Heisman Trophy Trust

About Heisman Trophy Trust

Heisman Trophy Trust’s largest recorded gifts all go to New York Community Trust, including $1,997,000 in 2023 and again in 2024, plus $1,920,000 in 2025. That concentration shows a funder that works through an intermediary rather than through a wide set of direct program grants. The Trust’s structure and recent grant record also point to recurring support, not one-off transactions, with multiple years of payments to the same recipient. Beyond those large transfers, the Trust also uses smaller grants tied to education and youth development. Scholarship America Inc received repeated support in 2023 and 2024, while organizations such as DonorsChoose and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City appear in the recent grants list as additional recipients. The Trust’s mission-linked programs include the Heisman High School Scholarship Program, the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development, and Heisman Youth Development Grants. The public record shows a nationally active grantmaker whose giving is centered on charitable support through established nonprofit intermediaries and youth-oriented organizations, with grantmaking that mixes large centralized gifts and smaller operating-style awards.

What Heisman Trophy Trust Funds

Youth development is a visible thread in the Trust’s giving. The Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development, administered by The New York Community Trust, is designed for New York City charitable organizations that use sports to engage underprivileged young people ages 8 to 18 in educational activities, teamwork, sportsmanship, and excellence with integrity. That theme also appears in the recent grant to The Defensive Line in Coppell, Texas. Education-linked support appears in scholarship and school-focused grants. Scholarship America Inc in Minneapolis received multiple awards in 2023 and 2024, and Cristo Rey New York High School in New York received grants in both 2023 and 2024. The Trust also gave to DonorsChoose in New York, indicating support for classroom fundraising. Community and family support shows up through organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and the Tim Tebow Foundation. These grants sit alongside the Trust’s scholarship and youth-development programs, suggesting a mix of sports, education, and mentorship-oriented philanthropy.

How Heisman Trophy Trust Gives