Open Doors Academy receives $300,000 grant from NBA Foundation to support Black youth

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Open Doors Academy has been selected to receive a $300,000 grant from the NBA Foundation. The grant will be used to support the High School Plus Program, which provides career readiness and college preparation services to 400 Black youth, ages 14 to 19, in high school and one year out of high school.

Open Doors Academy (ODA) works to create equity in education by providing high-quality afterschool programs, summer camps, scholar travel opportunities and year-round family engagement for K-12 youth, according to a news release announcing the grant.

The Cleveland-based nonprofit organization impacts 1,300 students and their families annually across 29 schools in eight school districts throughout northern Ohio. Since 2018, 97% of scholars in ODA’s high school programs have graduated high school.

With the award, which will be awarded over 18 months, ODA joins a group of partners across the country that are dedicated to helping Black youth successfully transition from school to meaningful employment.

“We are immensely grateful to the NBA Foundation for their generous support and recognition of the impact our enriching afterschool, summer, and family programs have on the youth we serve,” Dorothy Moulthrop, CEO of Open Doors Academy, said in the release. “We know high-quality afterschool and summer learning help youth graduate high school, succeed in college, explore meaningful careers, drive greater educational equity, and lead fulfilling lives. We are honored to partner with the NBA Foundation in delivering results for our scholars.”

The NBA Foundation, focused on furthering economic opportunity for Black youth, has invested over $119 million in 243 nonprofit partners since its inception in 2020, with $300 million committed over 10 years from the NBA Board of Governors. The Cleveland Cavaliers, longtime partners of ODA, supported their proposal.

This story was written with the assistance of AI.