NBA All-Star and 2021 NBA Champion, Jrue Holiday, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Lauren Holiday, announce the 2022 recipients of the JLH Social Impact Fund grants to Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits. Grants are awarded to businesses and nonprofits focused on social impact and creating a more equitable future for underserved communities.
This third round of grant funding is a continuation of Jrue’s pledge during the 2019-2020 season to donate a portion of his salary to the JLH Social Impact Fund, to assist marginalized and underrepresented communities with the funding, mentorship and resources needed to survive.
“We are so excited to announce our third round of grant funding to these very deserving Black-owned businesses and nonprofits, who are helping their communities thrive. Every year we grow our extended JLH family with the hope of shining a light on the need, but also to be an example of how real change occurs when you invest directly in the communities and the people who are underserved,” says Jrue and Lauren Holiday.
In addition to the coaching and training provided to recipients from FundBlackFounders, the JLH Fund has also tapped additional resource partners like Homebase, Baker Tilly, and CommunityX, for specialized professional guidance and services. Alexys Feaster, who oversees the JLH Social Impact Fund says, “We are focused on finding the right people and partners to expand the menu of resources for Black-owned businesses and nonprofits because Jrue and Lauren want to build a community of support. There are many other athletes and people of influence who want to give back and we’ve built a process that people can contribute to and the impact is immediate.”
Additionally, The Lenovo Foundation has awarded support to the JLH Fund in the amount of a $50,000 cash donation; while Motorola donated 300 Moto G Stylus phones to help JLH Fund grantees incentivize their crowd funding campaigns and implement a “pay it forward” initiative, while also capturing content that documents their journey within their communities.
The 2022 JLH Social Impact Fund grantees announced today are outlined below and more information on each business and nonprofit can be found at www.jlhfund.org/2022grantees.
- Indianapolis Area Black-Led Nonprofits: National Black Women’s Justice Institute, She Event Indy
- Indianapolis Area Black-Owned Businesses: Art by Deonna Craig, Rise House Fitness Studio, MELI LLC, Radford Woodworks
- Los Angeles Area Black-Led Nonprofits: Kids in the Spotlight (KITS), Parenting for Liberation, Restoration Community Development Corporation, SOLA Robotics, Bnurd’e Inc, Los Angeles Room and Board, It’s Bigger Than Us, The Handy Foundation
- Los Angeles Area Black-Owned Businesses: Community X, Ceylon by Anim Labs, CISE, GBG Hoops, Now U Talking, Phenom Performance, Play Black Wall Street, C. Suite
- Milwaukee Area Black-Led Nonprofits: Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, Inc., Re- Imagine Education
- Milwaukee Area Black-Owned Businesses: Jet Constellations, Turning Tables Tavern and Eatery
- New Orleans Area Black-Led Nonprofits: The Thurman Perry Foundation, Excite All Stars
- New Orleans Area Black-Owned Businesses: The Safety Pouch
- Additional Black-Led Nonprofit Grantees: 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (LV), The 3rd (MD), We are Warrior Girls (OH), Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (MN), Women Empowering Nations (OK), Give N’ Grow Sports, Inc (MD), Represented Foundation (NY), Sports and Entertainment Equality Network (SEEN) (NY), Team Thompson Family Foundation (PA), Tankproof (Various states)
- Additional Black-Owned Business Grantees: Her Agenda (NY), Black Girl’s Healing House (AL), xHood, LLC (DC), Unskrypted (DC), Dream Builders 4 Equity (MO), DOPE Cider House and Winery (OH), Make Music Count (GA), Disrupt Art Inc. (OH), Pass the Peaz, LLC (SC), Vilij (CA)
