MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation announces $2 million grant to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City, August 1 – The MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation (YDF) today announced a $2 million grant to benefit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, Mo. The grant will support the museum’s $30 million capital campaign to build a new 30,000 square-foot facility to enable NLBM to utilize state-of-the-art technology to further the legacy and storytelling of the Negro Leagues and its players for generations to come.
“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is thrilled to receive this generous grant from the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation to support our efforts to build a new museum,” said NLBM president, Bob Kendrick. “We are tremendously proud of our partnership with Major League Baseball and the Players Association that has already profoundly elevated the awareness of the Negro Leagues. We look forward to our next exciting phase of growth that will give us even greater capacity to educate, enlighten, and inspire future generations through this story of triumph over adversity.”
Alongside Kendrick, the announcement was made with Royals Chairman & CEO John Sherman, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, YDF Executive Director Jean Lee Batrus, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark and MLB Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility April Brown.
The new NLBM facility will be built adjacent to the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center (BOERC) which will be housed in the former Paseo YMCA where Andrew “Rube” Foster and Negro Leagues team owners established the Negro Leagues in 1920. The future NLBM facility will create a “Negro Leagues Campus” that will become the gateway into Kansas City’s famed Historic 18th & Vine District. For more information on the capital campaign, the public can visit: www.nlbm.com/pitchforthefuture
“MLB is proud to support Bob Kendrick and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in their efforts to build a new state-of-the-art facility,” said Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. “The Museum is a jewel destination in Kansas City and provides a memorable and educational experience for its visitors. It is critical to continue telling the stories of the Negro Leagues to understand an important part of not only baseball history, but American history. Combined with MLB’s efforts to recognize the importance of the Negro Leagues, the expansion of the Museum and its educational resources will make a significant impact with generations to come.”
“Players in the Negro Leagues had an enduring impact on baseball and society, while creating opportunities for me and so many others with their extraordinary courage and sacrifice,” said MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark. “The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, as an institution, serves as a beacon of education and enlightenment to keep their stories alive for future generations. We are proud to support the museum in this important initiative.”
“YDF’s mission is to grow participation in baseball and softball by making the game more accessible and creating a deeper appreciation for the history of our sport,” said Jean Lee Batrus, Executive Director of the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. “The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, under the stewardship of Bob Kendrick, has been an outstanding resource in the groundswell of learning and education about the men and women of the Negro Leagues. Bob’s vision for this expansion is an exciting opportunity to connect our sport’s past with its future. YDF is proud to support the new sports science and education center which will give youth innovative tools to learn about baseball and the Negro Leagues legends.”
This announcement follows a $500,000 grant to the Negro Leagues Family Alliance, which was made in connection to the MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues event in June. MLB and the MLBPA have a long history of supporting the Negro Leagues Museum, most recently contributing $1 million to the museum’s efforts in February 2020 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues.