Tiger Woods
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Golfer
FUNDING AREAS: STEM Education
OVERVIEW: When he was just 20-years old, Tiger Woods launched the TGR Foundation with his late father, Earl, in 1996. The foundation has since grown to include the Earl Woods Scholar Program and the TGR Learning Lab. The foundation is laser-focused on expanding STEM educational opportunities for youth.
BACKGROUND: Born in Cypress, California in 1975, Tiger Woods majored in economics at Stanford University, though he left before graduating. He won the U.S. Masters at Augusta in 1997 at just 21, making him the youngest man and the first African American to earn the title. Woods won another 13 majors. With his victory at the 2019 Masters, Woods claimed his first major title in more than a decade.
ISSUES:
TGR FOUNDATION: The TGR Foundation seeks to deliver unique experiences and innovative educational opportunities for youth worldwide. The foundation runs the Earl Woods Scholar Program, “supporting high-potential students with demonstrated need and a commitment to community service.” Each Earl Woods Scholar also receives mentoring support, specialized internship opportunities, career development and enrichment workshops.
TGR Learning Labs, meanwhile, offers students unique learning experiences in STEM and enrichment programs in college access.While the Learning Lab in Anaheim is the flagship, there are other satellite hubs in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Virginia, and Florida, serving more more than 175,000 students since opening its doors in 2006. Tiger himself has a passion for math, physics, and chemistry, and once explained that “I’ve always been a science nerd…Golf is an extension of me, but there is another part of me: the science part.”
The foundation also partnered with Discovery Education to develop TGR EDU: Explore, an online platform provides students and educators free access to its award-winning STEM curricula, college-access programs and career development. Another program, TGR EDU: Create, focuses on providing professional development and resources for educators involved with the vital subject of STEM education and college access.
TGR Foundation has also directed grants to places like Chris Paul Family Foundation, Envision Excellence in STEM Education, J Paul Getty Trust, Pepperdine University, The First Tee, and World Golf Foundation.
LOOKING FORWARD: Tiger is likely to remain very much engaged in business once he fully recovers from his accident in early 2021. His foundation has been one of the larger charitable foundations launched by an athlete in the past few decades. The foundation’s partnership with the Discovery media platform might be one of several moves that helps the foundation move deeper into a leadership role within the STEM education space.
CONTACT:
121 Innovation Drive, Suite 150
Irvine, CA 92617
help@tgrfoundation.org
