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The NBA’s LA Clippers have given $3 million to City Year, which helps service low-performing schools in low economic areas of Los Angeles.

The announcement was made at a City Year opening day ceremony on Friday with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA Unified board president Steve Zimmer.  City Year has 309 AmeriCorps members working in 26 district schools — one charter, 25 traditional — in Watts, south Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and Koreatown. They will be helping more than 10,000 at-risk students as part of a national effort to increase high school graduation rates.

Garcetti said the corps members “have a tremendous impact on the lives of students through their role in the classroom, and as mentors and role models. I commend them for their choice to serve and thank them for being a vital part of moving the needle on LA’s graduation rates.”

Andrew Glazier, City Year’s managing director for program and service, said corps members serve full-time in schools, providing students with tutoring, in-class support and extended day programs, as well as school-wide initiatives to increase academic achievement and student engagement. Founded nine years ago, the group has supported 100,000 students.

“City Year is a vital, important organization that embodies our Foundation’s mission of making a positive difference, every day, to children in LA,” said Gillian Zucker, President of Business Operations of the L.A. Clippers Foundation. “The donation to City Year demonstrates that the LA Clippers — from Steve Ballmer to every member of the organization — is committed to investing in the education of children in Southern California.”

The $3 million gift to City Year marks the largest donation ever made by the LA Clippers Foundation.

“The Clippers Foundation gift is transformational for City Year Los Angeles, one that allows us to grow into the largest full-time AmeriCorps program in all of California and the largest City ear corps in the country,” said Andrew Hauptman, co-founder of City Year Los Angeles. “This means thousands of kids will get the support they need to succeed in school and beyond.”

Across the nation, 3,000 AmeriCorps members — the organization’s largest corps to date —  are kicking off their year of service in 27 cities.

A recent study by Policy Studies Associates found that schools that partner with City Year are two to three times more likely to improve on state student assessments in English and math compared with students at similar schools.

The list of schools that will be beneficiaries of the Clippers funding are: 93rd Street Elementary School, 109th Street Elementary, 122nd Street Elementary, Compton Avenue Elementary and Figueroa Street Elementary.