The 2026 Men's and Women's Final Fours brought tens of thousands of fans to Indianapolis and Phoenix, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity for both cities.
But the impact of the Men's Final Four and Women's Final Four extends beyond basketball.
Through Final Four legacy projects, literacy initiatives and community awards, the NCAA and its partners made lasting investments in Indianapolis and Phoenix.
Final Four legacy projects in Indianapolis and Phoenix
The Men's and Women's Final Four Legacy Projects included refurbishing community basketball courts among other improvements in Indianapolis and Phoenix.
The 2026 Men's Final Four Legacy Project presented by Dove Men+Care was officially dedicated April 2 at Christian Park on Indianapolis' near east side. The project features a newly refurbished gymnasium and basketball court, an updated fitness room and renovated multipurpose rooms inside the Christian Park Family Center, along with beautification at the center's entrance and a mural by local artist J.D. Bills on the gymnasium wall.
The gymnasium will continue to host open sessions for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and other activities. Other spaces within the center — including multipurpose rooms — will host activities ranging from dance classes to movie nights. The facility is expected to serve thousands of residents as a space for recreation, exercise and community events.
"The NCAA strives to leave every Final Four community we visit a little better, and we thank Dove Men+Care for sharing this mission with us," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "The work done at Christian Park and the families served here are an important part of the future of this community. The NCAA is proud to invest in that."
In Phoenix, the Women's Final Four Legacy Project presented by Dove transformed the Washington Activity Center, which serves more than 18,000 residents each year in the city's Alhambra Village neighborhood. Renovations include refurbished indoor and outdoor basketball courts, a new literacy lounge, a computer lab and an e-sports lounge. A mural by Phoenix muralist Martin Moreno reflects the history and cultural identity of the surrounding community.
"The Women's Final Four is a celebration of excellence on the court, but it is also an opportunity to leave something meaningful behind in the host community," said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women's basketball. "We are proud that this year's Legacy Project presented by Dove will help restore and strengthen a space that can serve Phoenix families for years to come."
Reading to the Final Four
Read to the Final Four uses the excitement of March Madness to encourage elementary school students to build reading habits through a bracket-style competition. Since its debut at the 2016 Men's Final Four, the program has helped students nationwide log about 168 million minutes of reading.
This year's Men's Final Four edition ran statewide across Indiana, engaging more than 20,000 third graders at 315 schools from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend and dozens of communities throughout the state.
In keeping with the unique scope of this year's championship weekend, the program was structured around three divisions to mirror the Division I, II and III tournaments being hosted in Indianapolis. Students not competing in the top divisions were placed in a Rising Readers challenge — the equivalent of the NIT — ensuring that every participating school could still compete for prizes. Indiana's third graders logged more than 25.5 million minutes of reading. Glen Acres Elementary School in Lafayette won the Division I title, with 2.4 million total minutes.
In Arizona, the program engaged 12,156 third graders at 191 schools statewide, logging a combined 21.4 million minutes of reading since launching in November. Mary C. O'Brien Elementary School in Casa Grande claimed the Women's Final Four title, finishing with an average of 10,433 minutes read per student. At Thursday's championship celebration inside the Phoenix Convention Center, Helios Education Foundation announced it was doubling the prize amounts for all four finalist schools — awarding a $10,000 grand prize to O'Brien and $5,000 prizes to the three other finalists to support literacy and library programs.
Community leaders honored during Final Four weekend
Final Four weekend also spotlighted community leaders in Indianapolis and Phoenix through the Legends and Legacy Community Award. The honor recognizes community members in Final Four host cities who commit their time, resources and influence to improving the places where they live and work. This year's honorees come from both host cities.
For full bios of each recipient, visit the complete news release.
2026 Men's Final Four — Indianapolis
- Tamika Catchings — A Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time Olympic gold medalist and Indiana Fever legend, Catchings founded the Catch the Stars Foundation, which has provided more than $1 million in scholarships, and owns Tea's Me Café, a community-centered tea shop built around wellness and literacy.
- Sharon Clark — A longtime NCAA women's volleyball coach who spent 30 years in the sport, including 23 seasons at Butler, Clark co-founded Aspire House and Aspire Higher Foundation to expand opportunities in higher education, technology and the arts for young people across the region.
- Christina Huffines — Huffines was founder and CEO of Indy Hygiene Hub, which provides free personal care items to more than 1,000 families each month through a drive-through pantry and partnerships with local organizations.
- Jim Morris (posthumously) — Morris, who died in 2024, served as president of Lilly Endowment, president and vice chair of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, and executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, where he directed food aid to more than 110 million people annually across 80 countries.
- Marty Posch — In his 15th year leading the JD Finish Line Foundation, Posch has overseen more than $7.5 million in community investments through the Louder than Words campaign since 2023. Under Posch, the foundation developed a 10-year partnership with Special Olympics and helped build a Finish Line Boys & Girls Club on the far east side of Indianapolis.
- Rod Reid — Reid is co-founder and executive director of NXG Youth Motorsports, which has served more than 4,000 young people, connected a dozen graduates to direct IndyCar employment, and seen more than 70% of its academy graduates pursue postsecondary education.
2026 Women's Final Four — Phoenix
- Jolyana Begay-Kroupa —CEO of the Phoenix Indian Center, the oldest social service agency in the United States dedicated to serving urban American Indians, Begay-Kroupa has taught Navajo language classes at Arizona State, Stanford, Harvard and Yale. A former Miss Navajo Nation, she works to ensure Indigenous perspectives are interwoven into policy, education and community systems.
- Jerry Lewkowitz — A founding member of Phoenix Children's board of directors, Lewkowitz was instrumental in establishing what is now regarded as one of the nation's best children's hospitals and has served on numerous civic boards, including Crisis Nursery and the Phoenix Zoo.
- Chelsa Seciwa — Project director at the Southwest Indigenous Women's Coalition, Seciwa founded Chelsa Seciwa Advocacy Resources, which provides tribal legal services and advocacy for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people across tribal courts in Arizona and New Mexico.
- Isaac Serna — President of the Playa Margarita Park sports organization, a nonprofit that provides activities for at-risk youth, Serna is a decorated Navy veteran who has served on the Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee, the Maricopa County Parks Commission and numerous other civic bodies across the Phoenix area.
- Brian Spicker — Spicker spent 50 years leading Arizona nonprofit organizations, most recently as president and CEO of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, where he increased annual fundraising from $5 million to nearly $17 million and established an emergency assistance program for students during the pandemic.
Final Four High School Student-Athlete Symposiums
The Men's and Women's Final Fours also included educational programming for high school student-athletes and their families. The NCAA and the Eligibility Center hosted high school student-athlete symposiums in both Indianapolis and Phoenix, connecting student-athletes in grades 8 through 12, parents, coaches and school counselors with NCAA staff members and resources on initial-eligibility requirements, recruiting basics, NIL opportunities and mental health support.
Each event drew more than 300 attendees, helping ensure that families — regardless of their familiarity with the college athletics landscape — had direct access to the information needed to support student-athletes through the recruiting and eligibility process.
