FanDuel Group and the Washington Football Team, on the heels of their mobile sports betting market access partnership launch in Virginia in January, announced a one-million-dollar contribution to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

The FanDuel/Washington Football Team Emergency Student Aid Fund will be dedicated to supporting current students enrolled in Virginia’s five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The fund will provide aid grants for those students seeking emergency assistance for technology, housing, food security, tuition, and other education-related expenses.

To celebrate Black History Month and support students at Virginia’s five HBCUs, FanDuel and Washington Football Team provide this contribution as an extension of its legal sports betting partnership in the state. UNCF will be working with the HBCU institutions to ensure students demonstrating need have access to this critical aid. Supporting HBCUs and their students at this time stands to bolster the strength of these institutions in the state, broadening their already deep economic impact in the Commonwealth.

“Supporting these institutions and these hard-working students, amidst enormous challenges related to COVID, is the right thing to do,” said Matt King, CEO of FanDuel Group. “As we celebrate Black History Month and recognize the critical role HBCUs play in developing the next generation of leaders in business, academia, and civic participation, our hope is that this investment in students keeps them on the path to realize their academic and personal goals while enrolled at these universities.”

“HBCUs have produced some of the most accomplished and successful individuals across countless professions making an incredible impact on our organization along with numerous others in the DMV. This important investment is a way to continue to foster the talent at these great institutions and give the scholars of today a chance to achieve their goals and career aspirations,” said Dan and Tanya Snyder, Owners of the Washington Football Team.

“For decades, UNCF and the HBCUs they support have been driving Black socio-economic elevation in unparalleled fashion and I’m proud that our team and FanDuel are able to support them at an important moment in history. Dr. Lomax and the Virginia HBCU presidents are the type of leaders we can all trust to achieve remarkable feats with the resources they are given,” added Washington Football Team President Jason Wright.

“Everyone knows how important HBCUs are to me, and I applaud UNCF’s commitment to partner with us and FanDuel to administer this emergency aid fund with Virginia’s HBCUs. It is critical to support these students,” concluded Doug Williams, Super Bowl Champion and the Washington Football Team’s Senior Advisor to the Team President.