The Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence was created in 2010 to recognize the charitable and philanthropic efforts of MLB Clubs.
Cincinnati Reds: The annual Community Makeover brings together some of Cincinnati’s most iconic institutions, including P&G, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and GE Aerospace, to make a sustainable impact on a local neighborhood while strengthening youth baseball and softball programs. Since 2010, the Reds Community Fund, through the Community Makeover program, has invested more than $11 million through cash and in-kind support into some of Cincinnati’s most underserved communities.
Over the past two years, the Reds Community Fund and its partners focused on revitalizing the historic village of Lincoln Heights, Ohio. Incorporated in 1946, Lincoln Heights was the first African American self-governing community north of the Mason-Dixon line. The transformative Community Makeover Project spanned seven locations, including:
Lincoln Heights Elementary
Lincoln Heights Health Center
Lincoln Heights Outreach, Inc.
Serenity Park
Sister Ann’s Courtyard
St. Monica’s Center
Memorial Field Athletic Complex
About the 2023 Finalists
Arizona Diamondbacks and Honeywell Futureshaper Robotics Competition
To meet the growing needs of the Arizona community, the D-backs and Honeywell partnered to create a series of STEM programs to engage, educate and inspire students from elementary to high school. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Honeywell Futureshaper Robotics Competition was created to immerse students in real-world engineering challenges and prepare them for future careers in STEM. Students and teachers from Title I Schools received a monetary grant and a Honeywell mentor, and were asked to create robots that could perform a variety of baseball skills. Participating schools were invited to Chase Field to showcase their creations. LEARN MORE
Shut Out The Stigma
Shut Out the Stigma was created to use the platforms of the Kansas City Royals and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City to raise awareness for mental health issues, raise money for mental health initiatives and provide resources for people in need. Previously, we worked to raise awareness for mental health issues in sports, and this season, we took it to a new level by shining a light on the toxicity in youth sports. Headline after headline talks about how the perfectionism demanded by coaches and parents contributes to youth athletes' developing anxiety, leaving the game and even having worse mental health outcomes. LEARN MORE
Twins Economic Advancement in the Marketplace (TEAM) Initiative
The TEAM initiative brings together industry-leading expertise for women and BIPOC-owned small businesses to gain visibility and support specific to the products, missions and histories that make them unique. One dollar, one entrepreneur and one small business at a time, these programs are an important part of our efforts to level the playing field and advance economic vitality within our community. LEARN MORE
Chill Mobile
In an effort to tackle our community's youth mental health crisis, Pirates Charities joined forces with healthcare partner Allegheny Health Network to launch Chill Mobile in 2022. Last school year, this retrofitted RV offered more than 6,000 students across the Pittsburgh region a calming space to learn evidence-based coping skills and participate in practical and interactive experiences. Chill Mobile is back on the road this school year with the goal of not only improving individual mental health, but of extending the conversation into the larger community and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. LEARN MORE
Previous Winners
2022
The White Sox created the Amateur City Elite (ACE) program in 2007 to reverse the declining interest and participation in baseball among African American youth, while offering resources and mentorship to pull kids away from the dangers of some of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods. The program holds a 99% high school graduation rate. In addition, more than 250 college scholarships have been earned by ACE participants to schools like Louisville, Michigan and Vanderbilt, as well as several HBCUs. Since its inception, 28 players have been selected in the MLB Draft.
2021
When the pandemic began, Royals Charities created the Royals Respond Fund, which has supported more than 500,000 meals, created grants for 17 nonprofit organizations and encouraged Royals staff to volunteer countless hours around the city. Goal No. 1: Establish the KC MLB Urban Youth Academy as more than a youth baseball and softball hub by hosting educational programming for students. Goal No. 2: Transform the KC MLB Urban Youth Academy into a makeshift community center for the people who live in the neighborhood -- something that didn’t exist before the pandemic.
2020
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian society has disproportionately affected under-resourced Canadian families who were already facing barriers in their lives. Seeing the alarming challenges youth and their families were facing in Toronto and across Canada due to COVID-19, the Blue Jays organization was determined to take immediate action.
2019
In philanthropic partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, the Home Base Program is a nonprofit dedicated to providing world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research initiatives for veterans, active military service members and their families impacted by “invisible wounds,” such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.