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The NFL’s Inspire Change initiative showcases how the players, owners and the league work together to create positive change in communities across America.
Working with the Players Coalition, an independent 501(c)(3) entity, NFL teams and the league continue to support programs and initiatives that reduce barriers to opportunity. Inspire Change focuses on three priority areas:
Education and economic advancement
Police and community relations
Criminal justice reform
Since April 2018, more than $25 million in grants have been awarded to social justice organizations as part of the NFL's Inspire Change initiative. This includes more than 500 grants awarded to current and former NFL players for nonprofits across the country.
As part of the NFL's 100th season Inspire Change efforts, the league is adding six new social justice grants and two grant renewals recently approved by the joint NFL players-owners working group. These new grants and renewals total nearly $3 million and are in addition to the grants previously announced in January 2019 and June 2019. The league is also introducing new Inspire Change videos to raise awareness about social justice.
NEW SOCIAL JUSTICE GRANTS
Grantees receiving social justice funding in this round range from organizations providing educational support to those advocating to end mass incarceration. Following are the six new social justice grantees (bringing the total number of national social justice grantees to 18):
Alabama Appleseed will use the funding for its Fair Schools, Safe Communities campaign, which combines research with policy advocacy, public education, coalition building, litigation, legislative action, and pro bono support to shift Alabama's historic reliance on incarceration to an evidence-based holistic approach focusing on treatment alternatives to incarceration, community programs, re-entry supports, and stopping drivers of poverty and incarceration.
City Year will use the funding to augment its Whole School Whole Child student support program that unites 3000 young adults of all backgrounds to serve in schools as student success coaches.
Community Justice Exchangewill use the funding for its National Bail Fund Network project, which currently supports over 75 community-based bail and bond funds working to end money bail and pretrial detention at the local level.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change will use the funding to support its Nonviolence365® campaign which focuses on decreasing the prison population, reducing prison sentences, altering drug sentencing policy, policing reform, reducing overcriminalization, and juvenile justice reform. Funding will also support the organization's Students with King program designed for Pre-K-12 curriculum to inspire students to commit to nonviolence as a lifestyle through lessons on self-esteem, diversity, critical thinking and reflection.
Metropolitan Family Services will use the funding for its Support Rapid Reduction Program which provides incentives for participants to make nonviolent choices. The organization will also use the funds to help support the Metropolitan Peace Academy, a training center that provides evidence and experience-based standards of practice for professional street outreach.
The National Urban League will use the funding to support three programs focused on workforce development for young people, including court-involved youth – the Urban Apprenticeship Jobs Program, the Urban Youth Empowerment Program, and the Urban Re-Entry Jobs Program.
Renewed Social Justice Grants
Two previously funded organizations have also had their social justice grants renewed in this funding round:
Dream Corps will continue to use the funding provided to support its #cut50 and #YesWeCode programs.
United Negro College Fund will continue to use the funding provided to support programs focused on policy reform and social justice incubators.
Activating for Impact
Television Spots
Our 100th season Inspire Change platform activation also includes new television spots to raise awareness. The first new spot premiered on Jan. 4 featuring New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and will air throughout the month. The spot highlights Davis' efforts to help restore voting rights in Louisiana.
A second television spot features San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead.
The final spot, focusing on NFL Legend and Co-Founder of the Players Coalition Anquan Boldin, will serve as the signature spot of the Inspire Change platform, highlighting Boldin's inspiration to launch social justice work across the country. The spot will air during Conference Championship games and run through the remainder of the postseason.
Indivisible
Indivisible, a series hosted by Nate Boyer featuring real conversations with players and local leaders on the issues and values at the heart of NFL communities, also returns this month.
The four-part series premiered Jan. 6, with new episodes featuring New Orleans, New York, Cleveland, and Miami to be unveiled weekly across NFL.com, NFL YouTube and Facebook.
The NFL Network will air a new Inspire Change player feature highlighting San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead and the impact he's made on educational equality with Leataata Floyd Elementary School in his hometown of Sacramento, California.
Song of the Season
As part of the NFL's partnership with Roc Nation, the league will reveal the third installment of the "Songs of the Season" series on Good Morning Football. The series showcases musicians that deliver a song that will be integrated into all NFL promotions during the season. All revenue generated from Songs of the Season will support Inspire Change grant recipients.
Social and Digital Content
Leading up to Super Bowl LIV, NFL players and teams will help define what the Inspire Change initiative stands for using #InspireChange. Participants will post videos, photos and commentary that explain what social justice and reducing barriers to opportunity means to them.
Pro Bowl and Super Bowl Community Engagement
The NFL will take part in several social justice-related events during the 2020 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl LIV including events with local law enforcement and RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality). More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Learn more about Inspire Change and join the conversation using the hashtag #InspireChange.
