Seattle Mariners Community Impact Grants

The Community Impact Grants were launched in 2020 as part of the Seattle Mariners commitments to advance racial equity and social justice, investing in programs and organizations addressing the causes of racial, social, and economic inequity.

Through the Community Impact Grants, the Seattle Mariners Care Foundation seeks to help communities across Washington and Oregon, increase positive health outcomes for youth and accelerate equitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The Mariners invest in efforts that focus on long-term, systems-level change; preference will be given to initiatives engaged in research and advocacy.

The Community Impact Grants seek to increase positive health outcomes for youth and accelerate equitable outcomes for BIPOC communities across Washington State and Oregon. To do so, we will support efforts that:

• Ensure that all young people can realize the many rewards of physical activity, in particular the benefits to their mental health.
• Invest in organizations, coalitions, and efforts that prioritize systemic approaches to create and accelerate equitable outcomes for BIPOC communities.

Positive Health Outcomes for BIPOC Youth:

Baseball, softball, and other forms of physical activity have many benefits for young people. In addition to building healthier bodies, being physically active helps relieve stress, boost self-confidence, and combat depression. But not all young people can reap these benefits. Race and income often determine who has access to sports and the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic made these disparities worse. As we emerge from the pandemic, the Mariners want to ensure that all young people can realize the many rewards of physical activity, in particular the benefits to their mental health.

Support will be provided to organizations, partnerships and coalitions working to increase opportunities for young people, especially BIPOC youth, to realize the many rewards of physical activity, including the benefits to their mental health. The Mariners are also interested in efforts that grow organizational or sector understanding of the connection between physical activity and mental health.

Priority will be given to organizations led by and primarily serving BIPOC communities.

Accelerating Equitable Outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Communities:

The pandemic has exposed and deepened longstanding disparities in our communities, making them impossible to ignore. For too long, access to everything from education to employment to housing has been determined by race, income, and where people live.

Support will be provided to organizations, coalitions, and efforts responding to the issues most crucial for ensuring that everyone, especially BIPOC communities, have equal opportunity to thrive. Preference will be given to efforts leveraging research and advocacy as key elements of systemic change work, and those led by and primarily serving BIPOC communities.