The National Football League today announced the launch of the Inspire Change platform, showcasing the collaborative efforts of players, owners and the league to create positive change in communities across the country.
Working together with the Players Coalition, NFL teams and the league office continue to support programs and initiatives that reduce barriers to opportunity, with a focus on three priority areas:
- Education and economic advancement
- Police and community relations
- Criminal justice reform
The Inspire Change platform includes the debut of a new television spot, which will air during this weekend's playoff games. Additional versions of the television spot will continue to air throughout the post-season, including on Super Bowl Sunday during pregame programming.
New Social Justice Grants
As part of the league's ongoing commitment to social justice, the joint NFL players-owners working group recently approved two new social justice grants focused on the three priority areas. The grants were issued to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) and Operation HOPE. BBBSA will use the funding to support agencies across the country as they create long-term mentoring relationships that empower youth to reach their full potential and help communities connect across racial and economic divides. Operation HOPE will use the funds in support of their nationwide work within underserved communities to equip young people and adults with the financial tools and education to secure a better future.
These grants build on the two grants issued last season to Dream Corps and the UNCF (United Negro College Fund). With this support, Dream Corps' #cut50 initiative helped pass the bi-partisan First Step Act, and UNCF is developing and launching a new criminal and social justice initiative. The new program aims to alleviate the impact of mass incarceration on individuals and communities through the prism of higher education, specifically UNCF's 37 member-institutions and other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Additional grants will be announced as they are approved in the coming months.
The league also announced today that it will partner with digital learning curriculum leader EverFi on a high school-focused African-American History education program. NFL funding will allow thousands of students in 175 underserved schools in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Montana and North Carolina to take part in the digital curriculum, at no charge to the schools or students. The schools were selected by EverFi based on areas of need and biggest opportunities for impact.
