Philadelphia Eagles Players Launch Social Justice Fund
November 30, 2018
The reigning NFL Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles last week announced the Eagles Social Justice Fund. The new initiative is an annual funding pool that will award grants to local community programs whose efforts are focused on reducing barriers to equal opportunity through education, enhancing community/police relations, improving the criminal justice system, or other initiatives that are focused on poverty, racial equality and workforce development.
The first non-profit organizations that will receive grants totaling $190,000 are the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund (PCBF), the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), the Philadelphia Police Athletic League (PAL), and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
In the first week of the program, the fund was used to bail out nine people before the US Thanksgiving holiday. The Players Coalition, a group of NFL players, has joined the Defender Association of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund in an effort to reform bail procedures in the city.
The Eagles selected a Social Justice Leadership Council made up of players – Nelson Agholor, Derek Barnett, Michael Bennett, Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long and Rodney McLeod – as well as five members of the front office. The players raised funds that were matched by the team, amassing nearly $500,000 to date with donations still coming in.
“It's a large responsibility because our teammates care about so many things. At the end of the day, we want to make sure as a team, a collective whole, we're making a positive difference in this world," Eagles Wide Receiver Agholor said. "We look at the different areas in terms of reform, education and re-entry – when people are coming back from jail and being back in everyday life. You have to find ways to give people the best advantage to live life."
"I think this movement of social justice and community engagement on this level has been a player-driven initiative," Jenkins said. "We want to make sure that players not only invest in it, and have a vested interest, but are also key contributors to how we distribute the funds for two reasons: one because it's player-driven and, two, because we want players to have to engage in a deeper manner. It's been a good response. You have guys really out in the community in a way that's never been seen before."
These initial four grants were awarded by the players to highlight a broad spectrum of non-profits addressing social justice issues across the Philadelphia region. The process is ongoing and the remaining funds will be distributed to additional charitable groups in December.