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Hibbett and Nike Back Woodlawn High School Basketball With $50,000 Grant
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Business/The Apex Times/Oct 15, 9:53 AM EDT

Hibbett and Nike Back Woodlawn High School Basketball With $50,000 Grant

The Birmingham retail chain and the athletic brand are funding Woodlawn High School’s boys and girls basketball programs through their First String initiative, according to a Tuesday announcement.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Birmingham, Alabama-based sporting goods retailer Hibbett and Nike are providing a combined $50,000 investment in Woodlawn High School’s boys and girls basketball programs, the companies said on Oct. 15.

The funding is being delivered through First String, a philanthropic program designed to support youth sports, according to the announcement carried by Yahoo Finance.

The announcement positions the gift as a direct boost to two of the school’s athletics teams, rather than as event sponsorship or equipment-only support. It frames the money as backing participation and development for students involved in basketball at the high school level.

While the companies did not spell out in the post how the $50,000 would be allocated between the boys’ and girls’ programs or what categories of expenses the grant would cover, the wording indicated it is tied specifically to the basketball teams.

Nike, whose athletic apparel and footwear are central to basketball culture, and Hibbett, which focuses on sporting goods and athletic brands, have increasingly tied marketing to community initiatives in the markets where they operate. In that context, a school-level grant is aimed at strengthening grassroots participation rather than targeting professional leagues.

First String, as described in the announcement, is the vehicle through which the grant is delivered, but the details of the program’s broader criteria, application process, or number of prior grantees were not included in the Yahoo Finance posting.

The companies also did not disclose any performance targets tied to the grant, such as measurable outcomes for team results, academic metrics, or retention for student-athletes. They likewise did not provide a timeline for when funds will be disbursed or when program reporting, if any, will occur.

For communities and local sports boosters, the immediate question now is how the $50,000 will translate on the ground for Woodlawn’s teams, and whether the initiative will be expanded to other schools in the Birmingham area or across Hibbett’s broader footprint.

Why It Matters

  • Local youth sports grants can materially affect school programs that rely on boosters and discretionary funding, especially for equipment, training, and transportation.
  • For consumer-facing brands like Nike, community sponsorships reinforce brand presence beyond retail, aligning marketing with grassroots participation.
  • For Hibbett, grants that spotlight basketball can resonate with a core category in which the company competes for both product sales and in-store brand attention.
  • The absence of disclosed allocation and outcome details means investors and observers will likely look for follow-up announcements or transparency from the First String program.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Hibbett and Nike awarded $50,000 to Woodlawn High School’s boys and girls basketball programs in Birmingham, Alabama.
  • The grant is being provided through First String, a philanthropic program associated with the companies.
  • The announcement was published on Oct. 15, 2026, in a Yahoo Finance business post.
  • The available posting did not specify how the money is divided between the boys’ and girls’ teams.
  • The posting did not describe detailed spend categories, disbursement timing, or reporting requirements tied to the grant.

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Hibbett and Nike Back Woodlawn High School Basketball With $50,000 Grant | The Apex Times