Grants

The Community Fund Grant program provides assistance to local nonprofits in the Tampa Bay region. Grants of up to $5,000 are awarded through this program. These funds help to enhance and support current programs offered by community-based nonprofit organizations. The Rays Baseball Foundation awards a total of $150,000 in grants through two cycles of 15 grants each year. Rays players Evan Longoria, James Shields and Ben Zobrist joined first round grant recipients for a luncheon at Tropicana Field on May 17. Second round grant recipients were announced during a pre-game presentation on October 1. Rays players Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist greeted recipients before the game.

1. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast; Sports Buddies Program
2. Boys and Girls Clubs of Plant City; Project Learn Academic Enrichment Program
3. Brookwood Florida, Inc.; Independent living training
4. Children First; Childcare scholarships
5. Devereaux Florida; Sulphur Springs Youth Leadership Council
6. Forty Carrots Family Center; On Wheels Parenting Program
7. Front Porch Community Development Association; 4-H Gardening and Art Camp
8. Junior League of St. Petersburg; Back-to-School Care Fair
9. Junior League of Tampa; Children's Literacy Project
10. Manatee Education Foundation; Ca$h for Cla$$room Grants Program
11. Mt. Zion Human Services, Inc.; Computer and Literacy Enhancement Program
12. Pinellas Opportunity Council, Inc.; Youth Development Program
13. PlaySmart, Inc.; PlaySmart 2012 Academy
14. Starting Right, Now; Technology and supplies for at-risk youth
15. The Spring of Tampa Bay; Planting Seeds of Hope and Renewal Program
16. AMI Kids, Inc.; Youth Development Project
17. Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County; Project Learn Academic Enrichment Program
18. David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts; Access Arts Scholarships
19. Goodwill Industries-Suncoast; Book Works Program
20. Manatee County Girls Club, Inc.; Project CREATE
21. Oasis Network of New Tampa, Inc.; Shoes for Students Program
22. Polk Education Foundation; Chair Scholars
23. Ready for Life, Inc.; Youth Employment Readiness Project
24. Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, Inc.; Foster Grandparent Program
25. SERVE – Volunteers in Education; Building Better Readers 2.0
26. Tampa Bay Watch; Estuary Edventures
27. The Edible Peace Patch Project; Campbell Park Elementary Garden Project
28. The Salvation Army St. Petersburg Area Command; Sallie House Afterschool Tutoring Program
29. Title I Family Resource Center Library; Resource Center Library Materials
30. United Methodist Cooperative Ministries/Suncoast, Inc.; Family Literacy Initiative
31. Voices for Children of Tampa Bay, Inc.; Children's Needs Fund

The Rays Baseball Foundation is proud to maintain long standing partnerships with select community organizations throughout Tampa Bay. The Foundation provides grants of up to $25,000 per year to the following groups to support existing programs that serve youth and education initiatives in the region:

1. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County
2. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay
3. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast
4. Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast
5. Community Tampa Bay
6. Eckerd
7. Feeding America Tampa Bay
8. The Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco
9. Hillsborough Education Foundation
10. Junior Achievement
11. Pinellas Education Foundation
12. Poynter Institute
13. Tampa Metro YMCA
14. United Way Suncoast
15. YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg