YDF provided over 100 children with either full or partial scholarships to play, who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to due to financial hardships. This grant also allowed Jackson Parks & Recreation to purchase much needed player, umpire, and field maintenance equipment that has helped the quality of the league and provided the local community with more resources.

MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation Grantees
In partnership with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, YDF unveiled the 100th Youth Development Park at Reedbird Park in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The multi-use field supports baseball, softball, and other youth sports next to a fitness and wellness center for the community to make playing more inclusive and equitable.
Through a YDF grant, Journey House transformed a dilapidated, urban baseball playing infrastructure into a beautiful, state of the art baseball complex, creating a neighborhood anchor and catalyst for continued development for Journey House’s urban youth scholar athletes participating in the Felix Mantilla Little League program.
YDF partnered with Roundabout Theater Company as their Lead Sponsor of the production of Toni Stone in 2019. This compelling work told the story of the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro League, using Toni’s remarkable life to explore the later years of the Jim Crow era. The production was created to ensure that Toni Stone is no longer a footnote in history after her time with the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953.
With the support of YDF, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation built three Dodgers Dreamfields in Gonzales Park. These fields revitalize green spaces to help re-energize the community’s involvement in baseball and softball, while also boosting the safety of local parks, providing a place where neighbors can gather, exercise and play, and serving as resource hubs for communities to get the resources they need to live healthier lives.
Funded in part by YDF, Inglewood Baseball Fund opened a batting cage facility and training center at Darby Park in 2018 with a high-grade artificial turf surface designed for durability and playability. This new facility increased their programming hours exponentially by giving players the opportunity to do more hitting and baseball specific training in a safe and weather resistant environment.
Success Stories in the News
- November 17, 2021: New York City Parks And NYPD Celebrate Renovated Basketball Courts And New Soccer Pitch At Colonel Charles Young Playground In Harlem (Patch.com)
- November 11, 2021: Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation unveils 100th Youth Development Park nationwide (WBAL)
- November 10, 2021: Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation opens 100th ballpark in Cherry Hill (Baltimore Business Journal)
- November 4, 2021: Giants Community Fund launches after-school PE program (The Richmond Standard)
- July 28, 2021: Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield helps River Falls celebrate new turf field (River Falls Journal)
- April 22, 2021: Dodgers and RBI continue Jackie Robinson's legacy (NEWS4USONLINE)
- April 21, 2021: Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Kershaw's Challenge Complete Phase 1 Of Dodgers Dreamfields At Gonzales Park (Dodger Blue)
- November 12, 2020: Organizations hold ribbon cutting at Tom Fontaine Complex, reveal name of new field (WGXA)
- November 11, 2020: The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation to Celebrate Opening of Sports Complex (Middle Georgia CEO)
- September 20, 2019: Brooks Robinson "Field of Dreams" is now a reality in West Baltimore (Baltimore Magazine)
- September 17, 2019: Brooks Robinson Field opens at Frederick Douglass High School (WBAL)
- September 17, 2019: Iron Man Exemplifies Consistency, philanthropy (MLB.com)
- July 3, 2019: 'Toni Stone' Review: A Pioneer of America's Pastime (Wall Street Journal)
- June 30, 2019: With world premiere of 'Toni Stone,' Lydia R. Diamond and April Matthis bring the story of the first woman to play professional baseball to the stage (New York Daily News)
- June 21, 2019: Life of Negro League pioneer revealed in "Toni Stone" (MLB.com)
- June 20, 2019: Review: In 'Toni Stone,' America's Pastime Meets America's Problem (New York Times)
- June 11, 2019: Big-League Baseball's First Woman, on a Stage of Her Own (New York Times)