The Golden State Warriors today announced the organization’s plan to promote racial and social equity, centered around four pillars of action: Wallet, Heart, Feet and Voice. Since inception in 2012, the Warriors Community Foundation has contributed over $22.5 Million to educational equity; today’s announcement includes an initial grant of $200,000, split equally between Kingmakers of Oakland and Urban Ed Academy in San Francisco.
“We are doubling down on our organizational commitment and accountability in the fight for racial and social justice,” said Warriors President & Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “Joe Lacob and Peter Guber released a statement in May outlining our roadmap; specifically, our organizational Voice, Feet, Heart and Wallet resources; these principles will guide our organizational efforts for many years to come.”
WALLET: As part of the NBA’s previously-announced NBA Foundation, the Warriors will donate $10 Million over 10 years to help establish the first-ever NBA Foundation dedicated to creating greater economic empowerment in the Black community. The funds that the Warriors contribute to the NBA Foundation will directly impact the Black community and drive economic empowerment through employment and career advancement, increase access and support for students and career-ready Black men and women, and assist national and local organizations that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development.
The Warriors Community Foundation’s $200,000 grant to Kingmakers of Oakland and Urban Ed Academy will aid in resources, technology and program development for the two non-profits who work to recruit, train and develop Black teachers in the region. This grant was supplemented by a $100,000 donation from Head Coach Steve Kerr, with a $100,000 match by the Foundation.
The Warriors have an ongoing commitment to deploy philanthropic and business funds in support of racial-equality focused non-profits and Black-owned enterprises. Since 2012, the Warriors Community Foundation has donated over $13 Million in educational grants to Bay Area non-profits, with over 70% of the Warriors Community Foundation grantee non-profits led by Black, indigenous and other leaders of color. With the additional resources generated through the Foundation’s Making Hoops Program, which refurbishes basketball courts in the Bay Area, the in-game 50/50 Raffle, and ticket donations, the Warriors Community Foundation has awarded over $22.5 million overall to Bay Area non-profits in-need.
Additionally, the franchise is committed a minimum of 50% of all hired third-party Chase Center vendors and suppliers representing diverse owned businesses. To achieve this, the team has joined the Vendor Workplace Diversity Initiative, created by SurveyMonkey, the Warriors and Chase Center’s Official Survey Partner. The survey will allow the Warriors to assess information beyond traditional vender diversity makeup, to illustrate vendors’ leadership team, employee base and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. By implementing this survey into the vendor decision-making process, the Warriors will be able to more accurately invest in diverse representation while also encouraging vendors to re-assess their diverse hiring practices.
FEET: On Juneteenth, Warriors team members participated in various rallies and marches in the Bay Area. Over 30 team members, including Welts, helped paint a Black Lives Matter mural in the Western Addition neighborhood in San Francisco. Moving forward, the Warriors are committing to supporting civic engagement endeavors, such as census participation, voter education and supporting peaceful demonstrations. Yesterday, the Warriors were part of a joint-announcement with the other Bay Area professional sports teams to endorse Proposition 16, a statewide ballot measure to restore California’s equal opportunity programs like affirmative action, and to combat systemic discrimination in public contracting, employment, and education.
HEART: In additional to external commitments, the franchise is actively developing platforms that create a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. For example, the Warriors will continue to expand recruiting policies and development opportunities with the goal of increasing diverse representation at every level of the organization. The franchise recently launched Employee Resource Groups. All front office team members were given the opportunity to participate in a seven-week anti-racism unconscious bias training. And beginning June 2020, the franchise is hosting “Ongoing Conversations on Racial Justice” with special guest speakers such as San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, Equal Justice Society Founder Eva Paterson and reporter Soledad O’Brien.
VOICE: In February, the Warriors launched Beyond28, a year-round commitment to amplify and celebrate Black history, culture and voices on team channels and platforms. With the Warriors’ 46 million followers across social media platforms, the team is committed to amplifying athlete, coach and alumni voices. Additionally, the Warriors will continue to partner with BayCat, a local non-profit that exists to end racial, gender and economic inequality by creating powerful, authentic media while diversifying the creative industry.