The Tony Hawk Foundation seeks to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth. Through special events, grants, and technical assistance, the Foundation supports recreational programs with a focus on the creation of public skateboard parks in low-income communities. The Foundation favors programs that clearly demonstrate that funds received will produce tangible, ongoing, positive results. Since 2002 the Tony Hawk Foundation has been fulfilling its mission to help young people by issuing grants to low-income communities building quality public skateparks, and providing guidance to city officials, parents, and children through the process. In the past three years the foundation has distributed more than $2.7-million to 427 public skatepark projects across the United States. An additional $80,000 in ramp equipment was also donated through the foundation’s Ramp Partnership program.

To-date, 319 Tony Hawk Foundation grant recipients have opened their skateparks and are currently serving an estimated 2.9-million children annually. With the remaining grant recipients scheduled to open their parks in the next 12 months, an estimated 3.9-million young people annually will use facilities that received financial aid and development guidance from the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The Tony Hawk Foundation supports disadvantaged communities and at-risk children. We are the only national grant-giving organization focused solely on the development and financing of free, quality public skateparks. We know that skateparks provide a safe and inspiring avenue for skaters to practice and excel at their sport, and that the process of developing a local skatepark encourages and teaches young people about how to make positive changes within their own communities.

For Tony Hawk, skateboarding was a healthy outlet and a recreational challenge, and it provided a social group of creative, like-minded individuals. It was also a sport that helped him build confidence, taught him to persevere, and through his mentoring of younger skaters helped him develop leadership skills. The Tony Hawk Foundation works every day to be able to bring these same lessons to children across the country.