NFL Grassroots Program

The NFL Youth Football Fund Grassroots Program is a partnership of the National Football League Youth Football Fund (NFL YFF) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).  The goal of the Program is to provide non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations, middle schools and high schools with financing and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields.

In December 2002 famed football player Tiki Barber and NY Giants co-owner Preston Robert Tische delivered a $100,000 check to the Newark Community Development Network (NCDN) to improve the athletic facilities in Newark's West Side Park.  Pictured above at the press conference held in Newark City Hall's Rotunda (from l-r) is Gerard Joab, Sr. Program Director of the local LISC Program, Pernell Parker Executive Director of NCDN, Tiki Barber, Mayor Sharpe James of Newark, Gerri Harvey Executive Director of CREST CDC, Congressman Payne, Sheila Pitts Director of the West Side Park Conservancy, Preston Robert Tische NY Giants co-owner, and Mayor Wayne Smith of Irvington.

Parks and ball fields can serve as tremendous community assets because they offer opportunities for recreation, education, and relaxation that contribute to the local quality of life, especially for young people. In five years of programming, the Fields Program has awarded $7.9 million in grants for 88 projects with total development costs of $31 million in over 40 cities across the country. Grants are announced and awarded annually in the early fall.

For more information, visit the LISC National website.