The Illumination Fund marked a major week for its Play to Thrive initiative with new investments to support organizations using sports to promote youth development and mental health, alongside a wide-ranging conversation on the future of play featuring our President, Laurie M. Tisch.The Fund announced new grants to South Bronx United and City Parks Foundation, expanding Play to Thrive’s reach to thousands of additional young people through soccer and multi-sport programming focused on girls’ engagement, coach development, and youth leadership.Founded in 2009, South Bronx United uses soccer as a tool for social change in one of the nation’s highest-poverty communities, serving nearly 2,000 young people annually through programs that combine competitive soccer with academic support, college preparation, immigration legal services, and social-emotional learning.

Commissioned by the Illumination Fund, the report outlines a path to a more equitable youth soccer system ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. In April 2026, the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative released the State of Soccer New York City/North Jersey report, a first-of-its-kind look at the region’s youth soccer ecosystem. Commissioned by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund as part of its Play to Thrive initiative, the report examines barriers to participation and opportunities to expand access ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup Final in New Jersey on July 19.Children turn to soccer for connection, joy and belonging — yet costs, infrastructure shortages and systemic inequities often restrict access to young people who can benefit the most from play.

 In 2025, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund launched Play to Thrive, a $10 million, multi-year initiative that supports organizations using sports to improve youth mental health outcomes, expand access for underserved communities, and promote equity across New York City and Northern New Jersey. Access to sports in New York and New Jersey is deeply inequitable — too often, a young person’s zip code, gender, or income determines whether they get to play at all.

Play to Thrive is a $10 million initiative from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund that uses sports to improve youth mental health, expand access, and promote equity across New York City and Northern New Jersey. Research shows that sports and physical activity are powerful antidotes to the mental health crisis facing young people today, yet access to sports has become increasingly unequal.

The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (Illumination Fund) seeks a highly organized Program Assistant to support its grantmaking and initiatives.

YouTube video by Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund

View the Exhibition: The Fabric of Healing: Story Cloths by Survivors of Trauma, War and Gender-Based Violence. Created by Common Threads Project

Leaders from the NYC-based funder walk us through its new report on how arts grantmaking can improve health outcomes.

Engaging with arts improves quality of life, increases productivity and creates financial ‘dividend’

Leaders from the NYC-based funder walk us through its new report on how arts grantmaking can improve health outcomes.

NYC Health + Hospitals today unveiled a new mural as part of the Community Mural Project run by the health system’s Arts in Medicine department. The

Illumination Fund Releases Report on its Arts in Health initiative: The Role of the Arts in Healthcare: Transforming Lives, Creating Community