“It is fitting that as we celebrate #GivingTuesday, we acknowledge that we have reached an important milestone on our journey to be the most giving Super Bowl ever,” said Jason Trimiew, Vice President of Community Relations for the Host Committee, “But there is still more to do, and we are committed to leaving a real legacy from this game with lasting impact.”

The 50 Fund’s flagship competitive grants program, Game Changer awards grants between $250,000 to $500,000 to well-run nonprofits with effective programs that have the potential for even greater impact. Open today, this final round will accept applications under its Community Investment or Sustainable Environment focus areas. Two million dollars is available with applications due on January 9, 2016 through www.50fund.org.

Since its inception a year ago, 50 Fund has focused on helping close the opportunity gap for low-income children, youth, and young adults through both competitive grant programs and signature initiatives. A complete list of grantees can be viewed at impact.50fund.org:

• $2,500,000 in Game Changer grants to date, which were awarded to Bay Area nonprofitsFirst Place for Youth, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Juma Ventures, La Clinica de la Raza andSummer Search last February as the Host Committee kicked off its countdown to Super Bowl 50 at 50 weeks until gameday.
• $1,375,000 in PLAY 60, Play On grants, the program launched by 50 Fund and the NFL Foundation in September in partnership with KaBOOM!, Playworks, and U.S. Fund for UNICEF to bring the nation’s best play initiatives together for Super Bowl 50 with charitable projects revolving around the values that the NFL’s PLAY 60 campaign instills. In addition to partner grants, an additional 21 community grantees will turn their innovative ideas into play spaces to deliver “play everywhere”— creative and innovative neighborhood projects that will make balanced and active play more easily accessible so kids can thrive. Some of the playable spaces that will emerge in Bay Area communities include plans of playful installations in walking paths and museums, converted playful parking lots, and large scale playful takeovers at street festivals and sporting events. A full update of projects can be found on the initiative’s website, www.play60playon.org.
• $765,000 in grants for The Re(a)d Zone, a 50 Fund signature initiative to invest in, strengthen and builds the capacity of high-quality, literacy-enhancing programs that increase third grade proficiency throughout the Bay Area. Launched in June 2015, this 14-month initiative will give low-income children across the region—prioritizing children in public housing—access to books, reading programs and early literacy support with an emphasis on summer learning. 50 Fund is working in partnership on The Re(a)d Zone with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Bay Area Campaigns for Grade-Level Reading and Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy – the philanthropic initiative of Raiders All-Pro defensive end and two-time Super Bowl winner Justin Tuck and his wife Lauran. The impact from The Re(a)d Zone’s Summer 2015 grants can be found athttp://www.thereadzone.org.
• $410,000 in Playmaker grants to date, a 50 Fund program designed for community-based organizations seeking grants that can have an immediate impact in the communities in which they operate. 50 Fund is giving 50 Playmaker grants to 50 different nonprofits – one per week – in the countdown to Super Bowl 50. View all 50 Fund Playmakers and their stories on the Host Committee’s website.
• $150,000 in #SB50Feeds grants, which provided $50,000 to each of the three Bay Area food banks – the Alameda County Community Food Bank, the SF-Marin Food Bank and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties  – in partnership with the national campaign Hunger Is to help combat childhood hunger during the holidays.

In addition to a $1 million legacy grant from the NFL Foundation, 50 Fund is supported by 25 percent of the corporate sponsorships that fuel the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee as well as the generous contributions of ‘Friends of 50 Fund’—individual donors who want to leverage 50 Fund’s rigorous due diligence with less than 1% overhead, and the unique platform that 50 Fund can lend to its grantees to bring greater visibility to their efforts.

In the final 67 days before Super Bowl 50, 50 Fund will announce a number of fan-facing initiatives that will invite residents of the Bay Area and beyond to help direct additional funding to grantees, share stories of impact on social media, and give to support signature initiatives like The Re(a)d Zone, 50 Fund’s early literacy program.

About The NFL Foundation
The National Football League Foundation is a non-profit 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 represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities which support our game. For more information on The NFL Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org.