HOUSTON – Back in December, Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander announced his plan to select a group of charitable organizations in the Houston community to share a $4 million donation as part of the Rockets Season of Giving. Prospective charities registered online at Rockets.com and were then reviewed by Mr. Alexander and the Rockets Clutch City Foundation, with the recipients of the donation announced today.

Below is a list of the 20 local charities chosen to share the $4 million donation by Mr. Alexander:

Alexander assumed ownership of the Rockets on July 30, 1993. In 1995, he established the Clutch City Foundation with the goal of providing help, hope and inspiration to those who might otherwise be forgotten. The Clutch City Foundation funds and operates comprehensive programs benefiting thousands of children each year, as well as serving as the umbrella organization for all Rockets community initiatives.

Throughout his years as owner, Alexander and the Clutch City Foundation have contributed more than $35 million to hundreds of charities throughout Houston. Most recently, after the city was ravaged by severe rain resulting in flooding in April of 2016, Alexander personally donated $500,000 to Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Greater Houston Storm Relief Fund.

Alexander and the Rockets organization have received numerous community service awards, including the Pro Team Community Award in 1997, given by the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

In 1998, Alexander and the Rockets organization were awarded Leadership Houston’s “Leadership in Action” Award for outstanding community service to education, one year after winning the same award for outstanding community service to youth.

Alexander and the Rockets were also honored with the 2005 Texas Association of Partners in Education “Outstanding Business Partnership” award in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The Clutch City Foundation was also inducted into the HISD Partners Hall of Fame for understanding the value of education, as well as an active commitment to enhancing the educational experiences of HISD students.

This past October, Alexander and the Rockets were recognized by the Anti-Defamation League Southwest Region as being a “Community Champion” for his decades of charitable giving and leadership.

Alexander is Chairman of the Board of the Clutch City Foundation and sits on the Board of Directors of Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital, as well as the Houston Police Foundation. In addition, Alexander is a staunch animal-rights advocate, and founded the Evelyn Alexander Home for Animals Foundation, which strives to provide a permanent home to abandoned and abused animals.