The Jordan Wings Program is a part of a 10-year $100 million commitment to the black community by Nike.
What We Know:
- In 2020, the NBA Board of Governors pledged $300 million in funding to establish the first-ever NBA Foundation dedicated to better economic empowerment in the Black Community. Jordan Brand announced the pledge in June 2020 and will focus on three key areas: social and economic justice and education and awareness. This week Nike and Jordan Brand have announced they are opening the first cycle of community grants that will provide $1million to local, grassroots organizations fighting for Black social justice.
Michael Jordan mentioned in a statement from July that, “There is a long history of oppression again Black Americans that holds up back from full participation in American society.”
- Jordan was most recently the star of his own documentary, The Last Dance, which premiered on Netflix in July last year. The program arrives in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests last summer and is intended to help fight racial inequality. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and applications will manage the mentioned grants will be open from March 31st to April 30th, 2021. Non-profits are being encouraged to apply to the program.
- The first round of donations will be $500,000 or $1 million each to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Additionally, the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement and Black Voters Matter groups will also receive the first round of donations. Recipients of the grants will be chosen by an advisory board made up of Jordan Brand employees and members of the Michael Jordan Family Office. Potential candidates or groups that wish to apply may apply for the grant at this link.
- In the past, the NBA has allowed their players to put social justice messages on the backs of their uniform jerseys. Phoenix Sun’s vice-chairman Jahm Najafi donated $10 million to the NBA’s foundation to enhance economic opportunities in the Black community. 30 NBA team owners have agreed to collectively contribute $30 million annually to establish charitable foundations in the league in 2020. Their proposed mission is intended to drive economic empowerment for Black communities through employment and career advancement.
The Jordan Brand initiative is one of many sports organizations dedicated to improving conditions for minority communities.
