Founded in 1992, Jays Care Foundation (Jays Care) promotes baseball as a tool to teach children skills such as teamwork, leadership and resiliency. The Foundation is affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays major league baseball team. Jays Care recognizes there is an unlevel playing field for youth across Canada. It notes that over 25% of Canadian parents say inconvenient locations for sport facilities prevent their children from getting involved in sports. Additionally, only 2% of girls ages 12-17 in Canada are getting enough physical activity. Jays Care has shifted from being primarily a granting charity to running more of its own programs for children across Canada in recent years.

Jays Care runs a Rookie League program (40% of program costs in F2017) that uses baseball as a foundation for development of children in poor communities. In Toronto, Jays Care worked with Toronto Community housing to run a seven-week summer day camp for 1,250 children across 45 sites in F2016. Across Canada, Jays Care worked with staff from 34 Boys & Girls Clubs in F2016 to run after school and recreation Rookie League programs for 5,200 children. Additionally, the Foundation worked with Right to Play in 25 First Nations Communities to allow 1,000 children to participate.

Jays Care Foundation has two major granting programs: Field of Dreams and Grand Slam. Through Field of Dreams (32% of program costs in F2017), the charity funds projects in Canada to refurbish and build safe spaces for youth to play baseball. In F2016, Jays Care granted $1.6m to 14 organizations across the country for infrastructure investments. Since 2004, Jays Care has invested over $8.2m to create 67 safe spaces for youth. Jays Care’s Grand Slam grant program (12% of program costs in F2017) provides funding for other charities and community groups that run sports, educational and healthy living programs in Canada.

Home Run Scholars (9% of program costs in F2017) is an after-school program that provides a fun environment for youth in grades 1 to 6 in low-income communities. The children are provided with an hour of sports, an hour of homework, an hour of free time and two healthy snacks each day. The program aims to improve academic performance, enhancing physical health and increasing social well-being amongst the children. In F2016, Home Run Scholars ran in 24 Toronto Community Housing Buildings across the city.

Jays Care runs numerous other programs (7% of program costs in F2017) which include Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Challenger Baseball and Girls at Bat.

The Jays Care Foundation’s 2016 Impact Report states 65,000 Canadian youth were reached. Based on total operating costs for F2016, the charity spent an average of $91 per child served.

Results and Impact: Jays Care Foundation notes that in F2016, 88% of youth felt that the Rookie League program helped them learn how to work with others. Additionally, 90% of youth from First Nation Communities said that Rookie League made them feel like they have friends. In 2014, Jays Care Foundation won the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy, an award given to a North American sports team.

Jays Care Foundation is a Large charity with $6.5m in donations and special events fundraising in F2017, a 35% increase since F2015. Administrative costs were 5% of revenues and fundraising costs are 28% of donations. For every dollar donated, $0.67 went to programs and grants, falling just within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. The Foundation has funding reserves of $7.9m which can cover annual program costs and grants for 1.5 years.

As the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) launched the purchasing of 50/50 raffle tickets using mobile phones at MLB games in F2016, Jays Care has increased its lottery revenue by 143% since F2015. In F2017, the Foundation earned $2.9m from its 50/50 draw in F2017. A $1.0m increase in spending in the Rookie League program has contributed to Jays Care’s total program costs increasing by 186% since F2015. The charity has increased its funding reserves by $4.2m (115%) since F2015.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Jays Care Foundation for review. Edits and changes may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 21, 2018 by Derek Houlberg.