Supports NFL players and their families with personalized tools and resources focused on mental, physical, and financial wellbeing to support, strengthen, and inspire players in life off the field.
Professional Athletes Foundation’s grantmaking is anchored by a repeated, high-dollar commitment to Living Heart Foundation Inc., which received $325,000 in 2023 and 2024 and $345,000 in 2025. That pattern signals a funder willing to sustain a major partner across multiple years rather than spread support thinly across many recipients. The foundation also makes a mix of smaller charitable contributions to organizations tied to education, youth sport, human services, and the well-being of former players and their families. Recent awards include support for The Minnesota Foundation, Goodie Two Shoes Foundation Inc., City Care Inc., The Winning Circle, and other nonprofits working in closely related areas. In addition to organizational grants, the foundation’s active programs show a strong orientation toward former NFL players: financial assistance, emergency disaster aid, hearing-health support, scholarships, and chapter-based camp grants all sit within the portfolio. The result is a funder that combines broad charitable giving with a distinct emphasis on post-career player support and family-focused resources.
A central part of the portfolio is former-player support. Through the Gene Upshaw Player Assistance Trust, the foundation provides financial assistance to former NFL players and, in some cases, their families. It also runs PAF Emergency Disaster Grants for former players affected by declared disasters, with examples including Hurricane Ida and the Maui wildfires, and offers hearing-health screening and device support through its EarQ partnership. Education is another clear theme. The PAF Family Scholarship supports children of former players who plan to compete in collegiate athletics, while the Chapter Scholarship is delivered through NFLPA Former Player Chapters for high school students. The foundation also backs community organizations through the PAF Charitable Grant and Professional Athletes Foundation Charitable Grant, both aligned with education, youth sport accessibility, and human services. Smaller awards to entities such as The Link, Isaac Bruce Foundation, and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History show this broader charitable reach.
Typical grant size centers on the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $10,000, median is $12,500, and p75 is $15,000. The recent record shows both recurring and one-time support. Living Heart Foundation Inc. appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 at a much larger level than the foundation’s standard grants, while Brignace Brigade Foundation Inc. appears in three consecutive years at $5,700. The foundation’s structure includes both unrestricted charitable contributions and named programs, with several active programs accepting unsolicited requests. It is not a grantmaker to individuals in the general sense, but it does direct assistance to former players and their families through defined assistance programs. The listed 990 year on file is 2025.
$381K
$39.8M
$10.6M
$4.5M
Most grants fall between $10K and $15K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$15K
ANDRE COLLINS
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All of the recent grants in the provided data went to U.S. recipients, and the recipient-country distribution is 27 grants in the United States. The grant list includes organizations in multiple U.S. locations, including The Minnesota Foundation in Minnesota and City Care Inc. in Oklahoma City. Other U.S.-based recipients include groups such as Orlando Serve Foundation, Capitol Movement, and The Winning Circle. The geographic pattern is therefore national rather than concentrated in the foundation’s Washington, DC headquarters area, which accounted for 0% of grants in the provided state distribution.
The foundation supports organizations aligned with education, youth sport advancement and accessibility, and human services through its charitable grant programs. It also funds former-player assistance, disaster relief, hearing health, scholarships, and chapter-based football camp support through several active programs.
No. The portfolio includes assistance programs for former NFL players and, in some cases, their families, such as the Gene Upshaw Player Assistance Trust and emergency disaster grants. It also makes charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations through its grant programs.
Typical grants cluster around $10,000 to $15,000. The provided distribution shows a p25 of $10,000, a median of $12,500, and a p75 of $15,000.
Yes. Several active programs accept unsolicited requests, including the Gene Upshaw Player Assistance Trust, NFLPA Former Player Chapter Camp Grant, PAF Charitable Grant, PAF Emergency Disaster Grants, PAF Financial Assistance / General Grants, PAF / EarQ Hearing Health Partnership, and the Professional Athletes Foundation Charitable Grant.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support to the same recipient over multiple years, including Living Heart Foundation Inc. in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Brignace Brigade Foundation Inc. in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Professional Athletes Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Former NFL players in financial need for individual grants. Community organizations that align with PAF mission (education, youth sports, community programs) have received operational support; specific eligibility criteria not published on scraped pages.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIVING HEART FOUNDATION INC | — | $345,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| GOODIE TWO SHOES FOUNDATION INC | — | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY | — | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| SMOOTH INC | — | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| BRIGNACE BRIGADE FOUNDATION INC | — | $5,700 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| LIVING HEART FOUNDATION INC | — | $325,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE MINNESOTA FOUNDATION | — | $40,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| GOODIE TWO SHOES FOUNDATION INC | — | $15,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| CITY CARE INC | — | $15,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| FENCE AT THE TOP | — | $15,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| GOALS FOR LIFE FOUNDATION | — | $15,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE WINNING CIRCLE | — | $15,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ISAAC BRUCE FOUNDATION | — | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE LINK | — | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| BRIGNACE BRIGADE FOUNDATION INC | — | $5,700 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| LIVING HEART FOUNDATION INC | — | $325,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| GOODIE TWO SHOES FOUNDATION INC | — | $15,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| CAPITOL MOVEMENT | — | $15,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE WINNING CIRCLE | — | $15,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| MAKE THE WORLD BETTER FOUNDATION INC | — | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| GOALS FOR LIFE FOUNDATION INC | — | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ISAAC BRUCE FOUNDATION | — | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| NUTS ABOUT HEALTH INC | — | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ORLANDO SERVE FOUNDATION | — | $7,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE PRIEST HOLMES FOUNDATION | — | $7,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| LOVE YOUR BRAIN FOUNDATION | — | $6,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| BRIGNACE BRIGADE FOUNDATION INC | — | $5,700 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
LIVING HEART FOUNDATION INC
$345,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
SMOOTH INC
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
BRIGNACE BRIGADE FOUNDATION INC
$5,700CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
LIVING HEART FOUNDATION INC
$325,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
FENCE AT THE TOP
$15,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
GOALS FOR LIFE FOUNDATION
$15,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
THE WINNING CIRCLE
$15,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ISAAC BRUCE FOUNDATION
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
BRIGNACE BRIGADE FOUNDATION INC
$5,700CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
LIVING HEART FOUNDATION INC
$325,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
CAPITOL MOVEMENT
$15,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
THE WINNING CIRCLE
$15,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
MAKE THE WORLD BETTER FOUNDATION INC
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
GOALS FOR LIFE FOUNDATION INC
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ISAAC BRUCE FOUNDATION
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
NUTS ABOUT HEALTH INC
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ORLANDO SERVE FOUNDATION
$7,500CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
THE PRIEST HOLMES FOUNDATION
$7,500CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
LOVE YOUR BRAIN FOUNDATION
$6,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
BRIGNACE BRIGADE FOUNDATION INC
$5,700CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
