NFL’s Inspire Change Ahead of 5-Year Money Calendar

When the NFL launched its Inspire Change program in 2017, the goal was to reach $250 million over 10 years in its commitment to social justice initiatives. The league is nearly five years ahead of schedule.

During owners meetings on Monday, the NFL announced that Inspire Change had eclipsed $237 million for that commitment, up from $180 million revealed in December. This increase includes additional league funding as well as team and ownership efforts that have not yet been accounted for through the end of the 2021 league year.

“We had no idea we could be this close so soon,” Anna Isaacson, senior vice president of social responsibility for the NFL, said of the original $250 million goal. “But that doesn’t surprise me.

“The vast majority of the funds come from the 32 clubs and the commitment they have made. And it’s not like we’re going to stop at $250m. We will continue and that’s a testament to that hard work and this commitment.

The money went to nonprofits and hundreds of grassroots organizations across the country.

Inspire Change is built on four pillars: education, economic advancement, police-community relations, and criminal justice reform. More recently, four organizations — Year Up, Wall Street Bound, Free Minds Book Club and Get Schooled — received grants.

It should be noted that the program reached almost a quarter of a billion dollars when the COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone.

“We didn’t take advantage of the moment to pull out,” Isaacson said. “We knew it was time to show accountability, and 2020 was a banner year for community accountability and engagement.”

Two of Inspire Change’s focal points, social justice and the digital divide, are still evolving.

“We learned a lot, but the learning never ends,” she notes. “The more experience and confidence we gain in knowing what we should be doing, the more we have to commit to keep going.

“The early years, we were listening and learning and wondering where the NFL should place its bet in general, where should we dig?”

During the pandemic, the league dug in trying to bridge the digital divide, providing opportunities for students who lacked access to technology so needed in the education process.

“Access to technology and to fill that homework gap,” says Isaacson, “we went in and focused on the education pillar. It has become an area where we know what we are doing now and the doors are open to us to do more.

Endurance is essential for the program – and for any challenge, really.

“We have a social responsibility because of who we are,” says Isaacson. “We understand that and we accept it. We have to be consistent over time, don’t intervene, put on a bandage and get out.

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Lynn A. Saleh