Play it Forward will look for organizations who are in low-income communities providing community-based recreational level or school sports for kids in grades K-12. Organizations must provide proof of budget constraints and must operate in an area in which the local school district has a higher percentage of low-income students than the state average or the average household income in the community is lower than 60% of the estimated state median income by household size based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. For more information on income guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program State Median Income by Household Page or Legacy Cares at info@legacycaresinc.com to determine if your organization qualifies. Legacy Cares reserves the right to make exceptions to eligibility guidelines for reasonable extenuating circumstances.
