The NFL today revealed that the league’s Inspire Change campaign had received more than $300 million in social justice donations from the NFL Family. This achievement comes as the NFL and the Players Coalition renewed 15 grant partnerships to encourage further improvements in police-community relations, criminal justice reform, education, and economic development.
“Players Coalition and the NFL have collaborated over the past five years through Inspire Change grants to help drive direct impact by supporting organizations at the frontlines of social justice and racial equity work,” said Anquan Boldin, co-founder of Players Coalition. “While the work is far from over, we look forward to advancing aligned partnerships with grant recipients and building on our continued partnership with the NFL to address priority social justice issues.”
“The NFL Family is proud to have contributed more than $300 million to support social justice efforts in communities across the country, but our work is far from over,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility. “The positive impact of this work is being felt every day, and we are committed to continuing our efforts with players, clubs, and our Inspire Change grant partners to break down barriers to opportunity and end systemic racism.”
You can see the impact of Inspire Change on organizations like Alabama Appleseed in the video here.
“There was no reason for the NFL to care about what was happening in Alabama except that they legitimately wanted to help solve problems,” said Carla Crowder, Executive Director of Alabama Appleseed. “The NFL gave us not only resources to hire more people, but a national platform to lift up the crisis around prisons, excessive punishment, and the human rights of incarcerated Alabamians.”
The Player-Owner Social Justice Committee, which consists of a 10-person panel of players, Legends, and team owners, recently approved the 15 renewal grants. Nonprofit groups that are bringing about measurable change in all four areas of Inspire Change are given grants.
You can learn more about the Inspire Change initiative here.
