2025 flew by in a hurry! It was a fantastic year of growth and expansion for SPN. We are thankful to have you as part of our community and we hope that you will take some time to look ahead with us to 2026, and also look back at some of the incredible organizations and events that we partnered with in 2025.
As we launch into our ambitious schedule for the coming year, we are thrilled to be hosting our Days of Impact in ten (10) cities around the country. We have already had requests from many other communities seeking to become part of that schedule so you are likely to see substantial additions in 2027 both in the United States and overseas.
January marks the launch of Season 8 of our Sports Philanthropy Podcast, as well as our ongoing series of Sports Philanthropy Webinars.
We know that the holiday season is hectic but we hope that you were able to take some time for yourself and your family. The world rushes by us quickly, but to quote a great speech a few years ago from NBA Announcer Ernie Johnson, “Relentlessly Eliminate Hurry”.
As always, our work and our ability to create impact by providing education, training and other resources for small sports nonprofits relies on the generosity of our donors, sponsors and supporters. Here is a link where you can make your tax-deductible contribution!
Thank you for being part of our Sports Philanthropy Network Family!
Please remember to LIVE GENEROUSLY!
– Roy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MONTHLY AUCTION
Our February Member for a Day Auction will be held during Super Bowl Week. Member for a Day helps hundreds of organizations raise funds for their missions. This auction will offer an array of incredible golf experiences at elite private golf clubs to raise money for our Day of Impact, Sports Philanthropy Academy trainings and Sports Philanthropy Overlay Program!
Explore the upcoming auction here.
LOOKING AHEAD: 2026
March 22 & 23—Tampa Palms
April 27 & 28—South Florida (TBA)
May 17 & 18—Atlanta National Golf Club
May 31 & June 1—Bluegrass Yacht & Country Club (Nashville)
August 16 & 17—Ravinia Green Country Club (Chicago)
August 30 & 31—Hackberry Creek Country Club (Dallas)
October 4 & 5—Dominion Golf Club (Washington DC)
Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix dates and courses coming soon!
*Dates and Locations Subject to Change
**Day of Impact Programming May Be In Different Location From Golf
We are finalizing the agreement for our host venue for 2026. Look for an announcement coming soon!
SAVE THE DATES of August 3-5 on your calendar!
SPORTS PHILANTHROPY PODCAST
Here’s a look back at a few Season 7 episodes you may have missed. Season 8 kicks off soon, so make sure you’re caught up on everything by clicking here!
2025 Year in Review
The year gets off to a fast start working with coaches and exploring how we can support their philanthropic efforts and initiatives with the ABCA, AFCA and United Soccer Coaches. Add on the PGA Show as well as the Compete Sports Network Sin City Conference and the Pro Bowl and January is always one of the busiest months of the year.
Radio Row at the Super Bowl in New Orleans was a hub of activity as we handled over 70 interviews with players, coaches, sports foundations and other nonprofits. We appreciate the strong support from the partnership with the NFL and NFL Foundation as we spent the week highlighting the community events and activations New Orleans. We were also fortunate to be part of the MLB Players Trust Gala in Phoenix to spotlight the work of grantees doing amazing things in the world of baseball.
March Madness always takes center stage but one of the most impactful events each year is the Project Play Summit hosted by the Aspen Institute. This year’s event was hosted in Berkeley and featured a beautiful setting with hundreds of sports nonprofits creating impact around the country. We were also fortunate to participate in the NFL Owners Meetings at the Breakers in Palm Beach and have the opportunity to speak directly with team owners and executives about their community and philanthropic initiatives.
April has become an increasingly hectic month as the Men’s and Women’s Final Fours and coaching conventions bring together the basketball community. The Philadelphia Eagles hosted their nonprofit Summit, and the Drake Group’s Annual Alan Sack Symposium addressed major issues in the college sports landscape. Green Bay took center stage at month’s end as Lambeau Field provided an amazing backdrop for the Draft Theater, and even the unseasonably cold weather couldn’t dampen the energy.
The Association of Chief Executives in Sport hosted its annual conference in Louisville with a special event at legendary Churchill Downs. Bringing together leaders from National Governing Bodies and other national organizations, ACES allows these leaders the opportunity to learn, grow and expand their toolboxes while collaborating with those that share similar challenges. Gridiron Greats hosted its Hall of Fame Dinner in Chicago to end the month. Started by the vision of Mike Ditka, Gridiron Greats continues to provide support for former players struggling with life’s challenges after their careers.
The focus for June was preparing for our signature Sports Philanthropy World event. Hosted by KPMG in the Aon Center, SPW2025 brought together athletes, team ownership groups, sports agents, philanthropy consultants, community based sports nonprofits, media, sports executives and many others involved in training, educating and supporting the sports philanthropy ecosystem. We are excited to continue building SPW and expect to have host announcements for 2026 and beyond this month.
As summer took full effect with the 4th of July, we enjoyed the glow from Sports Philanthropy World. The Retired Professional Football Players of Chicago (RPFPC) hosted their annual golf event and showed how they led the way with scholarships and equipment grants. Football fever launched with media days as the Big Ten took over Las Vegas and gave us a chance to hear athletes and schools outline their philanthropic plans. Abbott led the way with its Big Ten blood drive which was ultimately won by the Badgers (#OnWisconsin).
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend is an amazing gathering of elite sports leaders from football, media and beyond. The Gold Jacket Dinner where each enshrinee runs through the Gauntlet of current HOF players is one of the highlights as are the speeches where the enshrinees share their stories with a focus on how they overcame obstacles in their lives to reach the pinnacle of the football world. We were introduced to the Annika Foundation and its Executive Women initiative which opens up the doors of corporate golf to female business leaders. The MLBPA hosted a STEM program in Hyde Park, Chicago with a terrific opportunity for young students learn and engage!
As schools reopened and the fall weather started to take hold, we headed down to Florida for two impactful events. The Mac Parkman Foundation Summit in Tampa brought together elite leaders from sports, military and medicine to address the impact of concussions and brain health. Dedication to Community’s Summit in Miami assembled police leadership from around the country looking at the issues of mental health and community policing. The statistics are staggering and the relationship between the police and the community can have an incredible impact on the overall health and wellbeing in that area. We got to see the great work from the Alex English Foundation and its efforts at Celebrity Golf Weekend in Columbia, South Carolina.
Compete Sports Network hosted its Women’s Summit in Tampa. Focusing on how to create more awareness of and opportunities for women to take leadership roles in the sports business world, this group expanding women’s initiatives more women’s initiatives in coming years. Each year the TEAMS Conference brings together event organizers, sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus and other Destination Marketing Organizations. Leading off with a golf event with this great title belts for the winners, TEAMS was a great venue to work with the event organizers and destinations to implement our SPOP (Sports Philanthropy Overlay Program). Combining the elements of education, service and fundraising, SPOP works with these groups to build a culture of philanthropy.
Heading into November, our focus shifted to the relationships we need for success in 2026. Tremendous events for Board of Advisors (Dallas), the JFNA General Assembly (DC) and Megasuccess (Los Angeles) brought together leaders in finance, entrepreneurship, antisemitism and Jewish leadership as our plans for the Jewish Sports Network and International Jewish Sports Conference start to take shape. The Get in the Game Conference in Baltimore was created by SBRnet and Pen and Mike and hosted HBCU students trying to identify a pathway into a sports career. These enthusiastic students had an opportunity to engage and interact with athletes like Calvin Hill, brands like Brooks and Titleist and great organizations like the NBA Foundation.
As the year winded down, we were thankful to be included in the Hope Global Forum in Atlanta and its programs for creating financial empowerment and financial literacy. Convening banking CEOs and powerful business leaders, John Hope Bryant always creates a marquee event that builds momentum heading into the new year. The HBCU Hoops Invitational in Orlando was launched by Haywoode Workman and his team. Hosted by ESPN at the Disney Wide World of Sports, this event debuted with a strong field and will continue to grow into 2026 and beyond. We closed our last travel for the year with Adam Nemer in Atlanta as he hosted his Simple Mental Health Book Launch at the Carter Center. A terrific facility with great leadership, the Carter Center is already in line to collaborate with SPN for Day of Impact programming and other initiatives in 2026.
Event Calendar
January 8-11: American Baseball Coaches Association Convention (Columbus, OH)
January 11-13: American Football Coaches Association Convention (Charlotte, NC)
January 14-17: United Soccer Coaches (Philadelphia, PA)
January 14-18: Compete Sports Network Sin City Conference (Las Vegas, NV)
January 20-23: PGA Show (Orlando, FL)
January 24: Youth Athlete Summit (Virtual)
February 1-8: Super Bowl Week (San Francisco, CA)
February 4: 7th Annual Sports Power Brunch (San Francisco, CA)
February 5: Ditka’s Gridiron Greats Cigars with the Stars VIP Super Bowl Party (San Francisco, CA)
February 11-15: NBA All Star Weekend (Los Angeles, CA)
February 17-19: Coalition of Athletic Communities for Mental Health (Aurora, CO)
March 16: 1st & Goal Project Celebrity and Veterans Golf Invitational (Coto de Caza, CA)
May 5-6: Project Play Summit (Boston, MA)
August 3-5: Sports Philanthropy World 2026 (Indianapolis, IN)
Take a look at our Event Calendar which has a wide array of sports philanthropy events around the country. You will see fundraisers, seminars, conferences and other educational programming. We hope this resource allows you to find impactful events as you visit other cities.
Submit your event to SPN’s calendar to be featured on social media, our monthly newsletter, weekly newsstand and on our website. Make sure you let our SPN community know about your event.
NEWSSTAND
Catch on the lastest in our community by reading the most recent issues of Sports Philanthropy Newsstand!
Sports Philanthropy Overlay Program
Our Sports Philanthropy Overlay Program is partnering with communities and event organizers around the country to create philanthropic activations. Each activation includes elements of Education, Service and Fundraising which will help create a culture of philanthropy. These youth sports tournaments include hundreds of teams and thousands of athletes that are immersed in their sport. By activating an SPOP, we can ensure that these athletes and families learn about the issues facing our communities.
