Focus Area: Youth Development

Grant Amount: $8,000

Located in St. Paul. Opened in 2002, (formerly Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center) is dedicated to making tennis more accessible to everyone in the community, especially youth from under-resourced communities. The center provides affordable courts, junior and adult tennis programs, and youth outreach programs. TennisWorks is their primary outreach program, pairing youth in grades 3-8 with tennis instruction, life-skills education, and academic support. TennisWorks links children with coaches from their communities who share their cultural backgrounds. In November 2018, it was recognized by the Aspen Institute for the work it is doing to break down barriers in sports.

Grant supports TennisWorks’ in-school programs as well as its after-school programming. It is adding a 4th after-school site at Ella Baker Elementary School in Minneapolis. TennisWorks is further developing its summer tennis camps, adding academic supports and enrichment activities, continuing its SEL curriculum, and continuing the expanded family supports that were begun during the pandemic. Programming is offered twice a week for 2 hours a day.