ASHBURN, VA – FanDuel Group and the Washington Football Team, on the heels of their mobile sports betting market access partnership launch in Virginia in January, announced today a one-million-dollar contribution to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The FanDuel/Washington Football Team Emergency Student Aid Fund will be dedicated to supporting current students 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.
To celebrate Black History Month and support students at Virginia’s five HBCUs, FanDuel and Washington Football Team provide this contribution as an extension of its legal sports betting partnership in the state. UNCF will be working with the HBCU institutions to ensure students demonstrating need have access to this critical aid. Supporting HBCUs and their students at this time stands to bolster the strength of these institutions in the state, broadening their already deep economic impact in the Commonwealth.
“Supporting these institutions and these hard-working students, amidst enormous challenges related to COVID, is the right thing to do,” said Matt King, CEO of FanDuel Group. “As we celebrate Black History Month and recognize the critical role HBCUs play in developing the next generation of leaders in business, academia, and civic participation, our hope is that this investment in students keeps them on the path to realize their academic and personal goals while enrolled at these universities.”
“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.
“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.
“Everyone knows how important HBCUs are to me, and I applaud UNCF’s commitment to partner with us and FanDuel to administer this emergency aid fund with Virginia’s HBCUs. It is critical to support these students,” concluded Doug Williams, Super Bowl Champion and the Washington Football Team’s Senior Advisor to the Team President.
“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.”
The Emergency Student Aid Fund is expected to begin supporting Virginia HBCU students as expeditiously as possible. 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.
This contribution is a part of a broader commitment the Washington Football Team and FanDuel share organizationally. Both companies have sustained talent strategies that include embracing diversity, driving business growth, and contributing to an inclusive workplace that provides equitable access to opportunities for all.
