Expanding Salute to Service, the NFL will partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) to create a grant referral pipeline for veteran nonprofit organizations and to support healthy lifestyles programs for veterans and their families. The NFL and BWF made the announcement today on NFL Network's Good Morning Football.
The donation funded by the NFL Foundation will broaden the league's efforts to support veterans, service members, their families and their caregivers. The partnership is designed to optimize the NFL's impact on the military community by leveraging BWF's expertise as a grant maker to the most innovative programs across the country and deep knowledge of the urgent and emerging needs of service members and their families.
For decades, the NFL has honored and supported veterans, service members and their families through Salute to Service, a year-round effort that works to honor, empower and connect those who serve through the unifying lens of football and strategic partnerships with impact-driven organizations.
This morning, Tony Richardson, NFL Legend and son of a retired Army Sergeant Major, joined the* Good Morning Football* crew in studio at NFL Experience Times Square to break the news and discuss the importance of this partnership and the immediate impact it will have on our nation's heroes.
"The NFL is proud to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation and continue our efforts to positively impact the military community," said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson. "As a respected thought leader, the Bob Woodruff Foundation provides us with the most effective expertise to address the needs of our service members. The NFL is committed to evolving its work in the military landscape and funding programs that will make a tangible, long-lasting impact on our nation's heroes."
The Bob Woodruff Foundation expertly navigates the landscape of 40,000-plus military- and veteran-serving organizations to fund best-in-class programs that ensure positive outcomes. The NFL's investment to BWF will create the grant referral pipeline and also support the Healthy Lifestyles and Creating Community Initiative. The latter will foster physical health and wellness, create healthy habits, and increase social connectedness for veterans, service members, and their families and caregivers.
"Collaboration is at the core of who we are at the Bob Woodruff Foundation; by joining in partnership with the NFL, we continue to affirm our collective commitment to our country's veterans," said Anne Marie Dougherty, Executive Director, Bob Woodruff Foundation. "Based on BWF's understanding of the veterans landscape, and the NFL's tremendous Salute to Service efforts, we see a ripe opportunity through strategic initiatives to impact positively the lives of more veterans, service members and their families than ever before."
The Bob Woodruff Foundation is currently accepting grant proposals as part of this partnership, and its upcoming fall cycle, through June 11. Grants for this cycle will be announced in October. To learn more, visit BobWoodruffFoundation.org/NFL
