Gloves for All

Founded in 2005, Pitch In For Baseball & Softball (PIFBS) believes in the power of sport to contribute to positive youth development and build community. PIFBS exists to remove equipment as a barrier to participation for underprivileged children around the world. PIFBS serves as an intermediary and connector between fans of the game, industry leaders, and the broader community to the kids who need the support the most. Over the past 20 years, PIFBS has donated $35 million in equipment to help more than 2.2 million children play ball in every state in the U.S. and 119 countries globally.

PIFBS has averages 1,000 projects each year, removing equipment as a barrier to play for nearly 150,000 kids play ball annually through the following programs:

• Domestic and International Equipment Grants – These grants are a blend of new and used equipment and designed to help leagues, teams, and community organizations around the globe receive the proper equipment to play baseball and softball. 
• School-Based Program – Launched in 2008, our School-Based Program helps schools/districts stretch limited budgets, reduce participation fees, and shift funds to other areas, such as transportation. PIFBS delivers formal School-Based Programs in Philadelphia, Northern Kentucky, and Minneapolis/St. Paul as well as dozens of individual schools both domestically and abroad.
• Disaster Relief Program – In times of tragedy, baseball and softball can help restore a sense of normalcy for children amidst the chaos. PIFBS has helped rebuild entire leagues so that thousands of kids can start their seasons on time. PIFBS has assisted with relief efforts on the New York/New Jersey shoreline following Hurricane Sandy; Joplin, MO; the Gulf Coast region; Japan; Houston; Puerto Rico; and more.
• Targeted Programs – PIFBS receives works with partners and industry leaders to support children in need in communities of interest. PIFBS manages all components including identifying groups in need of equipment when appropriate, program development, and measuring impact based on partners’ charitable interests. Some current partners include Major League Baseball, Little League, the MLB/MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, and Wilson Sporting Goods.

Each equipment recipient completes a report detailing the impact of the donation on the program and participants.

Equipment is more expensive than ever; following the pandemic, leagues migrated to requiring players to come equipped with individual gear (glove, bat, helmet, backpack, fielders masks for softball, etc.) which is on average of $250 per person. Compacted with rising registration costs, the game is more expensive than ever to access. The 2024 participation reports published by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) demonstrate that less than 30% of baseball/softball participants are from diverse communities and about 25% are families who live below the federal poverty line. These two data points are indicators that cost of the game is challenging for families to access, making it even more imperative for PIFBS to leverage the resources available to best support these groups.

With the support of donors like you, PIFBS was able to achieve the following:

• More than 140,000 children served
• About 1,000 groups supported (45 States, 20 Countries, 9,263 Teams)
• Over $3.7 million in equipment donated
• Over 144,000 pieces of equipment distributed (18,452 Gloves, 86,174 Baseballs and Softballs, 6,307 Bats)

Thank you for believing in our mission and caring about helping to reduce barriers to play so that all kids can play this game we love!