The Maria Sharapova Foundation

The Maria Sharapova Foundation is committed to helping children around the world achieve their dreams. In 2007, Maria became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donated $100,000 to Chernobyl-related projects. Recently, in partnership with the UNDP, Maria launched a $210,000 scholarship program for students from Chernobyl-affected areas of Belarus. The Maria Sharapova Foundation Scholarship for Youth from the Chernobyl-Affected Areas of Belarus will award five-year scholarships to 12 students at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts and the Belarusian State University. "It has always been my dream to contribute to the recovery of a region where I have a personal connection," said Maria, who has family roots in Gomel, Belarus. "Enabling talented young people to pursue higher education is part of a broader effort to build a brighter future for the region". Please join Maria in her cause by donating to the Maria Sharapova Foundation today.

UNDP AWARDS SHARAPOVA SCHOLARSHIPS IN BELARUS

November 17, 2009 - 12:12:00 PM

In a ceremony organized to mark International Students Day, the United Nations Development Programme today awarded five-year university scholarships to three students in Belarus. The scholarships are funded by tennis champion Maria Sharapova as part of a wider UNDP effort to help overcome the legacy of the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986. The students come from Chernobyl-affected areas of Belarus and will pursue degrees in fine arts, two at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts and one at the Belarusian State University. The scholarship program was launched in September 2008 as a joint initiative between the Maria Sharapova Foundation and UNDP, where Sharapova serves as a Goodwill Ambassador. A total of 12 fine arts scholarships will be awarded in the first four years of the $210,000 program.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS US ALL, EVERYWHERE

September 23, 2009 - 8:08:00 PM

I understand what it's like when problems with the environment force you from your home. My family left Belarus because of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

MARIA ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION FOR BELARUSIAN STUDENTS

July 29, 2009 - 7:37:00 PM

In a joint initiative with the United Nations Development Program, Maria Sharapova has launched a foundation to distribute scholarships among first-year students at Belarusian State University throughout the 2009-2010 academic year. The $3,500 scholarships will be open to Belarus residents attending BSU, who come from areas formally recognized as affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Sharapova's father and pregnant mother fled Homyel, a town 80 miles north of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, shortly after the accident in April 1986. She was born in a Siberian city months later.

CHERNOBYL VIDEO

April 25, 2009 - 11:49:00 PM

This weekend the world commemorates the 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. Life in the areas affected by the nuclear disaster is getting back to normal.

BID ON 2004 WIMBLEDON FINAL PROGRAM

Do you want a chance to own a 2004 Wimbledon Program which has been personally signed by Maria? Don't miss this great opportunity! All proceeds from the auction support Maria's Foundation.

Maria Visits the Children of Chernobyl Foundation of San Diego

The Children of Chernobyl Foundation of San Diego present Maria with a present

Maria talking with all of hte children from the Children of Chernobyl Foundation of San Diego

Maria visits the Children of Chernobyl Foundation of San Diego

Maria and Lebron James in a UNDP Ad

UNDP Associate Administrator Ad Melkert and Maria Sharapova shaking hands after a meeting with UNDP managers and staff prior to the press conference