By Nina Sazevich, Public Relations Manager for MoAD

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco has been awarded one of 38 grants made by the NBA Foundation as part of the league’s holiday Season of Giving when the NBA gives back by supporting and uplifting youth, families, and organizations across the country.

MoAD is the only museum to be awarded and is one of just three Northern California organizations selected. The grant will support the Museum’s Diaspora Stories Project, a paid, summer program for Bay Area youth who will work collaboratively with Black art professionals to explore their personal stories of the diaspora through digital photography and podcasting.

“We are extremely grateful to the NBA Foundation for this grant, which will help to ensure that young people have access to media literacy and cultural studies,” said Monetta White, executive director of MoAD. “With the help of the youth in our community, we continue to document the richness and the complexity of the diaspora stories of Bay Area black artists. This partnership reaffirms the important work that MoAD’s Education Department does, and our continued commitment for making Black art and culture accessible to all.”

Launched in August 2020, the NBA Foundation is focused on creating greater economic opportunity and career advancement in the Black community to help close the racial wealth gap. With this latest round of grant announcements, the largest to date at $11 million, the Foundation is investing in local and national organizations that promote school-to-career and workforce development opportunities.

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“As we near the conclusion of the NBA Foundation’s first year of grant-making, we’re excited to announce our latest round of awards to 38 new, deserving non-profit organizations,” said Greg Taylor, NBA Foundation Executive Director.  “We are confident that our support will create short- and long-term advancement opportunities for these organizations and the communities that they serve.”

With MoAD’s Diaspora Stories Project, 25 youth grades 10-12 will explore their identities in relation to their diaspora stories and explore their career interests in media and storytelling.

Students learn the basics of photography and podcasting and gain and apply related technical skills, all while meeting different Bay Area artists. They will develop a final multimedia project that will be exhibited on MoAD’s website.

The project strengthens the youths’ community engagement and influence as they increase their understanding of Bay Area art and artists, their relations with their diaspora identity, and improve their media literacy and production skills for career development. Simultaneously, this initiative supports MoAD’s ambitions in youth programming and it allows MoAD to continue to be a crucial voice in capturing and telling the stories of the African diaspora.

About MoAD

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is a contemporary art museum whose mission is to celebrate Black cultures, ignite challenging conversations, and inspire learning through the global lens of the African Diaspora.

About the NBA Foundation

The NBA Foundation is the league’s first-ever charitable foundation dedicated to driving economic opportunity for Black youth. The Foundation invests in local and national organizations that promote school-to-career and workforce development opportunities. 

To date, the NBA Foundation has awarded 78 grants, totaling $22 million to non-profit organizations.  The NBA Foundation will continue to collaborate with all 30 teams, their affiliated charitable organizations and the NBPA to support national and local organizations, utilizing the collective $30 million annual commitment from the NBA Board of Governors as well as additional funding sources.

Nina Sazevich is the public relations manager for MoAD.

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