$900,000 inGrant Funds will be Allocated to Organizations that are Advancing Social Justice
DALLAS – December 13, 2023 – Today at the December League Meeting, the NFL announced four new Inspire Change grant partners, totaling $900,000 in additional funding to support social justice work across the country. As the Inspire Change pillars of education, economic advancement, police-community relations and criminal justice reform continue, this year’s grant recipients include 100 Black Men of America, A New Way of Life, Impact Justice and Neighborhood Defense Services.
“Combatting social injustice is an ongoing effort and the NFL Family understands the role it plays in creating a more equitable and just future,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility. “We are inspired by the work of our grant partners to date, and we’re excited to continue supporting grassroots organizations across the country that are making a difference in the areas that we focus on.”
The new grant partners include:
- Impact Justiceis a national organization that uses innovation, research and evaluation to eliminate institutional barriers that perpetuate racism and economic inequalities in the criminal legal system. Inspire Change grant funding will support:
- A vertical farm job training program expansion at a South Carolina women’s prison
- The launch of California Justice Leaders, the first AmeriCorps program designed for adults impacted by the justice system; and
- General support of Innovations Fund, which facilitates early planning and launch stages of new justice reform programming.
“NFL Inspire Change funding will be instrumental in Impact Justice’s efforts to seed and scale innovation programs that create real economic opportunity for people and communities most harmed by mass incarceration,” said Aishatu Yusuf, Vice President of Innovation Programs at Impact Justice. “We’re grateful for the NFL’s partnership in seeding a vertical farm job training program for incarcerated women in South Carolina, expanding career pathways for graduates of our California Justice Leaders AmeriCorps program, and exploring new innovations benefitting justice system-impacted communities.”
- 100 Black Men of America is the largest African-American-led mentoring organization in the country, providing access, guidance, skills and opportunities to young men from underserved communities. Funding will support:
- The Collegiate 100 Leadership and Career Institute; and
- A 5-month program that provides students entering a corporate environment for the first time with access to corporate HR and recruiters and other subject matter experts to help them navigate the workplace without imposter syndrome.
“We are very excited to partner with the NFL nationally and through many of our local chapters as we work together to elevate opportunities and outcomes for our youth and communities,” said Milton H. Jones, Jr. Chairman, 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
- A New Way of Life is a California-based organization that promotes healing, power-building and opportunity for formerly incarcerated people by providing safe housing, pro bono legal services, workforce development, educational support and additional resources to the formerly incarcerated. Funding will support the expansion of ANWOL’s workforce development program in eight new cities nationwide, with a holistic approach to support formerly incarcerated women re-entering the workforce.
- ANWOL’s workforce development program is a model for similar organizations nationwide. Funding will support the launch of the development program in 8 new cities nationwide, with a holistic approach to support formerly incarcerated women re-entering the workforce.
- Neighborhood Defender Services is an organization based in New York, with hubs in Texas and Michigan, which provides holistic, wraparound public defense representation to low-income residents. Funding will support NDS’ work in Detroit where, through a contract with Wayne County, they provide criminal legal representation for 35% of all indigent felony defendants. Areas of focus will include early case entry and collateral consequences.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the NFL’s support of NDS and the individuals we serve,” said Rick Jones, CEO and Executive Director of NDS. “Their commitment will support our work in actively dismantling barriers to opportunity that our clients face when they strive to disentangle themselves from our punitive legal system. This generous gift serves as a catalyst for transformative change, offering hope and inspiration not only to each individual client, but our entire community.”
These new grant partners were approved by the Player-Owner Social Justice Working Group, comprised of a 10-member panel of players, legends and team owners. Every year, the Social Justice Working Group reviews submissions and requests from players and other members of the NFL community and votes on the organizations that best fit the Inspire Change mission.
Since 2017, the NFL Family has provided $300 million to advance social justice causes in the areas of education, economic advancement, police-community relations, and criminal justice reform. To date, the NFL Foundation has provided more than 1,800 Inspire Change matching grants to current NFL players and Legends for nonprofits of their choice to help reduce barriers to opportunity.
For more information about all Inspire Change grant partners, please visit https://www.nfl.com/causes/inspire-change/resources/grant-partners/
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