Organizations Filed Purposes:
THE GRIDIRON GREATS ASSISTANCE FUND (GGAF) IS AN ORGANIZATION PROVIDING FINANCIAL GRANTS AND 'PRO BONO' MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO RETIRED NFL PLAYERS IN DIRE NEED. THE ORGANIZATION FOCUSES ON THE HUMANITARIAN SIDE OF PAST-FOOTBALL RELATED ISSUES, WHICH INCLUDE COORDINATION OF SOCIAL SERVICES TO RETIRED PLAYERS WHO ARE IN NEED DUE TO A VARIETY OF REASONS INCLUDING INADEQUATE DISABILITY AND/OR PENSIONS.THE GGAF'S MISSION IS TO ASSIST DIRE NEED RETIRED NFL PLAYERS WHO WERE PIONEERS OF THE GAME AND WHO HAVE GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE NFL'S STATUS AS THE MOST POPULAR SPORT IN AMERICA. GGAF PROVIDES HANDS-ON ASSISTANCE TO HELP RETIRED PLAYERS AND THEIR FAMILIES DEAL WITH HARDSHIPS THEY FACE AFTER FOOTBALL. THE SERVICES INCLUDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, TRANSPORTATION COSTS FOR MEDICAL EVALUATIONS AND SURGERIES, HOUSING ASSISTANCE, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR UTILITIES, MEDICATIONS, AND COORDINATION OF SERVICES FOR FOOD, AUTOMOTIVE PAYMENTS, AND CHILDCARE.
TO PROVIDE DIRECT OR INDIRECT FINANCIAL AND SERVICE ASSISTANCE TO OR FOR THE BENEFIT OF RETIRED PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO ARE POOR, NEEDY, OR DISTRESSED.
PLAYER ASSISTANCE - GRANTS ARE MADE ON BEHALF OF RETIRED NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES FOR MEDICAL, SHELTER, OR OTHER BASIC NEEDS WHO ARE INDIGENT, IN POVERTY, OR HAVE MEDICAL NEEDS BEYOND THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. IN MOST INSTANCES, PAYMENTS ARE MADE DIRECTLY TO SERVICE PROVIDERS OR VENDORS TO COVER COSTS THAT HAVE BEEN INCURRED BY PLAYERS WHO HAVE MET ESTABLISHED GUIDELINES FOR MEDICAL COSTS, HOUSING, FOOD, SHELTER, AND OTHER BASIC NEEDS THAT QUALIFY UNDER GGAF'S POLICIES. GGAF IS ONLY ABLE TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY FUNDING ON A TEMPORARY BASIS. ACCORDINGLY, GGAF WORKS WITH PLAYERS TO ATTEMPT TO LOCATE LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO THEIR NEEDS. GGAF ALSO ATTEMPTS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS OF THE MANY RETIRED NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY DUE TO INJURIES INCURRED WHILE PLAYING IN THE LEAGUE. BY RAISING AWARENESS WITH THE NFL, NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, CURRENT PLAYERS, AND THE PUBLIC, GGAF HOPES A LONG-TERM SOLUTION FOR THESE PLAYERS CAN BE ESTABLISHED.
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Karen Wright | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (SINCE JULY) | 40 | $56,250 |
| Shannon Jordan | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU JUNE) | 40 | $49,772 |
| Steven Jennerjohn | TREASURER/SECRETARY | 5 | $2,500 |
| Vincent Hudson | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Michael Golic | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Marc Badain | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Matt Birk | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Mike Ditka | PRESIDENT | 1 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202100289349300820_public.xml