Vikings, Wilf family donate $5 million to social justice causes

KSTP
[KSTP]

Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings and the Wilf family announced a $5 million donation to social justice causes throughout the United States.

This comes a day after two other professional Minnesota sports teams, the Lynx and Timberwolves, announced a partnership to use their respective platforms to effect change in areas of social injustice, racial inequality and systemic racism.

Minnesota Timberwolves, Lynx announce ‘Team Up for Change’ partnership

The Vikings announced the news in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.

According to the team, Vikings owner/chairman Zygi Wilf and owner/president Mark Wilf told the team’s Social Injustice Committee this week that the contributions from this fund will be determined in part through collaboration with players. Funds will be directed toward organizations that fight hate, racism and inequality.

"We continue to be inspired by these players as they advocate for transformational change in this very challenging moment," Mark Wilf said in a statement to the team. "We are proud of their efforts to use their platform in an effort to end deep-seated social injustices. Their thoughtful approach and our conversations with them have deeply moved us, certainly in large part because of our family’s history and long-standing commitment to human rights, but also because of their steadfast dedication to not sit idly by when they have the ability to make a difference."

This donation builds on a previous commitment of $500,000 by the Wilf family to the Social Justice Committee over the past two years. Those funds have been directed toward scholarships for low-income students, school supplies, legal aid for disadvantaged and underrepresented populations and law enforcement relations.

"Our organization and the players have shown a commitment to these causes over the last several years, but we know we need to and can do more," Zygi Wilf said in a statement to the team. "We want this investment to support the many diverse and meaningful social justice efforts throughout our country, but it can only be one piece of our overall work toward having a sustainable impact. Our actions within our communities will be the driving force for creating profound change."

The Vikings also on Wednesday announced an endowment for the George Floyd Legacy Scholarship with an establishing gift of $125,000 by the Vikings Social Justice Committee.