OneTeam Partners and LISC Join Forces to Connect Athletes with Community Initiatives and Impact Investing
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, LISC and OneTeam Partners will work with athletes and players associations to catalyze opportunity for families and communities.
OneTeam Partners and LISC Join Forces to Connect Athletes with Community Initiatives and Impact Investing
First-of-its-kind partnership will provide thousands of professional athletes withopportunities to impact the health and wellbeing of communities where they live
WASHINGTON D.C., and NEW YORK – Jan. 28, 2021 – OneTeam Partners (OneTeam) is proud to announce a groundbreaking alliance with the Local Initiatives SupportCorporation (LISC), the nation’s largest community development organization, to provide 2,000 professional athletes with opportunities to catalyze opportunity in communities where they live and work.
OneTeam – a joint venture between the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), MLB Players Association (MLBPA) and RedBird Capital Partners – represents commercial business interests for the athletes of the NFL Players Association, MLB Players Association, the MLS Players Association, the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and the U.S. Rugby Players Association.
Together, OneTeam and the LISC will offer professional athletes ways to support high-impact economic development efforts, including those that fuel neighborhood businesses, affordable housing, better health, workforce development and jobs, safe streets, and strong schools.
In particular, that includes support for LISC’s Project 10X, a $1 billion initiative to close the racial health, wealth and opportunity gaps that affect millions of people throughout the country. It is named for the estimated ten times difference in wealth between Black and white Americans.
“Professional athletes are in a unique position of influence, and many are eager to leverage that position to positively impact the long-term outlook for families and communities,” said Maurice A. Jones, LISC president and CEO. “They can attract attention and resources to efforts that catalyze local opportunities, breaking through barriers based on race, class and gender so that people can build strong futures for themselves and their children. We are grateful to OneTeam for their partnership in advancing this important work.”
The wide-reaching partnership will include educational outreach to professional athletes to prepare them for impactful work in areas of community and economic development. Additionally, a new athlete ambassador program will enable athletes to engage directly with community organizations, fundraising efforts, local policy concerns, and other opportunities as they contribute their time in ways that change lives and revitalize neighborhoods.
“Athletes can affect not only specific issues but also their communities,” said Eric Winston, Chief Partnerships Officer at OneTeam and former NFL player. “Connecting a diverse roster of athletes from around the country with opportunities to invest in several different ways to make their own communities healthier and more equitable, will be some of the most important work we do here at OneTeam.”
With 35 local program offices nationwide and a rural investment program in more than 2,000 counties, LISC is positioned to deliver support and connect the professional athletes represented by OneTeam with initiatives that drive economic opportunity for all.
About LISC
With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $22 billion to build or rehab more than 419,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 70.3 million square feet of retail, community and educational space.
About OneTeam Partners
Formed in November 2019, OneTeam Partners is a joint venture between the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), MLB Players Association (MLBPA) and RedBird Capital Partners. OneTeam helps athletes maximize the value of their name, image, and likeness rights by transforming the way in which athletes interact with businesses across four verticals: group licensing, athlete marketing, content and venture investing. OneTeam represents a range of commercial business interests on behalf of the NFLPA, MLBPA, MLSPA, U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association, Women’s National Basketball Players Association, and U.S. Rugby Players Association. To learn more please visit www.joinoneteam.com.