NFL/LISC Grassroots Program and Philadelphia Eagles Grant $250,000 for Lanning Square Middle School

Award is Part of More than $3 Million in New Grants to Athletic Fields Nationwide

The KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy will install a new synthetic turf field at Lanning Square Middle School in Camden, N.J. thanks in part to a $250,000 grant from the Philadelphia Eagles through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program.

The grant from the Eagles, the NFL Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of more than $3 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year.

The NFL Foundation/LISC Grassroots Program, a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization, has committed nearly $46 million to the program since 1998, supporting 336 projects nationwide. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements including irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.

“We are grateful to be a part of this transformational partnership alongside the NFL Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which will benefit children in Camden and the surrounding communities this year with a brand-new synthetic turf field,” said Don Smolenski, Philadelphia Eagles President. “Through this partnership and our broader field restoration efforts over the past two decades, we are proud to have been able to revitalize a total of 25 fields and parks and contribute nearly $2.5 million to the Greater Philadelphia region.”

LISC identifies local, nonprofit, community-based agencies that have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and neighborhood parks. Through the program, local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their communities. The agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.

“This was an exceptional year for the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, old and young, as we won our first Super Bowl,” said Andy Frishkoff, Executive Director of Philadelphia LISC. 

“We are proud to announce the latest project of our 20-year partnership with the Eagles and the NFL Foundation that provides our youth with safe and healthy recreation spaces.”

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About the NFL Foundation

The National Football League Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foundation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities that support our game. For more information on The NFL Foundation, visit: NFLFoundation.org. 

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 1980, LISC has invested $20 billion to build or rehab 376,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 63,000 square feet of retail, community and educational space- including athletic facilities and other recreational space.  For more information, visit www.lisc.org.

Media Contacts:

Anthony Bonagura (Philadelphia Eagles PR)
abonagura@eagles.nfl.com

Jessica Collazo (Philadelphia LISC)  
JCollazo@lisc.org

Contact

For more information, contact Jess Collazo, Assistant Program Officer for Philadelphia LISC.

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