by Tom Cade, Editor
The Names Family Foundation, one of the quintessential benefactors of youth sports in the Puget Sound region, is lending its support to the Washington Golf Foundation by granting funds to be used directly for the WA Golf Youth on Course program, which provides access to affordable rounds of golf to youth aged 6-18.
The Youth on Course program is made possible through subsidies from WA Golf and donations to the WA Golf Foundation.
The Names Family Foundation is a founding partner with the Aspen Institute’s Project Play Communities Council in championing the federal “63 X 30” initiative, the goal of which is to help 63 percent of the nation’s youth become more physically active by the year 2030. Members of this council commit to taking action that can get and keep more young people playing sports, recognizing that it is at the local level that public policy is shaped, and true and sustainable change happens.
“The WA Golf Youth on Course program fits in with how the Names Family Foundation wants to get kids more involved with organized sports,” says Patricia Shults, the executive director of the Foundation. “Not only do they target the demographic we’re all trying to reach, but their mission of providing access and opportunity to youth, to allow them to become more active, particularly in a sport they can play their entire lives, is something that really aligns with our own mission.”
The Names family name has been synonymous with Tacoma sports since the 1920s. To date, there have been more than two dozen family members deeply involved in the South Puget Sound athletic community, all with their own significant athletic achievements, a lineage that continues through the Names Family Foundation, whose impact on the local sports community has benefited countless lives.
Scott and Sis Names were married in 1933, and in 1957 they founded Scott’s Athletic Equipment store in Lakewood, Washington. In 1996, the couple started the Names Family Foundation, which combined their passions for philanthropy and athletics, with the focus being to support non-profit organizations that emphasize wellness, sports and physical fitness.
Over the years, the Names Family Foundation has invested over $50 million in local facilities and grassroots programs that have supported physical activity. They have made possible the building of numerous athletic facilities throughout the Puget Sound region, at Bellarmine Prep, the University of Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, the YMCA, and the Boys & Girls Clubs, among many others.
The Foundation receives nearly 300 requests for grants each year, and because of the amount of interest in the Foundation, Shults says they move forward deliberately and with a great amount of focus on their overall mission.
“It enables the Board to be selective in the initiatives we support,” Shults says. “We’re a very relationship-oriented Foundation, very community based. In particular, the Board wants our support to impact the local community, with tangible results.”
The Foundation has several longstanding partnerships with community partners, as well as with smaller non-profits.
“We are a responsive grant maker with an open Letter of Inquiry process,” Shults says. “In other words, if you have a project or program that fits the mission of the Foundation’s work, you are welcome to submit information for consideration.”
Matt Brown, the Washington Golf Foundation director of development and donor engagement, says he was modest when first approaching the Names Family Foundation. “We didn’t want to overdo it in our asks for support (or a grant), trying to do it in a respectful and realistic manner. In July, the Names Family Foundation had graciously approved a request for $5,000 to our Foundation, and we were thrilled with that.”
A few months later, in late October, Brown received an email from Shults.
“She said she had great news,” he said. “Their Board had approved an additional $25,000 to our Foundation, to be used specifically for the WA Golf Youth on Course program.”
Established in November 2022, the WA Golf Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is leading the way in the efforts to fostering and advancing the growth of golf in Washington by supporting initiatives and programs that enrich and unite the golf community.
One of these programs is WA Golf Youth on Course which provides youths with access to play for only $5 per round at over 75 participating courses in Washington and Northern Idaho and an opportunity to develop a lifelong love for the game of golf.
Sports and athletics are still the main focus of the Foundation. “The Names family has personally experienced the benefits of a life of involvement in sports and physical activity,” Shults said. “They all stay active, they’re all still athletic.”
The Foundation’s board of directors is now in its third generation of leadership. “The Board is very committed to sharing the story of the founding of the organization, what it’s purpose is, and mentoring the next generation of leaders,” Shults says. “The Foundation has done a beautiful job of carrying forward our mission. I think Scott and Sis would be very pleased to know they are supporting the next generation of golfers, and being part of creating healthy futures.”
Brown says the Youth on Course program is the best initiative that’s come along in the golf industry in a long time. “Growing the game by making it accessible to young and beginning golfers is the best possible way to ensure its future, to provide opportunities to junior players, and to help families play together. This resonates with everyone.”
And it resonated with the Names Family Foundation.
