Our History

The JP4 Foundation, founded in 2016 to honor the short and impactful life of Johnny Price IV, initially sought to improve the lives of youth through baseball, a game Johnny loved. In 2018, our mission took a significant turn based on the words of a 12-year-old boy who attended our first summer-long baseball camp when he shared his reason for attending camp: “They said you would feed me.” On that day, the foundation changed course.

We began connecting with our community – parents, caregivers, teachers, park and recreation directors, and kids. We surveyed, researched, and held focus groups to understand community needs. We developed a user experience perspective and used journey maps to understand gaps in our program offerings.

Since that 2018 summer baseball camp for nine students at Battle Creek Middle School in St. Paul, the JP4 Foundation has transformed into providing mentor-led programming for hundreds of children in the Twin Cities each year. With summer-long camps and our after-school program, offer year-round programming for children ages 5-13, providing children with a safe and supportive environment and promoting lifelong healthy habits.