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NFL Foundation Debuts Legends Impact Grant
The NFL Foundation announced the Legends Impact Grant, which recognizes the outstanding and ongoing philanthropic efforts of NFL Legends.
The award is a new component to the NFL Foundation’s Player Foundation Grant initiative. It supports NFL Legends’ commitment to making their communities healthy, happy, and safe through their non-profit foundations.
“Philanthropy plays such a large role in NFL players’ lives,” said NFL Executive Director of the NFL Foundation and Senior Director of Philanthropy Alexia Gallagher. “We are proud to support these incredible NFL Legends who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.”
NFL Legends Alan Page (Page Education Foundation), Bruce Harper (Heroes and Cool Kids) and Steve Young (Forever Young Foundation) were selected as the inaugural winners, and were awarded $50,000, $40,000 and $30,000, respectively for their foundations. In 2018, the NFL Foundation awarded $830,000 in Player Foundation Grants to support 68 non-profit foundations led by current players and NFL Legends.
The Legend Impact Award winners were selected by a panel of distinguished individuals of the NFL Legends Community:
- Warrick Dunn – three-time Pro Bowler and 2004 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Winner
- Chad Pennington – two-time AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year, current head coach at the Sayre School and NFL Legends Community Executive Director
- Will Shields – 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, three-time first-team All-Pro and founder of the “Will to Succeed” Foundation
- Troy Vincent – five-time Pro Bowler, 2002 First-Team All-Pro, 2002 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations
- Leonard Wheeler – eight-year NFL defensive back, current speaker and coach, and NFL Legends Community Executive Director
The NFL Legends Community provides unique opportunities and resources for Legends to engage year-round with the league, clubs and their teammates. Nearly 9,000 Legends have registered for the Legends Community since 2013.
NFL Football Operations’ mission is to establish a culture of clarity, consistency and credibility in all aspects of the greatest game. Football is an essential piece of America’s fabric, uniting fans, players and communities with a simple yet powerful bond. We honor the game’s history while continuing to innovate and preserve the sport for future generations of fans, players, coaches, teams and officials.
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