• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Alicia Keys, NFL Launch $1 Billion Fund for Black-Owned Businesses

  • Keys performed at the NFL Kickoff concert Sept. 10.
  • The NFL partnered with Keys’ management agency, Roc Nation, in 2019.
Alicia Keys, NFL Launch $1 Billion Fund for Black-Owned Businesses
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

Alicia Keys’ Sept. performance to kick off the 2020 NFL season didn’t just mark the dawn of a season unlike any other — it signaled the beginning of a new partnership between Keys and the league. 

The parties are coming together to launch a $1 billion endowment for Black-owned businesses and communities, Billboard reported

The 15-time Grammy-winner Keys told Billboard that the fund is meant to be a way to “help transform the protests and words of solidarity that have poured out in the past months into tangible action and support for the Black community.” She also wants the action to be something that goes “beyond” a one-time donation and will grow after the initial endowment.

Today, I will be doing something I never thought I would do again. I’m performing for the NFL Kickoff event,” Keys — who also performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during Thursday Night Football — wrote in a letter announcing the endowment. “My initial reaction was to decline because of some of the NFL’s past decisions. Yet I realized I HAVE to use my platform, we all need to use our platforms, every chance we get to press for racial equity.”

Additional partners and contributors to the fund beyond Keys and the NFL were not disclosed, Billboard reported, but organizers are looking to create a “multi-sector contributor field.”

“The initial goal of $1 billion is to ensure a substantial commitment,” Keys told Billboard. “Even with that it does not come close to closing the economic gap. The next steps are to reach out to different industries to invite them to invest in racial justice and create a multi-billion dollar endowment across business sectors.”

“We are pushing for an aggressive agenda to meet the urgent need of proper access, opportunity and inclusion,” Keys added in the letter. “I am personally committed to creating meaningful conversations to hold corporations and institutions accountable for their contributions to racial justice.”

In August 2019, the Jay-Z-founded agency Roc Nation, which manages Keys, entered a multi-year partnership with the NFL to “enhance the NFL’s live game experiences and to amplify the league’s social justice efforts.” As part of the deal, Roc Nation is advising the league on the selection of artists for major NFL performances, like the Super Bowl — and presumably the Kickoff event. 

Keys was the halftime performer at Super Bowl Super Bowl XLVII.

According to the announcement last year, a major component of the partnership is to “nurture and strengthen community through football and music.” Roc Nation is also involved in the NFL’s Inspire Change program, which in partnership with the NFL Players’ Association is committing $250 million to social justice causes.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Georgia takes the field for the first half of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.

SEC Lands Starring Role in Netflix College Football Docuseries

Netflix brings its sports storytelling to the heart of SEC football.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart Says Money Is Making Players Too Comfortable

The football coach is concerned about the revenue-sharing era.
Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith (65) against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Trey Smith, Chiefs Reach Record Deal Before Franchise Tag Deadline

Smith was taken by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2021 Draft.

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
FIFA

Saudis Awarded 2034 World Cup in Uncontested Vote

Saudi Arabia was the only option after Australia decided not to bid.
May 20, 2024

Top Sports Business Jobs This Week (May 2024)

Each week, our staff combs through the thousands of job listings from…
The stands at the Solheim Cup
September 13, 2024

LPGA Apologizes for Solheim Cup Fan Bus Debacle That Left Stands Half-Empty

The USA-Europe women’s team golf event teed off Friday morning.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
October 3, 2022

Real Madrid President Renews Call for Super League

Real Madrid’s president believes that soccer is losing ground.
August 10, 2022

PGA Tour Touts Projected Earnings to Keep Players

The PGA Tour is asking its players to consider their potential futures.
August 10, 2022

Bayern Munich to Make Growth Push in U.S. Market

Bayern Munich is looking to expand its reach in the U.S.
Nintendo-logo
August 3, 2022

Nintendo Profits Underwhelm, Switch Sales Decline

Nintendo failed to meet expectations in the company’s latest earnings report.