ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) Foundation announced today nine beneficiaries of the organization’s Capital Impact Fund.
Black Girl Hockey Club, Bowie Hockey Club, Every Kid Sports, Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena, George Mason University Ice Hockey Alumni Foundation, Reston Raiders Hockey Club, Tender Bridge (Baltimore Banners), Titans Youth Hockey and the Tucker Road Parent Hockey Organization are the nine nonprofits that will receive a combined $75,000 in funding. The organizations were selected by the Capitals based on their missions and impact toward diversity in hockey, as well as on their plans to use the funding to further advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the sport in the Washington, D.C., area.
In 2020 the Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation created the Capital Impact Fund to provide grants to organizations that can assist in eliminating cost barriers faced by individuals of color in the hockey community. The Washington Capitals and MSE Foundation Capital Impact Fund Grant provides financial support to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to further advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in hockey. The objective of the grant is to provide access to the sport in all forms and should concentrate on, but not be limited to: equipment, ice time, school programs, program fees and access to the game. The fund aims to help minority youth players reach their greatest potential and create more equal playing fields for all. The Capital Impact Fund also recently financed the Capitals inaugural Rising Stars Academy, which saw more than 100 participants in a coed program established to provide elite skill development and mentorship for local hockey players of color.
The recent beneficiaries include:
The mission of Black Girl Hockey Club is to inspire and sustain passion for the game of hockey within Black communities, specifically with mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. To prevent exclusion in hockey based on race, gender, sexuality or ability in the face of institutional racism,
financial gatekeeping and program access, the Black Girl Hockey Club provides education, scholarship opportunities and community spaces that will give Black women access to hockey.
Black Girl Hockey Club will use the grant as part of their scholarship program to support local players, as well as for their coaching and mentorship program. Since launching a scholarship program, Black Girl Hockey Club has distributed more than $144,000 in grant funding for BIPOC athletes to participate in hockey.
The Bowie Hockey Club, established in 1971, has been providing quality hockey instruction to players ages four through 18 for more than 50 years. The club provides a wide range of programs, from instructional hockey for beginners to competitive travel teams. Bowie Hockey Club’s recreational teams compete in the Capital Corridor Hockey League (CCHL) and travel teams play in the Chesapeake Bay Hockey League (CBHL) and Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League (EJEPL). The club also runs a spring hockey program and summer clinics.
Bowie Hockey Club will use the grant to support Keivonn Woodard, a Deaf youth player who requires an ASL interpreter on the ice. Woodard’s goal is to become the first Black deaf player in the NHL. The grant will be used for the ASL Interpreter Service fees as well as special equipment to use during games.
Every Kid Sports, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, helps kids from income-restricted families participate in youth sports through their Every Kid Sports Pass. The Every Kid Sports Pass provides funding to cover registration fees for recreational youth sports that are at least four weeks in duration. Children ages 4-18 are eligible to receive up to three grants a year. Pass applications must show proof of a child's enrollment in Medicaid, SNAP or WIC. Additional details pertaining to Every Kid Sports and the Every Kid Sports Pass can be found at www.everykidsports.org
Every Kid Sports will use the grant to support their Every Kid Sports Pass program in the Washington, D.C., area, allowing families on Medicaid, SNAP or WIC to participate in the sport of hockey.
**Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena**
The mission of Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena (FFDIA) is to provide increased opportunity, education and inspiration to youth in Washington, D.C., through ice skating and education activities. FFDIA is a nonprofit established in 1996 to rescue the Fort Dupont Ice Rink in Southeast D.C. from closure. It revitalized the arena and operates the facility, providing a traditionally underserved neighborhood with an NHL-size ice rink, recreational and cultural activities, skating instruction and regular physical education programming for District schools. A new Fort Dupont Ice Arena is currently under construction and is slated to be completed in the Spring of 2025.
Friends of FDIA created the Kids On Ice® (KOI) program, providing free or subsidized figure skating, synchronized skating, hockey and speed skating lessons to youth in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Its KOI Learn to Play Hockey (LTPH) program introduces skaters to ice hockey by offering beginning hockey skill development which leads to league play.
This grant will be used to serve children in its KOI LTPH program by supplementing registration fees for families that qualify for financial support, purchasing full hockey equipment and to fund ice time.
**George Mason University Ice Hockey Alumni Foundation**
George Mason University Ice Hockey Alumni Foundation’s mission is to support the interests of Mason Ice Hockey with financial support in the furtherment of the Mason Ice Hockey Program and its charitable endeavors in the community to support community-focused organizations whose 501(C)(3) efforts provide assistance to those in need.
The foundation will use the grant to provide financial assistance and scholarships to cover player costs for minority players in need. In addition, the funding will continue to support a team-involved program designed to create opportunities for underserved communities in Fairfax and Woodbridge, Va. The program will include street hockey events to introduce youth to the sport and also see Mason players host the children for a team skate. A prior Capital Impact Fund grant supported this initiative, and this year’s funding will further support related programming.
**Reston Raiders Hockey Club**
The Reston Raiders Hockey Club provides opportunities for children of all skill levels to play ice hockey, from the beginning player to the highly skilled player. The Raiders seek to instill in every child a love for the game of hockey, with a commitment to fair play and sportsmanship. The Club also is committed to helping each child with the development of personal and social skills.
The Reston Raiders will use the grant to help launch a Reston Raiders Diversity initiative, which would underwrite scholarships for players of color in the organization’s Learn to Play program.
Tender Bridge uses hockey along with other activities as a vehicle to build lasting relationships with marginalized youth in high violence areas of Baltimore. These relationships are designed to help youth access meaningful opportunities and support on the road to successful adulthood as they define it.
Tender Bridge will use the funding to support ice time, transportation and logistics surrounding the Baltimore Banners.
The mission of Titans Youth Hockey is to make ice hockey fun and accessible to any child, no matter their background or financial need. Titans Youth Hockey is a no-tryout program that was founded in 2010 and has teams in the Capital Corridor Hockey League. Titans players live in wards across the city, and they come from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The Titans seek to give back to the community with a variety of outreach and service programs.
Titans Youth Hockey will use the grant to help recruit more players of color and provide financial aid for players in need while ensuring their costs make participation accessible to as many players as possible.
**Tucker Road Parent Hockey Organization**
The Tucker Road Parent Hockey Organization (TRPHO) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) consisting of hockey parents and community members dedicated and committed to the success of the Tucker Road Ducks Youth Ice Hockey Team, based in Maryland. The organization advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion and believes representation matters and that hockey is for everyone.
Tucker Road Parent Hockey Organization will use the funds to continue to recruit a diverse group of players to provide extensive training from skilled instructors, educational resources including diversity and inclusion and nutrition. They will also provide equipment and coordinate street hockey opportunities.
