Pirates Charities announces 'Field for Kids' grant recipients for 2020

Pirates Charities, the philanthropic arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates, in partnership with the Tull Family Foundation, Thomas and Alba Tull’s family foundation, today announced the 2020 recipients of the “Fields for Kids” matching grant program. In total, nine individual grants were distributed to organizations that operate youth baseball and softball programs in three states -- Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The grants help support these organizations to ensure they continue to thrive and provide safe places for youth baseball and softball teams to play.

The Fields for Kids program, one of Pirates Charities’ signature programs, provides financial support through matching grants, to improve youth baseball and/or softball facilities. Grant funds may be used in a variety of ways to support organizations, including upgrading essential field components such as sod, infield playing surfaces, fencing, dugouts and irrigation systems. Upgrades to the overall facility, including lights, bleachers, scoreboards, concession stands, and ADA/accessibility improvements are also eligible.

This year’s grants range between $2,800 and $10,000, and provide assistance to four organizations in Pennsylvania, four in Ohio and one in West Virginia. Notable distributions include grants to:

• (Pennsylvania) Mercer County’s Mercer Area Little League that will be used to assist with field resurfacing and the installation of four new dugouts

• (Pennsylvania) Allegheny County’s Oakdale Little League, which received $10,000 for field upgrades

• (Ohio) The East Liverpool Area Youth Baseball League, which received $10,000 to the to help with the construction of two new fields to ensure that the league’s more than 300 participants have a safe place to play

• (West Virginia) The Kingwood Baseball and Softball League to help with the refurbishing of two fields

For the complete list of Fields for Kids grant awardees, please see below.

Since its inception in 2009, the Fields for Kids program has issued 373 individual grants that have been distributed in the greater Pittsburgh region. An additional 46 grants have also been distributed in the Pirates spring training home of Bradenton, Florida since the program was expanded to include the area in 2011.

Pirates Charities and The Tull Family Foundation continue to partner to make an impact in the Pittsburgh community as the two groups most recently teamed up in 2019 to distribute $50,000 worth of baseball and softball equipment to 16 local youth organizations.

Pirates Charities 2020 Fields for Kids Matching Grant Recipients

• Pennsylvania

Allegheny County: Deer Lakes Youth Baseball Association, Bairdford, Pa.; Oakdale Youth League, Oakdale, Pa.

Clarion County: Knox Area Baseball Softball, Shippensville, Pa.

Mercer County: Mercer Area Little League, Mercer, Pa.

• Ohio

Columbiana County: East Liverpool Area Youth Baseball League, East Liverpool, OH

Jefferson County: Warren Township Softball Association, Titonsville, OH

Mahoning County: Boardman Community Baseball, Boardman, OH

Warren County: Warren County Youth Baseball Softball Association, Warren, OH

• West Virginia

Preston County: Kingwood Baseball and Softball League, Kingwood, WV