Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Jaguar Foundation supports youth, K-12 and university education, families, military veterans, health, cancer human services, the environment, nonprofits, food insecurity, animals, and other community needs in and around Jacksonville, Florida.
IP TAKE: This NFL team funder is active in it’s local community in many different ways, but it does not make itself particularly accessible for first-time grantseekers. It’s a multi-year funder that leaves the door open for new groups. The Jaguar’s owner, Shadid Khan, predominately conducts grants for Florida through his NFL team foundation rather than his own family foundation, which has prioritized Illinois in recent years.
This funder often partners with local organizations that can scale, so don’t hesitate to reach out to them if you feel that your organization has something to offer at the local level in a major way. JJF also donates goods, usually for food, toys and disaster relief, but offers players’ volunteerism - usually making appearances at marketed events, common of sports league foundations.
This funder’s website doesn’t make it easy to figure out how to apply for a grant nor does it clarify grantmaking strategies, but it’s accessible, so don’t hesitate to reach out and talk to it’s staff. Often the Foundation will fund player-led initiatives as a form of community service work.
PROFILE: Established in 1994, the Jacksonville Jaguar Foundation is a National Football League (NFL) sports team funder based in Jacksonville, Florida owned by Shahid “Shad” Khan, who also conducts grantmaking through his foundation of the same name, the Khan Foundation. This is the grantmaking arm of the local team and part of the team’s community involvement efforts. The foundation works to uplift it’s community “by providing economic and equal opportunity through programs that strengthen our neighborhoods and develop our youth.” The foundation finds a wide range of local efforts that spans from youth, families, military veterans, and other community needs.
While this funder’s website lacks in-depth information on grant strategies and interested, 990 tax filings and it’s annual news letter brochure details initiatives and programs, some of which occur annually.
Grants for Youth and Education
While the Foundation lacks a clear giving strategy for education and youth funding, 990s show a wide range of interests at the local level. It gives most often to strategic school partnerships, student mentorship, scholarships, and internships. Funding also includes K-12 schools, colleges and universities.
The Foundation also oversees a handful of programs in this area of giving, which includes, but is not limited to:
Shop with a Jaguar, Jaguars players surprise hundreds of kids with a shopping spree during the holidays.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital Toy Donation, football players join together to purchase hundreds of toys for kids at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House in an effort to spread holiday cheer. The Jaguars and The Law Firm of Pajcic and Pajcic also partnered to sponsor the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville’s Annual Family Holiday Party.
Honor Rows Program, which uses seats at Jaguars home games as an incentive for youth to reach their goals, giving students something exciting to work towards! “Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow,” from FDOT.
In partnership with City Year, the Jaguars Foundation continues to encourage academic excellence and support Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) by helping thousands of K-12 students . The Jaguars support of enter career training, the military or college.
Shad Khan and Harry Frisch Scholarship and Internship Program
Literacy Locker Room Visits, in partnership with Read USA.
Previous education and youth grantees include Girls Incorporated of Jacksonville, Andrew Jackson High School, Atlantic Coast High School, Mandarin High School, William M. Raines High School, The Bolles School, Camden County High School Fine Arts Academy, Friends of the Brentwood Public Library, Women's Center of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Public Education Fund, St Johns County School District, University of North Florida Foundation, and many other education outfits.
Grants for Community Development, Economic Development and Disaster Relief
The Jaguar Foundation invests heavily in community and neighborhood revitalization. Of particular note, it has spent major funding rehabilitating downtown Jacksonville through it’s investment entity, Iguana Investments, which has worked to develop The Shipyards, Miller Electric Center, and the eventual Stadium of the Future.
The Foundation’s website does not have specific guidance on grantmaking strategies, but 990s reveal an interest in: developing local businesses, community football fields, digital literacy, workforce development and improving green spaces. As well, the Foundation makes grants for summer camps and Habitat for Humanity projects.
Previous grantees include a “$1 million donation to LIFT JAX and its work with the Historic Eastside CDC to help Jacksonville’s Outeast neighborhood, one of the most historic and culturally-prominent African American communities.” As well, the West Jacksonville Restoration Center,
Grants for Health, Housing, and Food Insecurity
While the Jaguar Foundation lacks a clear strategy on health-related initiatives, as a football team foundation, food banks, annual food drives, food insecurity, childhood obesity, sports recreation, and cancer are particularly important issues for this funder. As well, grants for major diseases and emergency shelter for women and children are major areas of interest.
Previous health related grantees are a mix of established and grassroots organizations that include Malivai Washington Kids Foundation, Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program, The ALS Association Florida Chapter, the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, Nemours Foundation, Baptist Health Foundation, Hunger Fight, Duval County Medical Society, Youth Crisis Center, Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center, Saint Vincent's Foundation, Betty Griffin Center, BASCA, Inc., Family Promise of Jacksonville, Genesis Health, Wounded Warrior Project, Yoga 4 Change, Salvation Army (meal Ministry), American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Hubbard House, Family Promise of Jacksonville (emergency shelter), and Shands Jacksonville Foundation, among many others.
Grants for Arts and Culture
While recent grants for arts and culture have dwindled, this funder has historically given generously to the arts, which may swing back in coming yearrs. Previous arts grantees include Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Jewish Community Alliance, Cathedral Arts Project, and the Jacksonville Arts & Music School, among others.
Grants for the Environment
The environment is not a major giving area for the Jaguar Foundation, but it has given to local environmental groups and environmental education projects, such as St Augustine Youth Services and Coastal Conservation Association.
Grants for Criminal Justice and LGBTQ
The Jaguar Foundation has also been involved with social justice reforms to improve relations between police and the public. This is not a major area of funding for the foundation, but it has given very small grants to support criminal justice efforts, as well as social justice, more often at the national rather than the local level. Every so often, the Foundation provides a large grant in this area, as with the Trevor Project and Lift Jax, which specializes in community organizing.
Previous grantees include Fernandina Beach Pride, The Trevor Project, and the Bail Project.
Grants for Nonprofits
The Jaguar Foundation sometimes funds work that supports philanthropic organization’s training and infrastructure. Past grantees in this area include the Florida Philanthropic Network, IOA Foundation, and Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range between about $1,000 and $10,000, but can go up to $500,00o or more depending on the team’s owner’s priorities. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on Jacksonville, Florida and the surrounding area.
This foundation does not typically accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits and primarily makes contributions to pre-selected charitable organizations.
Direct general questions to the staff at 904-633-6000 or via online form.
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