PHOENIX — March 9 is a foundational day on the calendar for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as on this day in 1995, Major League Baseball awarded an expansion franchise to Phoenix.
Thirty-one years later, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs proclaimed March 9 will be “D-backs Give Back Day” annually to honor the baseball franchise for hitting $100 million in charitable giving.
D-backs Hall of Famer Luis Gonzalez delivered the announcement on Hobbs’ behalf at an event with 100 non-profit partners and donors at Chase Field to commemorate the milestone.
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“We don’t always control the results on the field … but we do control what we do when it comes to giving back to our fans and making them proud of that impact we make,” D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall said.
“We give back more each year than all of the other local sports teams combined. We’re very proud of that. We don’t do it so we can brag. … We understand that we’re a community asset, and we understand our social responsibility as a franchise.”
The Diamondbacks raised over $13.2 million last year, a team record, with $7.2 million having been distributed to this point, the team said. The D-backs raise money through events such as the Evening on the Diamond and D-backs Race Against Cancer, along with the 50/50 raffle at each home game.
A significant portion of the money went toward healthcare, youth sports, education and veteran services, with specifics from 2025 including:
$100,000 for Phoenix Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
$200,000 for Ivy Brain Tumor Center
$150,000 to Arizona schools
Full‑tuition scholarships for first‑generation students
3,000 backpacks distributed statewide
Free Nike RBI Baseball and Softball programs
Girls Play Ball clinics
$250,000 for supporting transitional housing for veterans
The D-backs were named a finalist for MLB’s Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence for hosting the largest Native American youth baseball and softball tournament.
Youth sports has been a focal point of the foundation. The Diamondbacks claim to have the largest youth jersey program in professional sports across 120 leagues in Arizona and have renovated or built 46 fields in the state. Hall told Arizona Sports that uniforms and caps were greatly needed in little leagues to alleviate costs for families.
Among keynote speakers at Chase Field were Marcia Mintz, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley, with whom the Diamondbacks built a branch in Phoenix.
“We are so proud and deeply grateful to call the D-backs our most enduring and trusted partner,” Mintz said. “Our club members remember every single time a player looked at them and shook their hand. But just as important, the magic of baseball. You’ve always made sure club kids, families and even our staff can attend games. They can play baseball and they can feel the electricity as they’ve had the privilege to run on this field.”
Marc Ashton, the former Foundation for Blind Children CEO, said a $1 million donation from the Diamondbacks allowed his foundation to provide talking computers to every blind child in Arizona.
Hall said that the foundation is operating on a pace where it will reach the next $100 million in giving much faster.
Major league franchises have the means to make significant community impacts with their large platforms and high-profile athletes to rally people to causes.
“We all work together,” Hall told Arizona Sports regarding Arizona’s other pro sports teams. “They’ll call us and ask us how we do certain things. I think all boats rise, so as long as we continue to do what we do and hopefully the other teams do the same, because everybody cares. All our teams care about the community, we all understand the social responsibility.”
The event ended with Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick reciting the phrase, “It’s a great day to be a D-back.”
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