The Noah’s Arc Foundation

Founded in 2010 by Joakim Noah and his mother, Cecilia Rodhe, the Noah’s Arc Foundation provides diverse opportunities for youth from under-invested communities to inspire awareness in their ability to make a positive impact on themselves and their community through its programming. 

Noah’s Arc Foundation serves young people and families from under-resourced communities who are navigating the impacts of community violence, trauma, and limited access to safe, supportive spaces. The youth we work with—primarily young people ages 6–24—often come from neighborhoods where exposure to violence, loss, and instability is a daily reality. Many participants are survivors of trauma themselves or are closely connected to families who have lost loved ones to violence.

Through trauma-informed sports and expressive arts programming, the foundation creates spaces where young people can build confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging. Participants engage in basketball leagues and clinics, art-based healing programs, restorative peace circles, and peer-to-peer support groups designed to support both physical well-being and emotional healing. Families affected by violence—particularly mothers who have lost children—are integral to this work, serving as peer leaders and co-facilitators who help foster trust, understanding, and shared healing.

By bringing together youth who might otherwise be divided by neighborhood, circumstance, or trauma, Noah’s Arc Foundation helps participants develop teamwork, empathy, and leadership skills while transforming personal pain into purpose. Rooted in Chicago and deeply connected to local community violence intervention efforts, the foundation is committed to reaching young people most impacted by systemic inequities and expanding access to healing-centered opportunities in communities where they are needed most.