Athletes for Hope

Athletes for Hope (AFH) is a United States nonprofit organization created to make athlete philanthropy more informed, coordinated, and accessible. Founded in 2007 by a group of prominent athletes who had already established charitable foundations or community initiatives, the organization was designed to help other athletes participate in public service without assuming that they needed to create a separate foundation or contribute large sums of money. Its central proposition is that an athlete's time, visibility, experience, and ability to motivate others can be as valuable as financial donations. AFH operates at the intersection of sport, charitable engagement, public health, youth development, and social advocacy. It educates athletes about philanthropic strategy, introduces them to nonprofit organizations, helps them identify causes that fit their values, and provides practical guidance during the development of their community work. Its Causeway program is a core part of this model. Causeway combines group education workshops with individualized support, giving athletes and their advisers information about charitable planning, nonprofit due diligence, partnership development, and ways to measure impact. The program also offers an alternative for athletes who want to give back but do not intend to establish a personal foundation. The organization has worked with athletes connected to a broad range of sports and institutions, including the NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, USATF, the Olympic movement, professional tennis, and university athletics. AFH has reported growth from its original group of founders to a network of more than 10,000 athletes. Its educational activities have included workshops for professional and Olympic athletes, rookie groups, college teams, and athletic departments. Athletes for Hope University, launched in 2013, extended this work to varsity athletes at institutions including Howard University, Georgetown University, Bowie State University, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Ohio State University, Davidson College, the University of Virginia, LSU, Southern University, Tulane University, Michigan State University, and the University of Southern California. AFH also connects athletes with campaigns and charitable partners addressing health, nutrition, education, physical activity, malaria prevention, and youth opportunity. Its work has included support for the Nothing But Nets malaria initiative and the 1,000 Days maternal and childhood nutrition campaign. Through Athletes for Active Schools and the Let's Move! Active Schools effort, athletes have visited schools and encouraged healthy eating, physical activity, and positive youth development. The organization has also arranged athlete appearances intended to reach underserved children, including a September 11 anniversary visit involving basketball player Kyrie Irving and children at Beech Brook in Cleveland. Mental health became a major area of activity through the Whole Being Athlete program, established in 2021. The program brings together athletes of different levels and backgrounds to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in and beyond sport. Its framework emphasizes storytelling, education, and advocacy. AFH later partnered with WETA to co-produce the Out of the Dark athlete mental-health docuseries, scheduled for public release in fall 2024 according to the supplied reference material. In 2024, AFH introduced an Athlete Leadership Council featuring Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, Gabby Thomas, and Elena Delle Donne. The council was presented as a way to carry the founders' philanthropic example into a new generation of athlete leadership. The organization's reported 2023–2024 impact included educating more than 833 athletes in philanthropy and reaching more than 200,000 children per month through its programming. AFH has also received support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nike, and the Pennington Foundation. It remains an active nonprofit platform focused on turning athletic influence into sustained community participation.

Athletes for Hope was established in 2007 by Muhammad Ali, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning, and Cal Ripken Jr. The founders had already built personal foundations or community programs and sought to create a shared platform that would help more athletes engage in philanthropy. The organization was publicly launched on April 25, 2007, during an appearance on Good Morning America. From the beginning, AFH defined athlete philanthropy broadly. Rather than presenting charitable activity primarily as a matter of financial giving, it emphasized the value of athletes' time, public visibility, relationships, and ability to encourage participation. The organization developed educational workshops and cause-connection services intended to help athletes select credible nonprofit partners, understand philanthropic choices, and build sustainable community programs. Ivan Blumberg, a former sports agent, played an important early role and created the curriculum associated with the Causeway program. The organization expanded its reach across professional, Olympic, and collegiate sport. Its athlete network came to include participants associated with the NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, USATF, the Olympic movement, professional tennis, and other sports. Causeway became a principal vehicle for this expansion, combining group instruction with one-on-one guidance. The program was intended both for athletes who already had foundations and for those seeking less formal ways to support causes. In 2010, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation awarded AFH a reported $2 million grant to support Causeway and Good Game. The supplied reference material also identifies grants or funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nike, and the Pennington Foundation. These relationships helped AFH broaden its educational and public-interest work, including connections between athletes and global health campaigns. Athletes for Hope University began in 2013. The program brought the organization's philanthropic education model to varsity teams and college athletes. Workshops were held at a range of universities, including historically Black colleges and universities as well as major public and private institutions. Thousands of college athletes participated, and teams were assisted in organizing service activities during the academic year. AFH's campaign work developed around youth health, physical activity, nutrition, education, and global health. Through Athletes for Active Schools, the organization mobilized athletes for school visits and promoted healthy eating and exercise in connection with the Let's Move! Active Schools program. In May 2016, AFH was selected as the Let's Move! Active Schools Partner of the Year. The organization also connected athletes to Nothing But Nets' malaria-prevention work and to the 1,000 Days campaign on maternal and childhood nutrition. In 2016, 100 AFH athletes signed the 1,000 Days #FairStart campaign, which sought to raise awareness of malnutrition around the time of the Rio Olympic Games. The organization has also used individual athlete appearances to reach underserved communities. One example described in the reference material was a September 11 anniversary visit coordinated for Cleveland Cavaliers player Kyrie Irving at Beech Brook in Cleveland, Ohio. AFH separately worked with former United States women's national-team soccer player Abby Wambach to promote Nothing But Nets. In 2021, AFH broadened its remit with Whole Being Athlete, a mental-health initiative organized around storytelling, education, and advocacy. The program was intended to unite athletes across levels and backgrounds and to challenge the stigma surrounding mental-health concerns in sport. AFH subsequently led national athlete mental-health initiatives and partnered with WETA on the Out of the Dark documentary series. In 2024, AFH launched an Athlete Leadership Council comprising Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, Gabby Thomas, and Elena Delle Donne. The council was positioned as a mechanism for transferring the founders' tradition of athlete-led service to a newer generation. AFH's reported 2023–2024 results included philanthropic education for more than 833 athletes and programming that reached more than 200,000 children per month. The organization remains active as a nonprofit education, connection, and advocacy platform for athlete philanthropy.

• 2024

  Athlete Leadership Council launches

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  AFH formed a council featuring Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, Gabby Thomas, and Elena Delle Donne.

• 2021

  Whole Being Athlete is created

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  AFH introduced a mental-health program centered on athlete storytelling, education, and advocacy.

• 2016

  AFH supports the 1,000 Days #FairStart campaign

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  One hundred AFH athletes joined an advocacy effort focused on maternal and childhood nutrition in connection with the Rio Olympic period.

• 2016

  Named Let's Move! Active Schools Partner of the Year

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  AFH received recognition for engaging athletes in physical activity, health, and positive youth-development initiatives.

• 2013

  Athletes for Hope University begins

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  AFH launched its university program to provide philanthropy workshops and service guidance to varsity athletes.

• 2010

  Kellogg Foundation grant supports new programs

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  The W. K. Kellogg Foundation awarded AFH a reported $2 million grant to support Causeway and Good Game.

• 2007

  Athletes for Hope is founded and publicly launched

  [1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  A group of prominent athletes founded AFH, and the organization launched publicly on Good Morning America on April 25.

A nonprofit intermediary and education platform that helps athletes make effective community contributions through time, advocacy, charitable partnerships, and informed philanthropic practice rather than relying only on personal donations.

• Athlete philanthropy education and advisory program · 2010

  Causeway

  Causeway is AFH's principal educational and guidance program for professional and Olympic athletes and their advisers. It uses workshops and individualized support to explain philanthropic best practices, help participants identify suitable causes and nonprofit partners, and guide them through their charitable work. The program is designed both for athletes with existing foundations and for those who want practical alternatives to establishing one.

• Athlete community-engagement program · 2010

  Good Game

  Good Game was identified as one of the programs supported by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's 2010 grant to AFH. The supplied reference material provides limited detail about its operating model, but places it within the organization's broader effort to encourage athletes to participate in structured community and philanthropic activity.

• College-athlete education · 2013

  Athletes for Hope University

  Athletes for Hope University extends AFH's philanthropy education to varsity teams and college athletes. Workshops help student-athletes understand charitable engagement and organize service during the academic year. The program has worked with institutions including Howard University, Georgetown University, Bowie State University, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Ohio State University, Davidson College, the University of Virginia, LSU, Southern University, Tulane University, Michigan State University, and the University of Southern California.

• Athlete mental-health initiative · 2021

  Whole Being Athlete

  Whole Being Athlete is a mental-health program for athletes of different levels and backgrounds. It seeks to reduce stigma around mental-health challenges in sport through three connected pillars: storytelling, education, and advocacy. The initiative forms part of AFH's later national work on athlete mental health and helped lead to the organization's collaboration with WETA on the Out of the Dark documentary series.

• Athlete leadership platform · 2024

  Athlete Leadership Council

  The Athlete Leadership Council was introduced to carry AFH's founders' model of athlete-led service into a new generation. Its announced members were Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, Gabby Thomas, and Elena Delle Donne. The council gives high-profile athletes a formal role in shaping and representing the organization's philanthropic and social-impact agenda.

• 2024Out of the Dark

  United States

  AFH partnered with WETA to co-produce a documentary series examining athlete mental health and the experiences behind public sporting performance.

  Outcome. The supplied reference material stated that the series was planned for public release in fall 2024.

  Source
• 20161,000 Days #FairStart Campaign

  United States · International advocacy

  In partnership with the Gates Foundation-related 1,000 Days effort, AFH mobilized 100 athletes to raise awareness of maternal and childhood nutrition and global malnutrition around the 2016 Rio Olympic period.

  Outcome. The campaign used athlete visibility to bring public attention to early-life nutrition and the need for a fair start for children.

  Source
• 2016Athletes for Active Schools

  United States

  AFH coordinated athlete participation in school visits and activities promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and positive youth development through the Let's Move! Active Schools effort.

  Outcome. AFH was recognized as the Let's Move! Active Schools Partner of the Year in May 2016.

  Source
• Nothing But Nets athlete advocacy

  United States · International

  AFH connected athletes, including former United States women's national-team player Abby Wambach, with Nothing But Nets' work to combat malaria.

  Outcome. The initiative used athlete advocacy to increase awareness of malaria prevention and global health needs.

  Source
• Kyrie Irving Beech Brook visit

  United States

  AFH coordinated a September 11 anniversary visit by Cleveland Cavaliers player Kyrie Irving to underserved children at Beech Brook in Cleveland, Ohio.

  Outcome. The visit provided direct athlete engagement with children in an underserved community.

  Source

• 2024

  Establish the Athlete Leadership CouncilOther

  Background

  AFH sought to preserve the founders' model of athlete-led philanthropy while giving current-generation athletes a formal leadership role.

  Action taken

  The organization launched a council featuring Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, Gabby Thomas, and Elena Delle Donne.

  Aftermath

  The council was positioned to support AFH's next phase of athlete leadership and public engagement.

  Source

• 2021

  Make mental health a core athlete-advocacy areaProduct launch

  Background

  Mental-health concerns and stigma had become increasingly visible in sport, creating demand for athlete-centered education and advocacy.

  Action taken

  AFH created Whole Being Athlete around storytelling, education, and advocacy.

  Aftermath

  The initiative became part of AFH's national athlete mental-health work and led to a documentary collaboration with WETA.

  Source

• 2013

  Extend philanthropy education to college athleticsStrategy

  Background

  AFH identified university athletes as an important audience for developing long-term habits of civic participation and charitable service.

  Action taken

  It launched Athletes for Hope University and delivered workshops to varsity teams at colleges and universities across the United States.

  Aftermath

  Thousands of college athletes participated, and teams received assistance with service activities during the academic year.

  Source

• 2010

  Invest in Causeway and Good GameStrategy

  Background

  AFH sought to formalize its educational and community-engagement model for athletes and their advisers.

  Action taken

  The organization used support from a reported W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant to develop Causeway and Good Game.

  Aftermath

  Causeway became a central mechanism for educating athletes and guiding their philanthropic journeys.

  Grant amount. $2 million (2010)

  Source

• 2007

  Create a shared athlete-philanthropy platformStrategy

  Background

  The founding athletes wanted to help peers participate in charitable work while avoiding the assumption that every athlete needed to create a personal foundation or make substantial financial contributions.

  Action taken

  AFH was established as an education, cause-connection, recognition, and inspiration platform centered on athletes' time and influence.

  Aftermath

  The organization expanded its work across professional, Olympic, and college sports and developed programs such as Causeway and AFH University.

  Source

• 2024

  Athletes for Hope establishes Athlete Leadership Council[1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change · Other

  AFH announced a council featuring Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, Gabby Thomas, and Elena Delle Donne to extend athlete-led philanthropy to a new generation.

• 2024

  Athletes for Hope reports expanded annual impact[1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organization's reported 2023–2024 impact included educating more than 833 athletes and reaching over 200,000 children per month through its programming.

• 2024

  Athletes for Hope partners with WETA on Out of the Dark[1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  AFH partnered with WETA to co-produce a documentary series about athlete mental health, with public release described as planned for fall 2024.

• 2021

  Athletes for Hope launches Whole Being Athlete[1]Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  AFH created a program focused on reducing the stigma surrounding mental health in sport through storytelling, education, and advocacy.

1. 1Athletes for Hopeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Athletes for Hope official websiteathletesforhope.org
3. 3Warwickshire IFA bought for up to £615,000professionaladviser.com