Rays Baseball Foundation awards $100,000 to local nonprofits
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- The Rays Baseball Foundation, the official charity of the Tampa Bay Rays, awarded a total of $100,000 to 17 local nonprofit organizations through the Community Fund Grant Program today.
“The Rays Baseball Foundation is proud to recognize and support these community organizations and their valuable work,” said Rays President Matt Silverman. “Each year, we see evidence of how our partnerships with nonprofit organizations help strengthen our community and we look forward to extending that impact with our new partners.”
The Rays Community Fund Grant Program provides assistance to local nonprofits in the Tampa Bay region. Grants worth up to $10,000 are awarded to help support and enhance current programs offered by community-based nonprofit organizations. To date, the Community Grant Fund Program has awarded more than 130 grants to local charities totaling $672,500. The Rays will award a second round of grants from the 2013 Community Fund Grant in September. Applications for those grants will be available on raysbaseball.com/community beginning June 1.
The Rays Baseball Foundation is committed to supporting youth and education programs throughout the Tampa Bay community. Key contributors to the Foundation include Rays owners, players, sponsors and fans. Since 2008, the Foundation has proudly invested close to $3 million in youth and education programs in the region through grants, programs and scholarships.
The following 17 organizations and their corresponding programs will be supported by the Rays 2013 Community Fund Grant:
| Organization | Program |
| American Stage Company, Inc. | Teaching Artists Outreach Program |
| Bess the Book Bus, Inc. | Summer Reading Adventures |
| Best Buddies Tampa Bay | Tampa Middle School and High School Project |
| Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf | Strokes of Genius Program |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County | Project Learn |
| Children First | Head Start Scholarships |
| Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA) | Peacemaker Program |
| Computer Mentors Group, Inc. | Nonprofit Technology Projects |
| Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, Inc. | Ready to Read |
| Forty Carrots of Sarasota, Inc. | On Wheels Parenting Program |
| Girls Incorporated of Pinellas | Support-a-Girl Bridge Scholarships |
| North Port Family YMCA | Healthy Kids: North Port |
| Our Children’s Academy | Summer Read to Succeed Program |
| Pasco-Hernando Community College Foundation, Inc. | Concept College |
| Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) | Moving Forward, Building Up! |
| The Children’s Home | Thomas Alexander Learning Center |
| The Edible Peace Patch Project | South St. Petersburg School Gardening Projects |