ATLANTA (Dec. 17, 2025) – Six Metro Atlanta school districts will receive grant funding from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation (AMBFF), in partnership with Atlanta United, the Atlanta Falcons and PGA TOUR Superstore, totaling $6.3 million over three years to increase access to sports at the middle and high school level.
According to data from the Aspen Institute, the average U.S. family spent $1,016 on their child's primary sport in 2024, a 46% increase since 2019. This grant funding will be utilized to alleviate the cost of participation, increase the variety of sports offered and improve the sports experience for students throughout Metro Atlanta.
School districts applied for grant funding to address specific needs in each of their counties. The grant was distributed to the following school districts:
- Clayton County Public Schools to create the district's first coaching development program in partnership with A Better Way Athletics for its 27 middle and high schools.
- DeKalb County Public Schools to establish girls flag football programs at 18 middle schools and alleviate the cost to participate in middle school girls flag football.
- Fulton County Public Schools to alleviate the cost to participate – including transportation costs – in high school boys and girls soccer, golf, tennis and wrestling; provide high-quality performance equipment for athletes in these sports.
- Griffin-Spalding Public Schools to establish boys and girls soccer programs at all four middle schools; launch girls flag football programs at the middle school level; alleviate the cost to participate in middle school boys and girls soccer and girls flag football, and improve the quality of athletic fields utilized by its four middle schools.
- Gwinnett County Public Schools to establish girls flag football programs at 14 middle schools beginning in 2026; alleviate the cost to participate in boys and girls soccer at the middle school level, and install field lighting to improve safety and enhance scheduling capabilities at six athletic fields across the school district.
- Rockdale County Public Schools to alleviate the cost to participate – including transportation costs – in boys and girls soccer, girls flag football, tackle football and volleyball at the middle school level, and in boys and girls golf, swimming, tennis and wrestling at the high school level; improve field conditions and play-space access at four middle schools, and provide high-quality performance equipment at the middle and high school level for athletes in these sports.
"The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and AMB Sports and Entertainment recognize and prioritize the importance of providing kids the opportunity to participate in sports," said AMB Sports and Entertainment CEO and AMBFF Associate Board Member Rich McKay. "We are proud to partner with these six school districts to remove barriers of entry to sports and enhance the sports experience for their students. We anticipate this funding will impact more than 7,500 athletes at the middle and high school level across Metro Atlanta."
ABOUT THE ARTHUR M. BLANK FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is a philanthropy founded to help transform lives and communities by uniting people across differences to find common cause. Started in 1995 by Arthur M. Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, the foundation has granted more than $1.5 billion to charitable causes. Our collective giving areas are Atlanta's Westside, Democracy, Environment, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Youth Development. Across these areas, we take on tough challenges by uniting the courage and compassion of our communities so we can all thrive together.
In addition to the priority areas of giving, the foundation oversees a large portfolio of grants including support of essential Atlanta nonprofit institutions, such as Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Shepherd Center, and enduring founder-led initiatives, such as veterans and the military and stuttering, among others. For more, visit www.blankfoundation.org.
