Grant Part of Million Dollar Initiative

Memphis, TENNESSEE — Tennis Memphis has received a grant of $100,000 through the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) “Community Building Through Tennis” initiative. This is the second year of the initiative, which seeks to utilize the sport of tennis and tennis facilities to build community in changing neighborhoods.

The NJTL “Community Building Through Tennis” initiative utilizes NJTL chapters, with both traditional and non-traditional tennis facilities, to reach out to the community and build social cohesion.

The money will support NJTL projects designed to bring together people from diverse backgrounds in neighborhoods experiencing economic and social change.

In 2007, the $750,000 pilot initiative, with a $400,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, awarded grants to four NJTL Chapters throughout the United States – Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (Philadelphia, Pa.); MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation (Jacksonville, Fla.); Milwaukee Tennis & Education Foundation (Milwaukee, Wis.); Tenacity, Inc. (Boston, Mass.).

In 2008, Tennis Memphis will join the four pilot recipients as a grantee. Also this year, the NJTL ”Community Building Through Tennis” initiative will have over $1,000,000 in action, having received grants from the Ford Foundation ($400,000), the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation ($300,000), a foundation wishing to remain anonymous ($150,000) and the recipients each matching $25,000 of their own funds raised specifically for this project.

Tennis Memphis is a non-profit Community Tennis Association, with a mission to provide support and programming that promotes and develops the game of tennis in the Memphis area. Tennis Memphis is a diverse organization striving to enhance and change the lives of people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds in the community through the game of tennis, and through educational and life skills programs.

Established in 2001, Tennis Memphis operates the seven City of Memphis tennis centers, which include 50 outdoor and 12 indoor courts for the benefit of the public. Annually, 71,350 people play on the public courts. Of these, 2,500 are youth participants in the after-school programs, with 60% of all youth involved in the programs receiving some form of scholarship. Since its inception in 2001, over 25 players have received tennis college scholarships through Tennis Memphis.

“The ‘Community Building Through Tennis’ initiative enables the USTA to help neighborhoods throughout the nation by affecting lives both on and off the court,” said Barry Ford, Director, Outreach & Advocacy, USTA. “Tennis Memphis has shown its dedication to the community in the past, and with these funds provided by the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation and the Ford Foundation they will be able to make an even greater impact.”

The National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) is a program owned and managed by the USTA, founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, to provide through local chapters high quality tennis, life skills and education programming to children in underserved communities.

The USTA Tennis & Education Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic entity of the USTA. Its goal is to support organizations and programs that enhance the lives of people through tennis and education.