The Luol Deng Foundation

What The Luol Deng Foundation does

The Luol Deng Foundation is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng, operating across South Sudan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is registered as a UK charity (No. 1145149), a South Sudanese organization (Reg. No. 628), and a US 501(c)3 via fiscal agent MATTER (EIN 37-1441658). The foundation runs an interconnected portfolio of basketball-anchored programs including Deng Camp (skill development camps in the UK and USA), Deng Academy (year-round co-curricular programming in Juba and London serving 1,000+ youth), Her Time (bi-annual girls' tournament for ages 14-20), sole support of South Sudan's Men's and Women's National Basketball Teams, Surgical Missions (rural obstetric/gynecological/fistula care), Wheels of Hope (800+ assistive devices distributed), Educational Initiatives (including Baac School), Emergency Relief, and the South Sudan Unite diaspora initiative. The foundation also operates the Manute Bol Court at the University of Juba and supports the South Sudan Basketball Federation's build-out of 7 courts across 7 states.

The foundation generates revenue through donations and charitable contributions from individuals, corporate sponsors (Chicago Bulls, Duke University Basketball, U.S. Embassy), and institutional partners (USAID South Sudan, Living With Hope, Health Initiative In South Sudan, MATTER). The founder's celebrity status as a two-time NBA All-Star, 2012 Olympian, and OBE recipient (2021) is the central brand asset driving donor engagement, partner recruitment, and beneficiary participation. Luol Deng's dual role as Foundation Founder and President of the South Sudan Basketball Federation (elected 2019) gives the foundation governance authority over the national basketball ecosystem, which culminated in South Sudan's first Olympic basketball qualification for Paris 2024. The foundation operates with a small staff of 16 across three jurisdictions and uses community-led, sport-as-pathway programming rather than technology-mediated service delivery.

Name

The Luol Deng Foundation

Legal name

The Luol Deng Foundation

Website

https://luoldeng.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Luol Deng Foundation is an international nonprofit founded in 2005 by NBA star Luol Deng that uses basketball to deliver youth development, education, healthcare, and equality programs across South Sudan, the UK, and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Youth Development and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Basketball philanthropy
• Sports education initiatives
• Humanitarian aid services
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a registered charity in multiple jurisdictions (UK Charity No. 1145149, South Sudan Reg. No. 628, and USA fiscal agent MATTER with EIN No. 37-1441658). Revenue is generated through donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and institutional partners such as USAID.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Luol Deng Foundation is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by NBA player Luol Deng that delivers basketball-based youth development, educational support, healthcare, and humanitarian programs in South Sudan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The foundation runs camps, academies, women's empowerment programs, surgical missions, and emergency relief efforts, using sport as a vehicle to create opportunities for underserved youth and communities.

Product overview

The Luol Deng Foundation is an international nonprofit organization that creates pathways to opportunity through sport and development. The foundation operates a portfolio of interconnected programs anchored by basketball: Deng Camp provides basketball skill development camps in the UK and USA; Deng Academy offers year-round co-curricular basketball programming in South Sudan and London with education support; Her Time delivers exclusive opportunities for girls and women ages 14-20; National Team Support funds South Sudan's Men's and Women's National Basketball Teams; and Emergency Relief addresses urgent humanitarian needs. The foundation also runs Surgical Missions, Wheels of Hope (assistive devices), Educational Initiatives (Baac School), and maintains the Manute Bol Court facility. The organization is led by founder Luol Deng and maintains global presence in South Sudan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deng Academy: A year-round co-curricular basketball program in Juba, South Sudan and London, England that provides opportunities for young people to participate in basketball camps, national leagues, and other competitions, along with school tuition fees, mentoring services, life skills workshops, and peace-building activities
• Deng Camp
• Her Time
• Wheels of Hope
• Surgical Missions
• National Team Support
• South Sudan Unite

Products and services

• Deng Camp A basketball-focused youth camp delivered by The Luol Deng Foundation, providing skills training, mentorship, and personal development for young players across the foundation's operating geographies.
• Deng Academy An educational and developmental academy combining academic support with basketball training for youth served by the foundation.
• Her Time An empowerment and equality program dedicated to girls and women, delivered through the foundation's sport, education, and wellness platform.
• National Team Support A program supporting the South Sudan national basketball team, providing resources, training infrastructure, and pathway development for elite athletes.
• Surgical Missions A medical mission program delivering surgical care to individuals in underserved communities served by the foundation.
• Wheels of Hope A mobility assistance program providing wheelchairs and related support to individuals with disabilities in the foundation's operating geographies.
• Emergency Relief A humanitarian relief program delivering emergency aid to communities affected by crises, particularly in South Sudan.
• Educational Initiatives A portfolio of educational programs supporting learning, scholarships, and academic enrichment for youth in the foundation's beneficiary communities.
• South Sudan Unite A community-building initiative fostering unity and collective development among South Sudanese communities through sport, education, and outreach.
• Manute Bol Court A named basketball court facility developed by the foundation to provide durable sports infrastructure and a hub for youth basketball activity.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USAID South SudancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022In collaboration with USAID South Sudan, LDF launched the South Sudan Youth Camp Activity using basketball to strengthen social cohesion, develop life skills, and increase resilience among youth ages 13-29 from diverse communities. Programs include conflict prevention, mediation, and healthy habits education.
• Chicago BullscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chicago Bulls partner with LDF, with Luol Deng being a team legend. The partnership includes community events, fireside chats, and support for youth basketball development programs.
• Duke University BasketballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuol Deng attended Duke University where he played for their renowned basketball program. The university continues to support LDF's mission and basketball development initiatives.
• U.S. EmbassyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Embassy partnership supporting LDF programs and initiatives, particularly those related to South Sudan.
• MATTER ProcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLDF is a MATTER Pro partner. MATTER serves as the 501(c)3 nonprofit fiscal agent for all US donations (EIN No. 37-1441658). MATTER helps LDF expand its reach and operations.
• Living With Hope (U.S.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiving With Hope provided generous donations that enabled Wheels of Hope to distribute wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and crutches to over 800 people living with disabilities.
• Protection for Disability Rights (local)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in South Sudan collaborating on Wheels of Hope program for people living with disabilities.
• Ustratuna (local)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in South Sudan collaborating on Wheels of Hope program for assistive device distribution.
• Health Initiative In South SudancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA German nonprofit organization that conducts surgical missions to deliver access to critical care in rural South Sudan. Services include obstetrics, visceral, gynecological, and fistula surgeries.
• Wau Teaching HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLDF adopted Wau Teaching Hospital in Wau, South Sudan in 2022, planning to expand scope to include teaching and training of local medical personnel.
• South Sudan Basketball FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuol Deng serves as president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation. The federation has built 7 basketball courts in 7 states, started a women's league, and developed national teams that qualified for the 2024 Olympics.
• Coombe Wood SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Coombe Wood School in South London (Croydon) where Deng Academy UK operates.
• Evelyn Grace AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLDF first partnered with Evelyn Grace Academy to fund a co-curricular basketball program in London with emphasis on skills and personal development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coaches Across Continents: Nonprofit partnering with local organizations to deliver sport-for-social-impact programs in underserved communities across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Comparable to LDF's model of using sport as a development vehicle with community-led implementation.
• Right To Play: Global nonprofit that uses sport and play to educate and empower children and youth in disadvantaged communities. Directly comparable to LDF's sport-for-development model, though operating at significantly larger scale across more countries.
• War Child: International nonprofit focused on protecting children affected by war, with active programming in South Sudan. Comparable to LDF's humanitarian work in South Sudan and the founder's refugee journey, though broader in scope beyond sport.
• PeacePlayers International: Uses basketball to bring together children from divided communities, with programming focused on conflict resolution and social cohesion. Closely comparable to LDF's basketball-led peace-building work in South Sudan and its USAID-funded social cohesion youth camps.

Emerging players

• Generation Citizen: Nonprofit focused on youth empowerment through civic engagement and leadership programming. Partially comparable to LDF's youth-development mission and life-skills curriculum, though uses classroom-based rather than sport-based delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Stephen Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation: NBA-star-founded foundation combining sport, education, and nutrition for children. Comparable to LDF in mission pillars (sport, education, wellness) and celebrity-foundation structure, though focused exclusively on the US (Oakland).
• LeBron James Family Foundation: NBA-star-founded foundation delivering education and youth development programming. Highly comparable governance and fundraising model (celebrity founder driving institutional partnerships), but US-focused and at much larger scale than LDF.

Others

• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. LDF partnered with UNHCR at founding and the founder's refugee story is core to the brand; relevant as a thematic counterpart rather than a direct operational competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ldengf
• Facebookfacebook.com/LDengF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-luol-deng-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ldengf/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Luol Deng Foundation