Fundraising

Grantees: SNY PLAY BALL! presented by Citi is a program to support youth baseball and softball leagues/divisions (players ages 6-12 only) in communities in the New York metropolitan area, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania (Pike County) and Long Island (please view application for a full list of eligible counties). In 2012, six non-profit and tax-exempt organizations that demonstrate a financial need will be selected to receive a $5,000 grant to be used for the purchase of player equipment and uniforms, field maintenance and renovations, and other annual operating expenses such as umpire fees. Organizations are selected on the following criteria: 1) Areas served; 2) Ratio of operating budget to players; 3) Stated need and plan; 4) Creativity, originality and content of essay. SNY and Citi are also providing two additional $5,000 grants in conjunction with the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF). Selection and eligibility requirements to receive a BTF grant are identical to those for the PLAY BALL! grant. Organizations simply need to submit one PLAY BALL! application to be eligible to receive either a PLAY BALL! or BTF grant – duplicate applications are not required. Applicants will be considered for both types of grant; however, a selected organization will receive either a PLAY BALL! grant or a BTF grant, but not both.

Grants from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund are designed to be sufficiently flexible to enable applicants to address needs unique to their communities. The funds may be used to finance a new program, expand or improve an existing program, undertake a new collaborative effort, or obtain facilities or equipment necessary for youth baseball or softball programs. The Rookie League Pitching Machine Program can be a bridge between tee ball and live pitch baseball. Both programs partners with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Most Peabody grants range from $10,000 to $1,000,000 and are made to organizations that serve disadvantaged, inner-city youth populations. Most often the organizations receiving grants will be located in the very neighborhoods that they would serve by their efforts and will employ staff members of the populations that they serve. Additionally, Peabody grants are made for almost any project that serves to promote and enhance the grantee organization's mission: for existing and new programs, for capital acquitions, for the renovation of existing buildings and facilities, for the repair, maintenace and purchace of equipment.

1. are designed and built from concrete by qualified and experienced skatepark contractors. 2. include local skaters throughout the planning, fundraising, and design process. 3. are in low-income areas and/or areas with a high population of "at-risk" youth. 4. can demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment to the project, particularly in the form of fundraising by local skateboarders and other community groups. 5. have a creative mix of street obstacles (rails, ledges, stairs, etc.) and transition/vert terrain (quarterpipes, bowls, halfpipes, etc.) 6. don’t require skaters or their parents to sign waivers. 7. encourage skaters to look after their own safety and the safety of others without restricting their access to the park or over-regulating their use of it. 8. are open during daylight hours, 365 days a year. 9. don’t charge an entrance fee. 10. are in areas that currently have no skateboarding facilities.