Our Mission
Ballers & Scholars Foundation expands access to sports, education, mentorship, and career exploration for young people in Arizona's rural and mining communities.
We work alongside schools, community organizations, industry partners, colleges, universities, and local leaders to connect children and families with resources and opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
Our goal is not to duplicate programs that already exist. Our goal is to help strengthen them.
Our Approach
Strong communities already have coaches, teachers, schools, leagues, volunteers, and employers doing important work. Instead of building large standalone programs, we work through partnerships to identify needs, provide targeted support, and help existing organizations reach more kids.
Access
Removing financial and resource barriers that keep kids from participating.
Exposure
Introducing students to experiences, industries, education, and career pathways they may not otherwise encounter.
Opportunity
Connecting students and families with organizations, scholarships, mentors, and pathways that help them move forward.
Our Story
Ballers & Scholars Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been operating since 2023. It was founded to help kids through athletics, education, and mentorship. It began with youth baseball instruction and community programming, and that experience revealed a broader need.
For many families, the challenge was not finding another clinic. It was access: to equipment, participation fees, educational opportunities, mentors, and exposure to possibilities beyond their immediate surroundings. Today the Foundation is built around two focused initiatives, Copper & Cleats and MINE STEM.
Every kid deserves the chance to discover what they are capable of becoming.
Jody Martinez
Founder & President
Senior Mining Safety and Emergency Response Professional
Ballers & Scholars brings his experience together around one purpose: helping kids gain access to opportunities that can shape the direction of their lives.
The Foundation is built on accountability, education, mentorship, service, opportunity, and community.