How much impact can you have with a $5,000 donation? If you’re tennis legend Billie Jean King, quite a lot.
That’s how much King gifted in seed money to launch the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) in 1974—an organization that has since channeled over $100 million into creating opportunities for women in sports through research and grants to individual athletes and nonprofits. That initial gift reflected King’s trademark fusion of activism and savvy institution-building, honed during a pivotal year in 1973 when she co-founded the Women’s Tennis Association, successfully lobbied the U.S. Open to become the first major tournament to offer equal prize money, and beat Bobby Riggs in the historic “Battle of the Sexes” match.
In the ensuing five decades, she’s remained dedicated to advocacy for equality in sports and to philanthropy that supports the power of sports to transform lives and foster social change. Her Billie Jean King Foundation provides grants to the WSF, where she is honorary chair, as well as awards for young sports leaders.
Celebrating WSF’s 50th anniversary last October, King said, “We must all remain committed to protecting the progress made, while working toward a future where the playing field is truly level.”