Letter from the Commissioner

The National Football League delivers the most popular sport in America. We are proud of this status and the responsibilities that it carries in everything we do. With leadership comes a fundamental responsibility to uphold our legacy of community engagement and the highest standards of excellence. Our commitment to fans and the communities that support us does not end when the final seconds tick off the game clock. For NFL teams, players, coaches and employees, service is a fundamental responsibility that has grown over the decades and it is reflected in many ways.

NFL Charities is the non-profit foundation that grants nearly $10 million each year on behalf of our 32 teams towards national initiatives. It is the embodiment of the league’s commitment to communities, the well-being of our nation’s youth, discoveries in the field of sports medicine, and our unwavering dedication to the health and quality of life of the retired players who built our sport and may now turn to us for assistance.

Our players know that the legacy they leave in their own communities is as important as any on-field achievement. Each year we are particularly proud to make grants through NFL Charities to the charitable organizations that have been established by NFL players.

Our heritage of community commitment and charitable engagement is as strong today as when NFL Charities was founded in 1973. It includes the NFL Youth Education Town Initiative (NFL YETs), with each location in its Super Bowl city remaining to serve as a permanent legacy of the game by providing a safe and enriching place for young people to develop. We invite you to visit the NFL YET that may exist in your city, and join us as we volunteer in your community.   

We also have a tradition known as “NFL Tuesdays” during the season when many players spend their only day off working in their communities, Players volunteer each week at local schools, shelters, and hospitals, helping out in ways large and small. Each year, the NFL also conducts a national league-wide day of service known as “Hometown Huddle” on a Tuesday in October.  These commitment-to-service activities are all subsidized with funding from NFL Charities and they are all vital to the ways in which the NFL and its players remain connected to its larger family around the country.

The NFL has long been about football, community, and kids. NFL Charities is the heart and soul of this league.  We hope that you will join the NFL, our teams, and players in reaching out and strengthening communities throughout the country.  We hope you enjoy time spent at this website and as always, we thank you for your support!

ROGER GOODELL

NFL Commissioner, President of NFL Charities