Fooch’s update - Jed York issued this statement:
"Today, I am committing that the 49ers Foundation will contribute $1 Million to the cause of improving racial and economic inequality and fostering communication and collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they serve here in the Bay Area.
We are partnering with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation in this effort. We have chosen to work with these two organizations because they have proven track records of affecting change in the face of challenging problems and have the collective reach to make the greatest impact. Silicon Valley Community Foundation is the largest community foundation in the world, managing $7.3 billion in assets and more than 1,800 philanthropic funds globally. The San Francisco Foundation has served the people of the Bay Area since 1948, almost as long as the 49ers franchise. We are excited to work with these two renowned foundations over the coming months to develop a giving plan to help our community find unifying solutions to these pressing issues."
Colin Kaepernick’s push to build a movement against social injustice is picking up more steam. A week after the quarterback declared he will donate $1 million to various community organizations, the San Francisco 49ers organization has followed suit. ESPN’s Jim Trotter is reporting the team will donate $1 million to two Bay Area groups dealing with social inequities. Eric Branch and Ian Rapoport both reported the money is going to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation.
The two organizations focus on the Bay Area, and while there is a lot of big money in the region, there are also a lot of communities in need of assistance. The 49ers have done a lot of community work, but this comes in light of Kaepernick’s own actions, comments, and promises. Ian Rapoport said it is not tied to Kaepernick’s donation, but it is clearly driven specifically by the discussion Kaepernick has helped push forward.
It has been easy to dog the 49ers, and Jed York in particular, over the past two years. However, the organization has shown a willingness to step into various issues. This will be the most notable, but back in May, the organization provided a $75,000 gift to Equality North Carolina. The group works to protect LGBTQ rights, and the donation came amidst the NFL holding meetings in North Carolina during the debate over transgender rights.
All this is simply to say the team has some kind of social conscience. Considering how hard it can be at times to support the NFL, it is nice when a team (our team) is willing to take a step forward in trying to help improve the world.