Rays Foundation donates to 17 nonprofit organizations

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- The Rays Baseball Foundation, the official charity of the Rays, awarded a total of $100,000 to 17 local nonprofit organizations through the Community Fund Grant Program on Tuesday.

"The Rays Baseball Foundation is proud to recognize and support these community organizations and their valuable work," said Matt Silverman, team president. "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.