Nike Community Store in New Orleans to Give $50,000 to Local Organizations Through the Nike Community Impact Fund

Data News Weekly Staff Report

Grant applications due July 31, 2018; grants will be awarded to New Orleans organizations that are focused on getting kids active

Nike has announced that applications for the next round of funding through the Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) are now being accepted through July 31, 2018. With the goal of building stronger communities and giving kids positive experiences with sport, play and physical activity, the Community Store in New Orleans will award a total of $50,000 via grants of $5,000 to $10,000 each to local organizations that are focused on getting kids active.

Six Community Stores throughout the nation will award a total of $300,000 in grants—ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 each—in New Orleans, Chicago, Ivy City in Washington D.C., Detroit, East Los Angeles and the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn. NCIF is administered with the support of the Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAF America) and funds projects that help kids unleash their potential through physical activity, sport and play.

NCIF is an innovative approach to grant-making that engages a committee of Nike employees to advise where grants are awarded to support the work of local organizations in the communities where they live and work. Since its launch in 2010, NCIF has awarded more than $4.97 million in grants to 502 nonprofit organizations in the United States: This includes 401 grants in Oregon and Southwest Washington, where NCIF began; nine grants in Memphis, where the Nike North America Logistics Campus is located; and 92 grants in communities where Nike has Community Stores: New Orleans; South Chicago; the Ivy City neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; downtown Detroit; East Los Angeles; and Brooklyn.

“We know that active kids do better–at school and in life. That’s why the Nike Community Impact Fund supports grassroots organizations that are focused on getting kids moving, “said Caitlin Morris, General Manager of Nike Global Community Impact. “We’re proud to support the important work of our community stores’ neighboring nonprofits, schools and community centers as they bring positive experiences in play, sport and physical activity into kids’ lives to help them reach their potential.”

At Directed Initiatives for Youth, Inc., in New Orleans they used their NCIF grant in 2017 to help support the Excite! All Stars Tennis Academy. Founded in 2008 as a direct response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and its effect on the children and youth of the Greater New Orleans area, the program provides opportunities and experiences for youth ages 6-15 to assist them in becoming individuals who will make a powerful impact on their communities now and well into adulthood, providing a multi-generational effect.

According to Gerald Williams, in New Orleans, co-founder and CEO of Directed Initiatives for Youth, Inc., “Through the program, it’s our goal to provide opportunity and exposure to these kids to help provide hope and vibrancy, so they want to excel and exceed. Thanks to the NCIF grant, we have been able to expand our program to even more kids, providing a safe place for them to hang out after school.”

Applications for New Orleans, Chicago, Ivy City in Washington D.C., Detroit, East Los Angeles and the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn are due July 31, 2018. All grant awards will support projects that deliver impact through the lens of sport and physical activity.

The online grant application along with the required information can be accessed at nike.com/ncif.