The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is the charitable arm of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. The foundation focuses on youth charities and improving the lives of children in the Pittsburgh area. Some of the main initiatives and programs run by the Penguins Foundation include:
Grants Program
The Penguins Foundation provides grants to nonprofit youth organizations in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties. The grants support programs and projects that benefit children in the region. Some examples of programs funded by these grants include:
- After-school programs
- Sports and recreation programs
- Arts and cultural programs
- Mentorship and education programs
In 2018, the Penguins Foundation awarded over $750,000 in grants to nearly 100 organizations. Some of the organizations receiving grants that year included the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western PA, Strong Women Strong Girls, Macedonia FACE and the Carnegie Science Center.
Mario Lemieux Foundation Pediatric Enhancement Program
The Mario Lemieux Foundation Pediatric Enhancement Program provides playrooms for children and families at medical facilities in Pittsburgh. These playrooms aim to reduce stress and anxiety for sick children during hospital visits. The playrooms have a Penguins theme and are stocked with games, toys, books and electronics to help distract and entertain kids. As of 2019, Penguins Foundation playrooms exist at:
- UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- St. Clair Hospital
- Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Tom Grealish Charities Cup Youth Hockey Tournament
The Tom Grealish Charities Cup is an annual youth hockey tournament hosted by the Penguins Foundation. The tournament brings in youth hockey teams from around the region to compete and raise money for the foundation. Some details on the tournament:
- Takes place over the course of a weekend in Pittsburgh
- Open to teams with players aged 10 to 14
- Supports youth hockey by providing competition experience
- Raises funds through team entry fees and private donations
Over $300,000 has been raised through the Charities Cup since the tournament began in 2006.
Project Power Play
Project Power Play places specially adapted hockey equipment packages into local youth hockey programs, schools and other organizations serving disabled youth. This adaptive equipment allows children with disabilities to play hockey who otherwise may not have the resources. Each package contains gear such as sledges, sticks, sleds, helmets, gloves and balls to enable kids with physical impairments to play floor/street hockey.
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Youth Hockey Program
The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Youth Hockey Program provides underprivileged boys and girls with full scholarships to play travel hockey through the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League. Scholarships cover expenses such as ice time, equipment, travel and more. The program removes financial barriers that often prevent inner-city children from playing hockey.
Make-A-Wish Partnership
The Penguins Foundation partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant wishes to children with critical illnesses. The teams helps create unforgettable experiences for Make-A-Wish children, from meeting Penguins players to attending a game or practice as a VIP guest. The Penguins often host wish kids at games, give them a locker room tour and create other memorable moments.
Donations & Fundraisers
The Penguins Foundation receives funding through various donation campaigns and fundraisers throughout the year. This includes:
- 50/50 Raffle: Held during every Penguins home game, fans can purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win half the jackpot.
- Jersey Auctions: Game-worn and autographed player jerseys are auctioned off to support the foundation.
- Annual Golf Classic: The foundation hosts an annual charity golf outing featuring Penguins alumni and personalities.
- In-Arena Donations: Donation drives and campaigns take place during games to support various causes.
These fundraisers help generate revenue to power the foundation’s programs and community investments.
The Philanthropy Fund of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
The Philanthropy Fund is a board-advised fund managed under the umbrella of The Pittsburgh Foundation. This provides an efficient vehicle for individuals and organizations to contribute to the Penguins Foundation’s charitable work through tax-deductible donations. All contributions to the Philanthropy Fund go directly toward supporting the Penguins Foundation’s mission of improving the lives of children in Pennsylvania through hockey.
Conclusion
In summary, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation runs a diverse range of programs and initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for local youth, especially disadvantaged children. These programs provide funding, hockey equipment, tournament experiences and more to help young people access sports and educational opportunities. With support from Penguins fans and the local community, the foundation strives to make hockey accessible to all children and empower Pennsylvania youth to reach their potential.
Key Points:
Grantmaking | Awards grants to nonprofit youth organizations |
Playroom Program | Creates playrooms for hospitalized children |
Charities Cup Tournament | Annual youth hockey tournament that fundraises |
Equipment Donations | Provides adaptive hockey gear for disabled youth |
Elite Youth Hockey | Scholarships for underprivileged kids to play travel hockey |
Make-A-Wish | Partners to grant wishes for kids with critical illnesses |
Fundraisers & Donations | 50/50 raffle, jersey auction, golf outing and more |
Through donations, grants, equipment provision and accessible programming, the Penguins Foundation aims to share the power of hockey with Pennsylvania youth. Its goal is to enable all children to reap the benefits of health, teamwork and personal growth that hockey provides. With support from fans, corporate partners and the Pittsburgh community, the foundation is making hockey everyone’s game.
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The Penguins Foundation was established in 2010 as the new philanthropic arm of the Pittsburgh Penguins following the team’s previous charity, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, merging with the Mario Lemieux Foundation. While the Mario Lemieux Foundation focuses on cancer research, prevention and patient care, the Penguins Foundation aims to help disadvantaged youth through hockey-related programming.
The Penguins Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates independently from the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. It has its own Board of Directors made up of community leaders and team executives. The Board of Directors helps guide the strategic direction of the foundation and oversees the approval of grants, budgets, programs and internal policies.
Over its history, the Penguins Foundation has evolved and grown its charitable programs. When first established, the foundation’s grant program was its primary initiative. This involved providing monetary grants to regional youth nonprofit organizations for programs supporting academics, athletics and the arts. The foundation soon realized that it could have an even greater impact by developing and running its own tailored programs.
This led to the creation of signature initiatives like Project Power Play, the Elite Youth Hockey Program and the Tom Grealish Charities Cup. These new programs enabled the Penguins Foundation to use its unique position within the hockey world to provide opportunities and experiences that directly reached disadvantaged children. Beyond grantgiving, the foundation could now facilitate life-changing moments for children through the power of hockey.
In recent years, the Penguins Foundation has continued enhancing its programming. It has expanded in-school hockey demonstrations to spread the game to more children. Partnerships with other nonprofits like Make-A-Wish have created unforgettable experiences for critically ill kids. With the continued success of the Penguins NHL team, the foundation has also benefited from a growing donor base providing revenue to fuel more community investment.
Looking ahead, the Penguins Foundation remains focused on expanding hockey’s reach and using the sport to serve local children. Potential growth areas include adding more scholarship slots for children to play hockey, purchasing additional adaptive equipment, renovating more pediatric playrooms and supporting hockey programs at local schools. The foundation aims to ensure that any child who wants to play hockey has the resources and opportunity to do so.
To help promote its mission, the Penguins Foundation provides regular updates across its social media platforms and website. This allows supporters to follow along with new programs, events and community stories that highlight the foundation’s work. For example, the foundation shares photos of children going through the Elite Youth Hockey Program or tumor patients getting a visit with the Penguins mascot Iceburgh thanks to a Make-A-Wish experience.
The Penguins Foundation also released an Impact Report in 2018 summarizing key achievements. This included raising $3.4 million that year, awarding $750,000 in grants, donating 90 pieces of adaptive equipment and providing 9,600 hours of community service from Penguins staff. The report helps track the foundation’s growth and demonstrates transparency on how donations are used.
Penguins fans who wish to get involved with the foundation have plenty of opportunities to give back. Attending the 50/50 raffle or jersey auction at home games provides direct fundraising support. Fans can also volunteer their time at foundation events like the Tom Grealish Charities Cup tournament. Corporations can get their employees involved through the foundation’s team volunteer program for volunteer projects.
The Penguins Foundation has an efficient administration with low overhead expenses, ensuring donations go directly to charitable programming. The foundation spends around 15% on administrative costs and fundraising, with 85% going toward programs serving local kids. This exceeds the Better Business Bureau standard requiring at least 65% of expenses spent on programming for nonprofit excellence.
Good governance and financial transparency are top priorities for the Penguins Foundation. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it submits in-depth IRS Form 990 filings each year documenting its financials, governance policies and key activities. The foundation undergoes regular external audits to ensure proper oversight and compliance. This enables donors and supporters to give with confidence knowing the organization is held to high standards.
Since its inception over a decade ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation has been committed to empowering Pennsylvania’s youth through the transformative power of hockey. It has evolved from solely providing monetary grants to nonprofits to developing hands-on programs that directly help disadvantaged children. As the foundation continues to grow, it stays true to its mission of sharing hockey with as many kids as possible and using the sport to enrich young lives across the region.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation works closely with the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL team but operates as an independent nonprofit organization. While the Penguins hockey team focuses on operating the professional hockey franchise, entertainment venue and business side, the foundation takes the lead on community outreach, charitable giving and youth programming.
The two organizations work synergistically to amplify their positive impact. The Penguins provide invaluable in-kind donations to the foundation in the form of player and staff time, event space and promotions. In return, the foundation helps expand the Penguins’ community engagement and philanthropy. This creates a win-win partnership that ultimately benefits regional youth.
From the outset, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation decided to focus squarely on improving outcomes for youth versus a broader mission. This reflected the strong alignment between kids and hockey – from youth leagues and school teams to dreams of someday playing professionally. By keeping programs centered on area children, the foundation could fully leverage the platform of the Penguins NHL team.
Penguins Foundation staff meet regularly with nonprofit partners to collaboratively brainstorm potential programs and maximize the impact of charitable investments. These organizations have their finger on the pulse of community needs. Their input helps ensure the foundation targets its resources for the greatest benefit to regional children.
The Penguins Foundation’s Board of Directors includes leaders from diverse sectors such as banking, energy, real estate and law. These accomplished professionals provide governance oversight and strategic guidance on expanding the foundation’s reach and revenue streams. Their varied expertise ensures effective administration of the nonprofit.
While Pittsburgh’s professional hockey team plays a central role, the Penguins Foundation relies on the generous support of corporate sponsors, individual donors and private foundations to fund its work. Key partners include Highmark, PNC, Giant Eagle, UPMC, Huntington and more. Fan donations are also crucial at events like the 50/50 raffle.
The Penguins Foundation undergoes a rigorous annual planning process to establish its upcoming budget, programs and objectives. This involves analyzing the current landscape, past performance, opportunities/challenges and stakeholder feedback to chart an effective path forward. The Board of Directors takes a hands-on role in reviewing these plans.
Efficiency is a point of emphasis for the Penguins Foundation. The nonprofit works to minimize overhead costs and ensure the majority of funding goes directly to charitable programming benefiting youth. It accomplishes this through careful budgeting, volunteer assistance and donations of operational resources from partners.
Looking ahead, the Penguins Foundation aims to deepen its connection with the Pittsburgh community. This includes further partnering with local nonprofits doing vital work and tailoring programs to fill gaps in services benefiting area youth. More community feedback will help guide the foundation’s ongoing evolution.
In summary, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation operates as the heart of the Penguins’ philanthropy and community outreach. Its youth-focused mission and signature programs highlight hockey’s power to enhance lives. With strong nonprofit management and close alignment with the Penguins NHL team, the Foundation strives to serve Pennsylvania’s kids.