The Yawkey Trust/Yawkey Foundations has been a longtime supporter of the Yawkey Baseball League, and that relationship continued in 2023 with $20,000 in grants to help defray operating costs. The Trust made a $10,000 donation and pledged another $10,000 in the form of a challenge grant for the league. Once the YBL raised over $10,000 on its own, the Challenge Grant of $10,000 kicked in.
In 1982, Jean Yawkey establishes Yawkey Foundation II to ensure that the legacy of thoughtful giving to help those most in-need in the communities that she and Tom called home would continue, in perpetuity, to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities long after their lifetimes.
The Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation are honored to perpetuate the philanthropic legacy of the Yawkeys, whose eight decades of quiet generosity is sustained to this day through providing resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved in the areas of giving that reflected their charitable values: Health Care, Education, Human Services, Youth and Amateur Athletics, Arts and Culture, and Conservation and Wildlife.
In 1990, The Boston Junior Park League was renamed the Yawkey Amateur Baseball League of Greater Boston. The Yawkey League, which has fielded anywhere from 8-18 competitive amateur teams each summer, is a wood bat league that has roots back to the 1950s. Games are open to the public and players comprise top amateur talent from the Boston area.
Funds from the Yawkey Foundation’s grant will help defray the league’s operating costs, such as umpires, field lights and insurance, some of the league expenses that continue to increase in recent years. YBL president Dave McKay is proud of the partnership with the Yawkey Foundations, citing, “The Yawkey Family has had a profound effect on amateur sports in Boston and surrounding areas. Their support allows us to provide competitive baseball opportunities for young men in and around Boston, especially those who need to hone their skills for college baseball and beyond.”
