ATLANTA — The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is committing millions of dollars to help six metro Atlanta school districts expand access to middle and high school sports.
According to a release from the foundation, more than $6.3 million will be split between through grant funding from the foundation and a partnership with Atlanta United, the Atlanta Falcons and PGA TOUR Superstore.
Citing data from the Aspen Institute, the Blank Family Foundation said average families in the United states spent more than $1,000 on their children’s primary sports participation in 2024, a reported 46% increase from 2019.
The funding from the grants is aimed at lowering participation costs and increasing the variety of sports offered through the metro Atlanta area, as well as improving sports experiences for students.
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“The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and AMB Sports and Entertainment recognize and prioritize the importance of providing kids the opportunity to participate in sports,” AMB Sports and Entertainment CEO and AMBFF Associate Board Member Rich McKay said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with these six school districts to remove barriers of entry to sports and enhance the sports experience for their students. We anticipate this funding will impact more than 7,500 athletes at the middle and high school level across Metro Atlanta.”
The following school districts will receive grant funding, meant to “address specific needs” in each county:
- Clayton County Public Schools to create the district’s first coaching development program in partnership with A Better Way Athletics for its 27 middle and high schools.
- DeKalb County Public Schools to establish girls flag football programs at 18 middle schools and alleviate the cost to participate in middle school girls flag football.
- Fulton County Public Schools to alleviate the cost to participate – including transportation costs – in high school boys and girls soccer, golf, tennis and wrestling; provide high-quality performance equipment for athletes in these sports.
- Griffin-Spalding Public Schools to establish boys and girls soccer programs at all four middle schools; launch girls flag football programs at the middle school level; alleviate the cost to participate in middle school boys and girls soccer and girls flag football, and improve the quality of athletic fields utilized by its four middle schools.
- Gwinnett County Public Schools to establish girls flag football programs at 14 middle schools beginning in 2026; alleviate the cost to participate in boys and girls soccer at the middle school level, and install field lighting to improve safety and enhance scheduling capabilities at six athletic fields across the school district.
- Rockdale County Public Schools to alleviate the cost to participate – including transportation costs – in boys and girls soccer, girls flag football, tackle football and volleyball at the middle school level, and in boys and girls golf, swimming, tennis and wrestling at the high school level; improve field conditions and play-space access at four middle schools, and provide high-quality performance equipment at the middle and high school level for athletes in these sports.
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