Blank Foundation, PGA Tour Superstore give $10M grant to First Tee

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is giving a $10 million grant to First Tee, a program that combines golf instruction with life skills curriculum to help youth build character.

The grant will extend programming established by a $9.5 million grant in 2020, allowing First Tee to reach more youth and strengthen their teen curriculum by offering “access to safe spaces, educational opportunities and positive role models during a traditionally challenging time in adolescence,” according to a news release announcing the grant.

The Blank Family of Businesses brought 48 First Tee teens to Atlanta this week for visits to PGA Tour Superstore headquarters, the Atlanta United training ground, the Atlanta Falcons practice facility and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. On Friday afternoon, the grant will be officially celebrated with a check presentation event.

“We are grateful to Arthur Blank, who has been a longtime, committed supporter of First Tee,” Greg McLaughlin, CEO of First Tee, said in the release. “This transformative investment will allow us to introduce more youth to golf, keep them engaged with First Tee and teach them essential life skills like leadership and teamwork.”

Through the grant, the PGA Tour Superstore will add to the 50 First Tee chapters it has supported by giving grants to chapters in store markets.

The grant will also go toward a leadership series for teens, run by PGA Tour Superstore managers, and a leadership summit for First Tee teens at Arthur Blank’s West Creek Ranch in Emigrant, Montana, each summer.

At the leadership summit, teens take part in whitewater rafting, ropes courses and horseback riding to learn about the power of building relationships.

Since 1999, the Blank Foundation has contributed more than $25 million to First Tee in support of youth development through golf. This latest grant will continue to help ensure that youth of all backgrounds have access to the sport, according to the release. Last year, it was offered at 44 locations and is expected to expand to 70 by 2029.

Arthur Blank has been a trustee at First Tee since 2011.

According to the National Golf Foundation, 3.7 million juniors — which includes those ages 6 to 17 — teed off last year.

“Junior golf is the fastest-growing segment of the sport, and that’s no coincidence,” Blank said in the news release. He said First Tee makes the game “more accessible and enjoyable for young people,” and helps kids build self-confidence and inner strength.