Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation
The Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation, the 501(C)(3) public charity founded by The Basketball Club of Seattle, was developed with the purpose of Teaching, Encouraging, And Motivating the families of the Pacific Northwest. The Foundation’s key initiatives include the NeighborHoops Project which works to refurbish dilapidated inner-city basketball courts. The Foundation also supports scholarship funding efforts, monetary grant fundraising, wheelchair basketball programs, and much more. Service has been an honored commitment for the Sonics since 1967.
The Sonics community service program is dedicated to using our resources to leave a lasting legacy in Washington by supporting fitness and education programs for kids and families. The success of our organization is not only measured in wins and losses, but also the number of lives we touch along the way.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Sonics & Storm Team Foundation is to support community programs that Teach, Encourage and Motivate children, young adults and families in Washington state. T.E.A.M. seeks to enrich communities by supporting educational and athletic initiatives, with an emphasis on basketball.
Auction Donation Requests
The Sonics & Storm are proud to contribute hundreds of items annually to help non-profit organizations fund their efforts. For more information on how your non-profit can receive support from the Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation, click here.
NeighborHoops
One of the goals of the Sonics & Storm is to make the Puget Sound area the most basketball-friendly region in the nation. Local schools, community centers and parks often lack the resources to maintain their basketball courts, leaving hundreds of playground hoop dreams unfulfilled. The Sonics & Storm work hard to help provide many of the needed resources through the NeighborHoops program. With the help of local companies that construct basketball courts, the Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation has created and/or refurbished at least one court every year over the past several years. In partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation and T-Mobile, the Sonics & Storm have helped to bring these courts back to life, one hoop at a time through our NeighborHoops program. To nominate a site in your neighborhood for creation of a NeighborHoops court or to nominate en existing court in your neighborhood for refurbishing, 
please print and complete a NeighborHoops application.
Current NeighborHoops Courts
Student-Athlete Scholarships
The Seattle Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation has partnered with the King County Journal Newspapers to form the annual Seattle Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation Inspirational Prep Athlete of the Year Scholarship Program. The scholarship is designed to honor student-athletes that have overcome severe circumstances to achieve their goals. Four student-athletes are selected: one male and one female athlete from East King County and one male and one female athlete from South King County. The scholarship recipients are honored at the annual King County Journal Newspapers prep sports banquets.
Each scholarship recipient receives a $2,500 cash award to apply toward his or her college education. The scholar-athletes are also recognized during a special on-court presentation at a Seattle Storm game at KeyArena.
Wheelchair Basketball
The Sonics supports the Seattle area’s only youth wheelchair team which plays in tournaments around the region. Currently, the Junior Team has the largest enrollment of participants fielding three teams, 35 members and an additional 10 kids practicing in Vancouver, WA from the JV to varsity levels. The Sonics Jr. Wheelchair Basketball team is managed by Northwest Wheelchair Sports and directors Charles Fleming and Tami English.
Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation Funding Priorities:
Three Charitable Pillars:
1) Athletic/Basketball related initiatives - The T.E.A.M. Foundation looks to support organizations dedicated to improving local athletic opportunities, especially those focused on the sport of basketball.
2) Educational Initiatives – The T.E.A.M. Foundation looks to support organizations dedicated to helping children succeed in education, with a special emphasis on reading literacy.
3) Health and Fitness Initiatives – The T.E.A.M. Foundation looks to support organizations dedicated to improving the health and fitness of school-aged children.
What the T.E.A.M. Foundation does not fund:
There is no shortage of organizations that will come to the Sonics & Storm seeking donations or player visits. However, the Foundation looks to the Funding Priorities to give us focus in deciding which charities and/or organizations to support.
The Foundation will not support :
Non-profits without a valid 501c3 status
Programs or associations that generate more than 40% of their dollars from government funding or grants
Advertising or fundraising drives
General or administrative costs
Intermediary funding agencies
Endowment campaigns
Salaries, stipends or travel expenses
Capital campaigns
The promotion of political, religious, labor, or fraternal causes
Grants to individuals (other than through scholarships)
Any organization that discriminates on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin or disability
The ability of the T.E.A.M. Foundation to support outside organizations is dependent on the quantity and quality of proposals received, as well as upon the success of the Foundation’s own fund raising efforts. Regrettably, the Foundation receives many more requests for support than it can possibly fund, and some requests are therefore declined even though they may meet Foundation requirements.
For any questions regarding the Sonics & Storm T.E.A.M. Foundation, please contact:
Wyjuana Montgomery
Community Programs Manager
351 Elliott Ave. W., Suite 500.
wmontgomery@sonics-storm.com
Phone: 206-272-2696
Fax: 206-272-2697
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