EVERY MONTH KIDS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FACE AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE

Baseball dreams or school?

Meet Julio, he is 16. He’s one of the best players in Barahona, but like 98% of Dominican kids chasing baseball dreams, he’ll never sign a pro contract.  Without your help, he’ll drop out of school this year.

Impact: Join The Dugout, our monthly giving community, to keep kids like Julio learning AND playing

What others are reporting and why The Straley Project matters

Independent coverage on Dominican baseball, education, and buscones.

Society for American Baseball Research • 5/1/2017
The Path to the Sugar Mill or the Path to Millions
MLB academies open doors out of poverty but raise questions about education trade-offs.
Read source ↗
Inter-American Dialogue • 3/25/2019
Walk-off or Trade-off? Baseball and education in the DR
Recruiting can pull teens from school and leave them vulnerable if they don’t sign.
Read source ↗
The Borgen Project • 7/5/2024
Poverty and Baseball in the Dominican Republic
Baseball powers culture and economy — but many youth lack educational pathways.
Read source ↗
Americas Quarterly • 4/1/2011
Baseball’s Recruitment Abuses
How the signing market can edge toward exploitation of children.
Read source ↗
Baseball-Reference Bullpen • 12/3/2015
Buscone
What buscones are, how they work, and why they take large shares of bonuses.
Read source ↗
MLB.com • 10/1/2015
Dominican Republic Educational Initiatives
MLB describes efforts to strengthen education and vocational training for prospects.
Read source ↗

Stories are from independent outlets. We link directly to the original reporting.

The Dugout – Monthly Giving for Dominican Youth Baseball & Education

Join The Dugout, The Straley Project’s monthly giving community for Dominican youth baseball and education. Your monthly gift keeps kids in school and on the field

Why Monthly Giving?

The Dugout is more than monthly giving—it’s a team. When you join, you’re not just sending money. You’re becoming part of a community that believes kids shouldn’t have to choose between education and their dreams.

Locally-led, community owned 

Our programs are Dominican-led by members of their own community. We deploy your donations to Barahona, where our local partners go to work providing tutoring, distributing school supplies, coaching baseball, or completing mentorship and life skills training.  

The Dugout is essential to this mission

The Dugout is essential to keeping kids in school.  We count on monthly gifts to fund the programs that attract kids to our fields and classrooms.  The Dugout enables us to support our local partners with confidence and make the best long-term investments in Dominican communties.  100% goes back to the Dominican Republic

60+ kids

currently enrolled and have a waiting list

365 days of practices and league games

Kids stay safe, busy, and motivated.

3 coaches and mentors

dedicated local mentors

100% Attendance

school attendance is required to participate

Consistency changes everything

Predictable Support

When you give monthly, coaches like Ulises can plan ahead. They know Julio will have school supplies and baseball supplies next month.

Deeper Connection

You’ll get updates, photos, and stories. You’ll watch kids grow, graduate, and give back.

Bigger Impact

$35 one time buys supplies. $35 monthly transforms a life over years.

The Impact of Monthly Giving in Barahona

BEFORE

Kids dropping out

Chasing impossible dreams, leaving school without support

AFTER

Kids staying in school

100% graduation rate, baseball AND education

RESULT

Lives Transformed

Graduates with options beyond baseball

Meet The Dugout community changing lives

From teachers in Colorado to coaches in Texas, families across America have joined The Dugout to support kids in Barahona. Each monthly donor becomes part of something bigger—a community that believes every child deserves both education and dreams. Here are some of the incredible people making this mission possible.

What a wonderful organization that is helping students to not only learn baseball skills but they are focusing also on their education as well. Fabulous program!
Monthly donor Debbie supporting Dominican Republic youth through The Dugout
Debbie Straley
Tuve la oportunidad de conocer El Proyecto de Straley y realmente están haciendo una gran labor en comunidades rurales de República Dominicana. Usando el béisbol como herramienta para motivar a los niños a seguir estudiando, dándoles entrenamiento gratuito y apoyo académico. No solo forman atletas, si no forman personas con grandes valores. Realmente vale la pena apoyar este proyecto.
Yocasta Aquino
The Straley Project is an amazing charity that strives to give impoverished Dominican children a shot at a brighter future with education and baseball alike, the work they put into this project is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. These people care for this cause and have my support 110%! I can’t wait to see what’s next as this project grows!
Lucas Straley

Every penny goes to the Dominican Republic

100% of your monthly gift goes directly to kids, coaches, and programs in the Dominican Republic.  All US operational costs are covered by grants and fundraising events.  No overhead is taken from monthly donations.

You’ll receive:

  • Monthly photo updates from the field
  • Direct messages from our Dominican staff
  • Quarterly impact reports with graduation stories
  • Annual celebration of every kid who graduates

501(c)(3) Nonprofit | EIN: 85-0947825

JULIO IS WAITING

Right now, Julio is doing homework at night by candlelight, dreaming of tomorrow’s practice.  Your monthly gift means he doesn’t have to choose between his education and his dreams.

Change a Life Monthly - Join Now