The NFL’s Washington Football Team and FanDuel Announce $1 Million Contribution to United Negro College Fund

The FanDuel Group and the Washington Football Team have announced that they are collectively donating $1 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

The FanDuel Group and the Washington Football Team have recently partnered on mobile sports betting market access that launched in Virginia in January. This collaboration, the FanDuel/Washington Football Team Emergency Student Aid Fund, will be dedicated to supporting students who are currently enrolled in Virginia’s five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

The fund will provide aid grants for those students seeking emergency assistance for technology, housing, food security, tuition, and other education-related expenses.

“HBCUs have produced some of the most accomplished and successful individuals across countless professions making an incredible impact on our organization along with numerous others in the DMV. This important investment is a way to continue to foster the talent at these great institutions and give the scholars of today a chance to achieve their goals and career aspirations,” said Dan and Tanya Snyder, owners of the Washington Football Team, in a written statement.

“For decades, UNCF and the HBCUs they support have been driving Black socio-economic elevation in unparalleled fashion and I’m proud that our team and FanDuel are able to support them at an important moment in history. Dr. Lomax and the Virginia HBCU presidents are the type of leaders we can all trust to achieve remarkable feats with the resources they are given,” added Washington Football Team President Jason Wright.

The Emergency Student Aid Fund is expected to begin supporting Virginia HBCU students right away. Aid will be disbursed to students from their attending institution. Interested students who need emergency assistance for technology, housing, food security, tuition, and other education-related expenses can inquire with their schools’ Financial Aid Office by the beginning of March.

“The United Negro College Fund is pleased to see FanDuel and the Washington Football Team support Virginia’s HBCU students throughout the state, and this investment cannot come at a more critical time as students confront harsh realities resulting from a disrupted and disjointed academic year,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, the nation’s largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to African American students.

“We will proudly work with all five Virginia HBCUs, building upon our existing institutional partnerships and aligned with the mission of distributing this aid to students experiencing any number of economic hardships so they can stay on the path to completion of their degree programs. We are grateful to these organizations for this investment and will quickly endeavor to support the students.”