Founded by Michael McLeggan and Cecil Herbert, the foundation was organized to provide recreational and educational support to young people. Through mentoring, tutoring, and a structured basketball program, we provide students with important foundational tools designed to enrich and inspire their minds. And once adequately trained and tested, we seek out competitive venues in which our students can showcase their talents and compete on a regional and national stage.

Nickelodeon Sports Foundation was founded to support all kids, but we will pay particular attention to those low-income inner-city children who grow up outside of many of the options available to the larger society. Children for whom attending college does not even exist in their dreams. Those for whom the most important concern is how to survive the day. We want to be both an oasis and a path for student-athletes. While some people think athletes are pampered, we see it as the opposite. A true student-athlete is faced with tremendous challenges unlike those of other students in their peer group. They are tasked with the responsibilities of training for their sport in the morning, before most other students awake for the day, and practicing after class, often to exhaustion. And are then required to complete the same level of coursework as their classmates. Unlike other programs, we intend to educate the families on exactly what it is to assume the responsibilities of a true student-athlete. For us, academics will guide our principles and fuel our efforts in all phases of a fun, engaging athletic program.

Our goal over the next 5 years, is to build a program that has a global impact on the young people that will build a better world.