Today, the NFL Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to Team Rubicon and a $750,000 donation to the CDC Foundation to help continue the fight to eliminate health disparities and roll out COVID-19 vaccine services to vulnerable communities across the country. Additional pandemic recovery fundraising through Draft-a-Thon brings the total donation to just shy of $2 million to help our communities.
"We're proud to partner with both Team Rubicon and the CDC Foundation to help get vaccines to those who need it most right now," said Anna Isaacson, Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility, NFL. "As we move forward on the path to pandemic recovery, it's so important that everyone, especially those in underserved communities, have information and access as it relates to COVID-19 vaccines so we can save lives and begin to return to a sense of normalcy."
Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon pairs the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders, civilian volunteers, and technology solutions, aiming to provide the greatest service and impact possible to those affected by disaster and humanitarian crises Team Rubicon has been meeting community needs driven by the ongoing pandemic for the past year. As vaccines became available, the organization shifted its focus to prioritize the delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations to rural and underserved communities in a fair and efficient manner.
With $500,000 in funding from the NFL Foundation, Team Rubicon, who has over 140,000 volunteers, will be able to deliver free, timely and equitable vaccine services through up to 10 vaccination sites in rural, marginalized and vulnerable communities across the country. Â
CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit created by Congress to mobilize philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's and the public health community's critical health protection work. COVID-19 has exposed and intensified health inequities facing Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, older and rural Americans, and other marginalized and under-resourced communities.
With a $750,000 donation from the NFL Foundation, the CDC Foundation will bolster its support of COVID-19 vaccine rollout efforts in underserved areas across the country. There will be an emphasis on underserved populations in select NFL markets, as well as communications on COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Local health departments and community-based organizations will also be able to receive microgrants to reach the communities they serve who are under-resourced and at-risk.
Draft-a-Thon
Additionally, the CDC Foundation was one of the four organizations supported in this year's Draft-a-Thon based on their work to address health disparities across the country. The other three causes and organizations were: The Education Trust – closing the digital divide; Feeding America – fighting against food insecurity; and Mental Health America – bringing awareness to mental health. As part of the 2021 NFL Draft, Draft-a-Thon raised nearly $700,000 for its four nonprofit partners and focused on driving awareness and action to close critical gaps at the intersection of pandemic recovery and our hardest hit communities.
Additionally, working closely with the White House COVID Response Team, the NFL announced during Global Citizen's VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World show on May 8 that 50 free tickets to Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles will be provided for fans who share their story on why they got vaccinated or will soon get vaccinated.
The NFL will also offer a 25 percent discount on purchases made at NFLShop.com for vaccinated fans later this year. More details will be announced at a later date.
About The NFL Foundation
The National Football League Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foundation and its members, the 32 NFL clubs, support the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities that support our game. For more information on the NFL Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org.
About The CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC's critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $1.2 billion and launched more than 1,200 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. Learn more about the CDC Foundation at www.cdcfoundation.org.
About Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service by leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to over 140,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 800 operations both domestically and internationally. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Team Rubicon has not only pivoted to be able to continue to deliver disaster response and rebuild services in core mission areas but has also expanded their scope of missions to meet community needs brought about by COVID. Visit www.teamrubiconusa.org for more information.
