MEDIA ALERT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Larissa Trout, Director of Marketing & Community Relations
Larissa@spyhop.org, 801-532-7500
Spy Hop to Receive Grant from the NBA Foundation
[Salt Lake City, Utah]— Spy Hop has been selected to receive a $325,000 grant from the NBA Foundation for programmatic support and to strengthen Spy Hop’s Amplify Black Youth Voice Initiative. The initiative increases Black youth and young adult engagement with Spy Hop’s free media arts mentorships in film, music, audio, and design and leverages Phase 2 Productions, Spy Hop’s video production company, to uplift Black-owned businesses and community partnerships. Spy Hop’s program is numbered among the NBA Foundation’s Round 12 Grantees, organizations selected from the NBA’s 28 markets to ensure deep, sustainable community impact. The NBA Board of Governors has committed to contributing $300 million over ten years.
“We are beyond grateful for and excited to embark on this new partnership with the NBA Foundation, who secure meaningful employment for Black youth and build a national network of career pathways for Black youth across the United States,” commented Kasandra VerBrugghen, Spy Hop’s Executive Director. “We are honored to uplift our world through youth voice with the NBA Foundation as partners. Not everyone begins on a level playing field, and we will work together with Utah’s youth and their families to ensure that everyone has what they need to thrive on their journey.”
Founded in 1999 as an alternative after-school tutoring program serving twelve students, Spy Hop has grown exponentially and now serves over 10,000 students statewide in its 25th operating year. Spy Hop mentors young people in the media arts to help them to find their voice, tell their stories, and effect positive change in their lives, communities, and the World through in-school, after-school, and community-based programs in film, music, audio, and design, all offered at no cost to Utah’s youth. The NBA Foundation will provide $325,000 to support the Amplify Black Youth Voice Initiative, bridging the equity gap in workforce readiness for Black youth within the Utah Jazz market.
For more information about the NBA Foundation, visit https://nbafoundation.nba.com/.
For more information about Spy Hop’s Amplify Black Youth Voice Initiative, please visit spyhop.org/amplify.