A BOLD INITIATIVE TO REDUCE BARRIERS.
About Skate it forward
Hockey can be intimidating, even here in Minnesota. It’s cold, the ice is slippery, and you’re trying to dangle through opponents as you balance on two pieces of steel. And we didn’t even mention tying your own skates, or the smell!
The core objective of Skate It Forward is to grow community hockey participation in Minnesota by making it easier for first-time players to get on the ice. Skate It Forward will support the many community hockey leaders throughout the state who generously volunteer their time to introduce the sport to kids, aiming to expand participation and strengthen community hockey in Minnesota. Ultimately, the goal is to one day make the first year of ice time free for every young hockey player in Minnesota. Admittedly, it’s ambitious, and it’s not going to be easy. But community hockey in Minnesota is worth it!
Like all young hockey players, Skate It Forward will begin with a few short strides as we lay the foundation for this new initiative:
- The Minnesota Wild Foundation will select 6 – 10 non-profit community hockey associations in Minnesota to serve as Skate It Forward associations for the 2025-26 hockey season.
- Each participating Skate It Forward association will receive a $250 recruiting grant for every first-year player under age 8 that registers for the 2025-26 hockey season. For example, if an association registers 25 first-time skaters for the 2025-26 season, the association will receive a $6,250 grant from the Minnesota Wild Foundation.
- Associations must agree to not charge registration fees to players that receive Skate It Forward grants.
- Associations must present a plan to the Minnesota Wild Foundation detailing how they will increase the number of young people playing hockey in their respective communities next season. The purpose of the Skate It Forward grants is to further incentivize the wonderful people already working to grow hockey in their communities to do just a bit more to get even more kids in their community to start playing hockey.
- Associations must present a plan for how they will assist the Minnesota Wild Foundation to raise philanthropic funds in their community. Skate It Forward is both a grant giving and fundraising initiative. Proceeds benefit efforts to preserve and strengthen community hockey throughout Minnesota.
For more details or to receive application materials, please email skateitforward@wild.com or call 651-312-3465.
About the minnesota wild foundation
The Minnesota Wild Foundation exists to support the game of hockey and improve the lives of families in the State of Hockey. With support from Wild players, fans and donors, the Minnesota Wild Foundation supports pediatric medical causes, serves as the largest non-member funding source for Minnesota Hockey, and provides fundraising opportunities for youth hockey associations and children’s health and wellness charities across the state. Since its inception in 2009, the Wild Foundation has distributed $5.9 million in grants to hockey organizations and children’s medical related charities and has helped local charities raise over $7.5 million through its Split the Pot Raffle program. Together we create a Greater State of Hockey.
