The LGBTQ community in the USA has found an ally in an NFL team owner, Arthur Blank, after he donated $1 million to The Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ young people. Blank is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and founder of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, an Atlanta based foundation established in 1995 that has granted over $1.5 billion to charitable organizations primarily in Georgia and Montana.
Carl Nassib, a former NFL player who came out as gay in 2021, voiced his approval of Blank’s donation and has worked closely with The Trevor Project. By coming out, Nassib became the first NFL player to do so while on an active roster in the league, according to OutSports.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for their extraordinary $1 million donation to The Trevor Project and everyone at the Atlanta Falcons for their heartfelt support,” Nassib wrote via LinkedIn.
“This donation helps fund counselor training, enhance volunteer services and ensure our critical programs reach LGBTQ+ youth in their most vulnerable moments. Thank you again to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, this gift will save lives,” Nassib continued.
Laurette M. director of individual philanthropy with The Trevor Project said “It’s always powerful to see an organization invest not only in the communities around it, but also in the culture it builds internally.”
