LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the official team charity, granted $1.2 million in donations to local nonprofit organizations and made investments of another $1.8 million in its cornerstone programs during 2016.
Those programs benefit underserved youth in the Southland in the areas of education, literacy, sports and recreation and health and wellness.
Since the Foundation's inception in 1995, LADF has distributed over $11 million in grants to the local community.

Among the nonprofits receiving donations last year for education and literacy were the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which provides college scholarships; the Mayor's Fund, which allows 32 parks to stay open at night during the summer; Minds Matter of Los Angeles, which provides intensive college prep for students from low-income families; and Library Foundation of Los Angeles, which provides a summer reading series led by Dodgers players, coaches and alumni.
Among the nonprofits receiving donations for health and wellness were Vision to Learn, which provides free eye screenings, exams and glasses to low-income students; the Los Angeles Food Bank, whose BackPack Program provides nutritious weekend meals to 1,000 students at nine schools; and the California State University, Northridge Roy Campanella Scholars, which assists 20 students of the school's physical therapy doctoral program.
Among the sports and recreation recipients were the Los Angeles City and County departments of parks and recreation, MLB's Urban Youth Academy, MLB's RBI program and Coach Art, which adapts baseball programming for youth with severe illnesses.
LADF will continue its grant-making program in 2017 with revised grant cycles and will now accept grants three times a year, instead of four, on Feb. 1, May 1 and Aug. 1. Participating organizations will be showcased during pregame ceremonies at Dodger Stadium and in various other media throughout the upcoming season. For a full list of grant recipients, as well as more information about the LADF grant application process, visit dodgers.com/ladf.