The ‘Bay’s Team’ On and Off the Court

While the Golden State Warriors’ dominance on the court has global reach, the franchise and its foundation are deeply rooted on both sides of the San Francisco Bay.

Established in 2012, the Warriors Community Foundation works to support education and youth development to promote thriving students, schools, and communities. 

The Foundation makes annual grants to improve educational equity in Alameda and San Francisco counties, and has generated over $30 million in impact since inception. Through the Makin’ Hoops Program, the Foundation has refurbished over 90 public basketball courts around the Bay Area. 

The Foundation also grants access to NBA basketball through the donation of thousands of tickets each season to local schools and nonprofits. The Foundation – sustained by generous contributions from Warriors owners, players, partners, and fans – extends the team’s impact locally and continues a longstanding tradition of community involvement.

“The Warriors Community Foundation is a central pillar of our franchise’s passion to impact our community,” says Warriors President and COO Brandon Schneider. “With a dedicated focus on educational equity for youth in the Bay Area, we have a unique platform to work with our partners to change the lives of young people in the Bay Area.” 

And when the Warriors left Oakland for their new state-of-the-art arena across the Bay, they maintained their commitment to the city they had called home for decades. In 2019, the Foundation and Kaiser Permanente announced the launch of Generation Thrive, an unprecedented 20-year commitment to the East Bay’s educational nonprofits and the students they serve. The team transformed its practice facility into a first-of-its-kind nonprofit hub that helps Bay Area nonprofit organizations and schools through education and wellness programming. 

“The Warriors are, and always will be, the Bay’s Team!” Schneider says proudly. “Oakland is a huge part of our team and franchise identity, and is the longtime home of Kaiser Permanente. Offering this access to educators in Oakland is paramount as we continue to push for educational equity for the young people in the region.” 

Despite being born on the eve of the pandemic, the Foundation and Kaiser have been hard at work ensuring that the innovative space is being used to support students and educators. 

“The response to Generation Thrive programming, both virtual and in-person, has been incredible, and speaks to the glaring needs in the educator community,” Schneider says. “To date, we have hosted over 500 educators in person, using the Oakland Generation Thrive location for a variety of use cases over the span of 700 hours, including meetings, strategic planning retreats, collaborations, celebrations, and of course, health and wellness programming.”  

And this was all before its formal opening and launch of full operations in October of 2022.

“As a former educator, I am all too familiar with the ongoing challenges of teaching,” says Warriors Community Foundation President of the Board Nicole Lacob. “I am ecstatic that we are able to support educators, teachers, and nonprofits that serve students and shape the next generation of young minds.”

The 20-year commitment and the name of the initiative – Generation Thrive – were no accident. The Warriors Foundation and Kaiser Permanente’s goal is to make a transformational impact on an entire generation of youth.

“To lock arms in a 20-year commitment with Kaiser Permanente for Generation Thrive is huge,” Schneider says. “They have a proven community impact track record and are tenured Warriors partners; it was a perfect fit for both parties to make a commitment of this magnitude to the Bay Area educational community. Kaiser Permanente and the Warriors Community Foundation have access to show up and provide resources that educators and nonprofits have not had to-date, and we are uniquely positioned to offer tools to serve and support young people.”

“Along those lines, mental health is a main priority for us,” Schneider continues, “and is an evolving space with resources to address human behavioral needs. With Kaiser Permanente, we are working to provide responsive programming and resources for educators in this space. We know healthy people support healthy people to thrive!”

While California’s overall high school graduation rates have increased significantly in recent years to an average of 81 percent, Black and Latino students’ graduation rates continue to lag in the Bay Area. Working together, the Foundation and Kaiser are laser focused on helping school districts close this glaring achievement gap.

And they are not alone. Notable corporate and community partners have stepped up, including: Accenture, Chase, Mimi & Peter Haas Fund, Rakuten, Rocket Lawyer, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and the Hellman Foundation.

Whether a program officer at a charitable foundation, the head of CSR at a global corporation, or an individual donor, you too can join in this effort to change the life trajectories for a generation of young people.

“There are a multitude of ways to support our work. It could be as simple as thanking a teacher in your life or community,” Schneider says. “Of course, we are always looking for volunteers, and have a donation platform to Generation Thrive at https://community.warriors.com/donate. As fundraising increases, so will our impact.”