9 groups in Memphis to receive Black Community grants from Nike

Nike on Friday announced its 2023 Black Community Commitment Grantees, which include nine Memphisbased organizations.

The grants are going to Memphisbased Schoolseed Foundation, Just City, Knowledge Quest, Kudzukian Media Group, New Ballet Ensemble, Pure Youth Athletics, Memphis Shelby Police Activities League, STS Enterprise and The Consortium Memphis Music Town.

The nine Memphis organizations are part of Nike’s $2.4 million city-specific investments across 43 grantees. Nike selected grantees that were focused on education innovation, economic empowerment and social justice.

Nike has a notable presence in Memphis,

as the Frayser neighborhood is home to the company’s North American Logistics Campus.

Here is more information on the nine Memphis organizations that are part of Nike’s 2023 Black Community Commitment and what the grants will go toward.

h Schoolseed Foundation works with individuals, community groups and businesses to help children be provided with high-quality education.

h Just City works on local criminal justice policy and practice to ensure it is fair for all people regardless of wealth, race or ethnicity.

h Knowledge Quest tries to meet the needs of the Memphis community by helping stabilize homes, providing access to health, and making the clear path to opportunities for families through extended learning academies, the Green Leaf Learning Farm and family stability centers.

h Kudzukian Media Group is an independently owned production company that offers on-demand virtual, in-studio and livestream content across all media platforms.

h New Ballet Ensemble provides children and youth a professional standard of training, regardless of the ability to pay.

h Pure Youth Athletics is a non-public, church-related school that provides students tools to become successful college students and productive members of the community through athletics.

h Memphis Shelby Police Activities League tries to prevent crime, builds character and promotes success for children through youth mentoring programs.

h STS Enterprise works with 13- to 24-year-old minorities by providing mentorships, workshops, exposure to careers and experiences, and talent placement with a focus on building confidence, life skills and tools for secondary or postgraduate opportunities to achieve economic mobility.

h The Consortium Memphis Music Town facilitates and coordinates a strategy to leverage the music resources and assets of the community in Memphis in an intentional way to have a highly qualified and informed pool of talent that is poised for careers in the music industry.

Omer Yusuf covers the Ford project in Haywood County, residential real estate, tourism and banking for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached via email Omer.yusuf@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @Omerayusuf.