Thanks to a $2 million donation from T-Mobile, as many as 20,000 families in need will be able to register their children to play Little League® next season through the support of the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program. Eligible families can apply for financial assistance for the 2021 season beginning Thursday, December 3, 2020.
Originally established in February 2020 to help make Little League participation more affordable for kids and families around the country, the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program is dedicated to helping cover the cost of player registration fees so that every kid has the chance to participate in their local Little League.
“Little League firmly believes that payment shouldn’t be a prerequisite for participation and that it’s important for every local league and family to find a way to extend this opportunity to allow children to play the game,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “Thanks to the incredible support and millions of dollars donated by T-Mobile these past two years, thousands of children across the United States now have the opportunity to participate in our program and help write their chapter in the Little League story.”
The #WorldSeries came to an end and so did our @LittleLeague Call Up Grant Program donation. We reached a total of $1.7M from texts and home runs but who’s counting 😉
We’re rounding up to 🎉 $2M 🎉 to give more kids the chance to participate in sports! pic.twitter.com/hTgWDeQhi4
— Mike Sievert (@MikeSievert) October 28, 2020
With even more adversity facing families this year, as many as one in five kids may not have the opportunity to play sports due to financial challenges. Thanks to these donations, thousands more kids will be able to play Little League next season who otherwise couldn’t afford to.
After collectively donating $1 million from the 2019 T-Mobile Home Run Derby during Major League Baseball All-Star Week and the T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby to fund the program earlier this year, T-Mobile committed to raising an additional $2 million during the 2020 MLB Postseason through a series of initiatives including their Beyond the Bases video series, a fully-funded text-to-donate campaign, and by donating up to $10,000 for every home run hit during the World Series.
Even amidst the pandemic, nearly 5,000 families from more than 700 leagues in almost every state across the country were able to take advantage of the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program in its inaugural year, providing their children with the opportunity to play Little League, an experience they will never forget. The additional $2 million contributed to the program will help even more families for the 2021 season.
“As a single parent, I don’t get these opportunities very often for my son,” said Joanna Brown, a Little League parent from Ketchikan, Alaska. “My son has high-functioning autism, and it’s hard for him to be a part of teams and easily make friends, but he enjoyed being on that field, being up to bat, and having friends in the dugout cheering him on. The camaraderie of his teammates and coaches was unbelievable, and this program made it all happen.”
The T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program offers a simple-to-use process to help cover a Little Leaguer’s registration fees. Qualified families who are interested in joining a local Little League program for the 2021 season are encouraged to apply for this grant opportunity before their local league registration closes. To learn more about this great program including instructions on how to apply, Frequently Asked Questions, testimonials from those families who have already taken advantage of this opportunity, and downloadable resources to help promote this program in your community, visit LittleLeague.org/CallUpGrant.