NFLPA Partners with Pledge It for Community MVP Program
Charitable outreach of weekly winners to be broadened through addition of crowdfunding platform
For Immediate Release
September 3, 2019
NFLPA PARTNERS WITH PLEDGE IT FOR COMMUNITY MVP PROGRAM
Charitable outreach of weekly winners to be broadened through addition of crowdfunding platform
WASHINGTON D.C. -- The NFL Players Association has partnered with Pledge It for the sixth season of its Community MVP program. By teaming up with the world’s top performance-based fundraising platform, the union’s player members will have an even greater impact on those in need.
Each week during the regular season, the NFLPA will celebrate one active NFL player who has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to his community. The NFLPA will make a $10,000 donation to the player’s charity or foundation of choice, and Pledge It will launch a fundraising campaign that will run for the duration of the season. Supporters can pledge donations based on a player’s on-field performance via a chosen stat (i.e. touchdowns, yards, sacks), or they can make a flat donation to support the Community MVP’s charitable cause. The pool of player campaigns will be populated and open for contribution throughout the season at https://pledgeit.org/for/communitymvp.
Pledge It’s football ties stretch back to its 2014 inception, when then-Cincinnati Bengals player Devon Still launched his “Sack Cancer” campaign following his daughter Leah’s diagnosis. Since then, athletes across all sports, including Von Miller and James Harden, have used the trusted crowdfunding platform to demonstrate the power of sports for social good.
Additionally, Athlitacomics will return for its third season as a supporting partner for NFLPA Community MVP. Founded by former NFL player Israel Idonije, the developer will create custom illustrations that reinforce the program’s mission of highlighting NFL players who serve as “superheroes” in their hometowns and team cities.
From the pool of weekly Community MVPs, a distinguished panel of judges will choose five finalists for the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community (APC) Award, each of whom will receive an additional $10,000 from the union. From those five finalists, the active player membership will vote for the APC Award winner, who will receive an additional $100,000 for his charity or foundation of choice. The NFLPA will announce the winner of its highest player honor during its annual Super Bowl press conference.
This campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the community outreach of our members, which is not only limited to the season. For more information, please visit: www.nflpa.com/community-mvp.
2018 COMMUNITY MVP WINNERS*:
Week 0: Tyrann Mathieu, Houston Texans
Week 1: Melvin Gordon, L.A. Chargers
Week 2: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 3: Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 4: Damon Harrison, New York Giants
Week 5: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6: Kelvin Beachum, New York Jets
Week 7: Devin & Jason McCourty, New England Patriots
Week 8: Kareem Jackson, Houston Texans
Week 9: Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks
Week 10: Andrew Whitworth, L.A. Rams
Week 11: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Week 12: Von Miller, Denver Broncos
Week 13: Ben Garland, Atlanta Falcons
Week 14: Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 15: Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals
Week 16: Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers
Week 17: Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints
*Teams listed indicate player’s club when he was honored.
About the NFL Players Association:
The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players, and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through 2020. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.