Non-Profits & Foundations from NFL Stars

Some of the NFL's most marketable players run serious charities, and for brands that want a partnership with substance, those foundations are often the best way in.

The league leans into this. In February 2026, Bobby Wagner was named the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for work honouring his late mother through the Phenia Mae Fund, which funds stroke research and rehabilitation. Every one of the 32 club nominees gets up to $40,000 for their chosen charity, and the NFL Foundation runs a dedicated grant for nonprofits led by current and former players.

Below are eight player foundations worth knowing, grouped by cause, with what each one actually does.

Youth and sport

Patrick Mahomes: 15 and the Mahomies

Mahomes launched the foundation in April 2019, shortly after his first MVP season, to improve the lives of children. In 2023 it committed $1.625 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, plus $1,500 for every regular-season touchdown he throws. Its first gala drew sponsors including Hallmark, State Farm, Hy-Vee and Head & Shoulders.

Travis Kelce: Eighty-Seven & Running

Founded in 2015 in Kansas City, Eighty-Seven & Running backs underserved kids in Kansas City and Kelce's hometown of Cleveland Heights. Its "Catching for a Cause" campaign has fans pledge per catch, and its Ignition Lab with Operation Breakthrough gives teens a STEM and co-working space. Pepsi has already partnered with it through limited-edition T-shirts.

J.J. Watt: JJ Watt Foundation

Watt set up his foundation while still at Wisconsin, and it has since put more than $6.9 million into after-school sport for 6th to 8th graders. Grants cover uniforms and equipment, with priority for districts where at least 60% of students get free or reduced lunch. Watt is retired, but his profile and the foundation's clear mission make it a natural fit for sportswear and equipment brands.

Health and wellbeing

Damar Hamlin: Chasing M's Foundation

Hamlin started Chasing M's as a Pitt student in 2020, and it grew rapidly after his cardiac arrest on the field in January 2023. It has since provided CPR education to millions and donated more than $1 million in AEDs to schools and youth groups, and backed cardiac-response laws across 29 states. That work made him a 2026 ESPYS finalist for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award. Its Heroes Scholarship, named after the medical staff who saved him, now runs in Cincinnati, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

Joe Burrow: Joe Burrow Foundation

Burrow's foundation grew out of his 2019 Heisman speech, which put a spotlight on hunger in his home county of Athens, Ohio. Launched in 2022 with his parents, it tackles food insecurity and childhood mental health in Ohio and Louisiana. In 2023 it granted nearly $600,000 to 21 organisations across both states.

Bobby Wagner: Phenia Mae Fund

Wagner's fund supports stroke research and rehabilitation in memory of his mother. As the reigning Man of the Year, he wears the award's patch for the rest of his career, which keeps the cause visible on game days.

Education and community

Russell Wilson and Ciara: Why Not You Foundation

Founded in 2014, the Wilsons' foundation fights poverty through education. It put about $1.75 million into a Seattle-area charter school, now the Why Not You Academy, and gave $3 million to Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital in New York. It also has a track record with corporate partners, including Safeway Albertsons and Centura Health.

Tua Tagovailoa: Tua Foundation

The Tua Foundation, set up in 2021, backs youth, health and wellness causes in South Florida, Alabama and Hawaii. After the Maui wildfires it gave more than $108,000 and 25 laptops to relief efforts. Its annual Luau with Tua mixes fundraising with Polynesian culture, and the 2026 edition drew close to 300 supporters.

What this means for brands

Player foundations give brands a ready-made story, an engaged audience and formats that already work. Four patterns stand out:

• Pay-per-play pledges. Mahomes's per-touchdown gift and Kelce's per-catch campaign tie giving to the season, so a brand can match on every score and earn a mention each week.

• Co-branded merchandise. Pepsi's T-shirts with Kelce show how a product drop can raise money and move stock at the same time.

• Galas and signature events. Mahomes's gala, Kelce's Walk the Walk fashion show and the Luau with Tua all sell sponsorships that come with player access and local press.

• Fan-driven moments. When Tagovailoa was concussed against Buffalo in 2024, Bills fans sent nearly $18,000 to his foundation within a day. Brands that are already partnered can amplify moments like that quickly and authentically.

The common thread is fit. Hamlin suits health, safety and insurance brands; Burrow suits food and grocery; Watt suits sportswear and equipment.

Totalete indexes more than 3,600 football athletes, including the NFL. Shortlist the players whose causes match your brand, then track every conversation from first contact to live partnership on the campaign board.

Foundation details are taken from public reports and were accurate as of October 2026.