Inspire Change

Through Inspire Change, the NFL supports player-led efforts to engage with team owners, public officials, law enforcement, academic institutions, community partners and others to identify meaningful ways to strengthen local communities and the greater society.

Community impact by the numbers.

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.

During the 2017 season, the NFL formed a joint player-owner committee focused on social justice. The committee includes club owners Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints), Michael Bidwill (Arizona Cardinals), Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons), Jimmy Haslam (Cleveland Browns), and Shahid Khan (Jacksonville Jaguars).The player representatives include Cardinals offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, Texans quarterback Josh McCown, Bills cornerback Josh Norman, and NFL Legends Anquan Boldin and Aeneas Williams.

Inspire Change focuses on four priority areas:

• Education
• Economic advancement
• Police & community relations
• Criminal justice reform

Since the launch of the league’s social justice initiative, more than $460 million in grants have been awarded to social justice organizations as part of the NFL's Inspire Change initiative. This includes more than $68 million in social justice grants to more than 50 non-profits, over $380 million in team and owner contributions, and more than $12.5 million in NFL Foundation player matching grants.

Also included in the Inspire Change contribution are the club-player matching social justice funds. Adopted in 2018 by all 32 NFL clubs, this initiative encourages clubs to match the contributions of their players and work collaboratively to support local social justice organizations.

In 2020, the league announced an extended commitment of $250 million over a 10-year period to help advance social justice.

In 2022, the Player-Owner Social Justice Working Group renewed its commitment to address the "digital divide," a longstanding barrier to internet and technology access in the U.S. exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and disproportionately impacting communities of color. Specifically, the working group approved an additional $480,000 in funding allocated to NFL clubs — $15,000 per club — to further their work with local nonprofits to help alleviate the "digital divide" in areas that need it most.