NFL players are demonstrating to America what leadership looks like both on and off the football field. Nearly 20 million fans watch every NFL game, drawn to the talent, teamwork, and drive that define it. Off the field, players are channeling those same qualities to drive change on the issues they care most about, leading efforts that strengthen communities from the ground up.

Stand Together is proud to collaborate with the NFL to bring these athletes’ stories to light. As a philanthropic community, Stand Together works with players who are driving change at the community level, helping them expand their reach and build lasting impact. With the NFL, Stand Together is amplifying social impact stories through My Cause My Cleats and other player-led community initiatives throughout the year. The collaboration has the power to build a movement:

• Half of people old enough to turn on the TV pay attention to pro football.
• Stand Together works with more than 353 community-based organizations and nearly 700 business leaders and philanthropists to tackle the root causes of some of America’s biggest problems.

This collaboration marks a new chapter in how Stand Together and the NFL are helping players use their voices to make a difference. The goal is simple: Show what’s possible when neighbors step up in their communities.

My Cause My Cleats is one of the collaboration’s most visible efforts. Each season, players design custom cleats that represent the causes closest to their hearts. Through their collaboration, Stand Together and the NFL aim to inspire fans to contribute to their communities. It's about a player-led movement that demonstrates how change starts at the grassroots level and scales up nationwide.

The stakes couldn’t be higher: 40 million Americans live in poverty, nearly 48 million struggle with substance use disorder, and only about a third think the American Dream is still attainable. Too often, Americans simply don’t see others stepping up, so they assume that no one is.

When fans see their favorite players serving as trusted leaders in their communities and demonstrating lived experience with the issues they focus on, it sends a powerful message. Everyone wants to make a difference, and each person has a role to play in achieving this goal. By bringing these causes and athletes together, we’re creating opportunities for players to connect, learn, and explore new ways to contribute.

Several of this season’s stories feature players representing Stand Together community partners:

• Demario Davis, a Pro Bowl linebacker and team captain for the New Orleans Saints, is representing Stand Together. He has partnered with Stand Together to advance his Devoted Dreamers Academy, helping students develop confidence, leadership, and purpose.
• Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, is also partnering with and representing Stand Together. Hamlin is working with Stand Together to highlight his organization, The Chasing M’s Foundation — which is dedicated to the development, health, and safety of youth through sports, engagement activities, training, and programming — and to help develop a youth empowerment center in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
• Arik Armstead, a defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the NFL’s 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year, is additionally partnering with and spotlighting Stand Together. This will be the second season that Armstead and Stand Together are bringing attention to his Armstead Academic Project, an organization that’s dedicated to ensuring every student, no matter their socioeconomic status, has direct access to the resources they need to thrive and career-connected learning.
• Jonathan Allen, a defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings, is highlighting CarePortal, which connects families in crisis to real-time support.
• Derrick Barnes, a linebacker for the Detroit Lions, is supporting DBG Detroit, a nonprofit that combines academics, mentorship, and athletics to develop youths’ skills.
• Miles Killebrew, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is backing Café Momentum, an award-winning nonprofit restaurant that provides 12-month paid internships and life-changing support to youths who have experienced the juvenile justice system.
• Lane Johnson, an offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, is spotlighting Travis Manion Foundation, an organization that empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to strengthen their communities by fostering character in future generations.

Stand Together believes that the best solutions come from those closest to the problem. By working with the NFL and its players to highlight this truth, more people can see what is possible when contribution becomes a way of life.

Players are making an incredible impact on their communities, but they can’t do it alone. Explore My Cause My Cleats to learn more and get involved.

The Stand Together community partners with changemakers who are tackling the root causes of America’s biggest problems.

Learn more about Stand Together’s top issue areas and explore ways you can partner with us