Illumination Fund Expands Play to Thrive and Highlights Youth Sports Access at Project Play Summit

The Illumination Fund marked a major week for its Play to Thrive initiative with new investments to support organizations using sports to promote youth development and mental health, alongside a wide-ranging conversation on the future of play featuring our President, Laurie M. Tisch.

Founded in 2009, South Bronx United uses soccer as a tool for social change in one of the nation’s highest-poverty communities, serving nearly 2,000 young people annually through programs that combine competitive soccer with academic support, college preparation, immigration legal services, and social-emotional learning. Since 2012, students in the South Bronx United Academy have achieved a 100% high school graduation rate, with 95% of seniors going on to college. The Illumination Fund grant will strengthen the organization’s coach-mentor model, expand its Girls Leadership Program for middle school girls, and increase direct mental health support for youth and families.

City Parks Foundation reaches nearly 300,000 New Yorkers annually through free sports, education, arts, and community-building programs in parks across the five boroughs. Through CityParks Play — the largest free park-based youth sports program in New York City — the organization engages more than 7,000 young people each year in sports including soccer, tennis, golf, and track & field, helping eliminate barriers like registration fees and equipment costs. The funding will support the expansion of City Parks Foundation’s Girls Forward Leadership & Mentorship Cohort, which provides structured off-field programming focused on personal and athletic development for girls ages 13-16. Launched in partnership with Nike, Girls Forward reached 285 girls across 18 locations in 2025.

The announcement comes as our President Laurie Tisch joined the Aspen Institute Sports & Society’s Project Play Summit for a conversation with Aspen’s Tom Farrey on the future of youth sports and the importance of expanding access to play.

Drawing on the newly released State of Soccer: New York City/North Jersey report commissioned by the Illumination Fund, Laurie discussed the barriers many young people face in accessing sports, from cost and transportation to limited infrastructure and mentorship opportunities. She also highlighted organizations helping close those gaps, including Gotham FC’s Keep Her in the Game initiative and Street Soccer USA’s soon-to-open field and community facility in Queens.

Together, these efforts reflect the Illumination Fund’s growing commitment to ensuring that all young people — regardless of zip code, income, or identity — have access not only to sports, but also to the confidence, connection, and opportunity that come with play.