San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pledged $1 million to improving racial and economic inequality and building a stronger relationship between police and the community.
York announced the donation Thursday, following quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s pledge last week to help underserved communities. York said the Niners will partner with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation in this effort. He says both organizations have a strong history of affecting change.
“Today, I am committing that the 49ers Foundation will contribute $1 Million to the cause of improving racial and economic inequality and fostering communication and collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they serve here in the Bay Area,” said York. “We are partnering with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation in this effort. We have chosen to work with these two organizations because they have proven track records of affecting change in the face of challenging problems and have the collective reach to make the greatest impact. Silicon Valley Community Foundation is the largest community foundation in the world, managing $7.3 billion in assets and more than 1,800 philanthropic funds globally. The San Francisco Foundation has served the people of the Bay Area since 1948, almost as long as the 49ers franchise. We are excited to work with these two renowned foundations over the coming months to develop a giving plan to help our community find unifying solutions to these pressing issues.”
Kaepernick said last week that he will donate the first $1 million he made this year to organizations committed to helping the inner-city community. After his jersey rocketed to No. 1 following his protest, Kaepernick announced that he would donate all the money he receives from his jersey sales, too.
Since Kaepernick decided to protest against police brutality, additional NFL players have come forward in support ― most recently with Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall kneeling for the national anthem on Thursday. The former Broncos and current NY Jets receiver by the same name, a strong advocate for mental health awareness, also recently chimed in.
“This guy, he is one of the biggest patriots out there, because he’s standing up for human rights,” said the Jets’ Marshall.
