Our Story

Why we started Hoops Foundation

How a girls' basketball program in the Mission became the start of a foundation for every Bay Area girl who wants to stay on the court.

In 2025, San Francisco faced a crisis when the SF Parks Alliance collapsed, cutting off funding for girls' programs, such as the MRC Rebels at the Mission Recreation Center. Families that depended on this support suddenly struggled financially to send their girls to tournaments and keep their daughters involved in AAU sports.

In response, Carine and Adele founded the Hoops Foundation in 2026 to provide financial assistance with club sports fees and travel expenses, ensuring that all girls can participate in AAU sports and pursue collegiate opportunities, regardless of their financial situation.

The problem

Club sports have become a luxury

Club sports in the Bay Area and beyond have now become a luxury. A single season of competitive youth basketball costs a family in San Francisco roughly $2,500 to play — and that's before you factor in tournament entry fees, cross-state travel, hotel stays, and uniforms. For working families in San Francisco, especially those in neighborhoods like the Mission, that price tag isn't a stretch — it's a wall.

~$2,500

One season, before travel, hotels & uniforms

The girls who get cut off aren't the ones who lack talent or drive. They're the ones whose families have to choose between a tournament in Sacramento and rent.

In 2025, that wall got higher. When the SF Parks Alliance collapsed, it froze the charitable funds that had long served as the travel-funding lifeline for the MRC Rebels — the competitive girls' basketball program based out of the Mission Recreation Center. Overnight, a pipeline that had helped dozens of girls stay on the court disappeared.

Our mission

Hoops Foundation provides direct financial assistance for club sports fees, tournament costs, and travel so that every girl can travel with her team, compete at her level, and belong fully to her sport — regardless of what her family can afford.

No girl should have to watch her teammates board a bus without her. No coach should have to make the call about who gets left behind. And no family should have to feel shame asking for help to keep their daughter in the game.

Scope: Assist MRC Rebels and other Bay Area teams and branch out to all AAU club teams in California and beyond.

Board of Directors

Who's behind Hoops Foundation

Adele Frias

Co-Founder

Adele Frias has been an integral part of AAU basketball for over a decade, and her journey has been nothing short of inspiring. Her passion for AAU club sports was ignited by witnessing the profound benefits it brought to her eldest child, including improved skills, emotional growth, and invaluable college exposure. This experience fueled her dedication to supporting the athletic and personal development of all her children through AAU sports.

In 2001, Adele founded ANI Healthcare Solutions and led it until its successful sale to EnableComp in 2024, all while managing the hectic schedule of traveling with her kids to tournaments. With a heart for change, she co-founded the Hoops Foundation in 2026, recognizing the financial challenges that girls' programs face in San Francisco's recreational landscape. This visionary initiative is committed to ensuring that every girl can not only participate in athletics but also has the resources to thrive at the collegiate level, regardless of their financial situation. Adele's unwavering commitment is paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future for all girls who choose to play AAU sports!