by Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin will use $10 million donated to online fundraising campaigns by supporters after his on-pitch collapse to fund his own nonprofit, Chasing M’s Foundation.
The decision, first shared with The Associated Press on Monday, kicks off the 25-year-old’s plan for the unprecedented outpouring of support he received after his heart stopped beating after a tackle on Monday Night Football in January.
“We were very thoughtful and purposeful taking the time to properly organize my charity,” Hamlin said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to start sharing the news about the programs we’re creating to impact a generation of youth and give back to others.”
That people continue to donate weekly, if not daily, to the fundraiser is just one measure of the emotional strength and connection Hamlin has with so many people.
To date, they have donated more than $9 million to the GoFundMe campaign and nearly a million to a second online fundraiser set up by The Giving Back Fund, a non-profit organization that helps athletes and celebrities manage their charitable donations, according to Kelley Denny, spokesperson for the charity Hamlin.
Damar Hamlin says he will use the money donated to him to fund his Chasing M’s Foundation
Hamlin was allowed to return to the Bills’ training facilities and practiced
Hamlin’s marketing representative said in January that his family arranged for The Giving Back Fund to act as a fiscal sponsor for funds donated to GoFundMe, which allowed Hamlin’s team to raise funds as a charitable entity.
At the time, Hamlin’s team said the millions donated to GoFundMe would eventually be transferred to The Giving Back Fund, but that didn’t happen.
Last week, news outlet Sportico reported a stir over The Giving Back Fund, partly sparked by a question about whether Hamlin’s GoFundMe gifts were charitable donations.
Marc Pollick, CEO of The Giving Back Fund, in a statement questioned the accuracy of Sportico’s reports and said the organization’s leadership “has always acted ethically, appropriately and legally.”
“My charity work is not related to the challenges facing The Giving Back Fund management,” Hamlin said in a statement, adding: “Donors will enjoy full tax-exempt status.”
Hamlin first founded the Chasing M’s Foundation in May 2020 while he was still a student playing at the University of Pittsburgh and applied for a retroactive tax exemption last month, according to Denny. It was registered as a non-profit organization in Pennsylvania.
Experts say the question of whether donors can claim tax deductions for what they donated to GoFundMe after his injury may depend on the IRS decision.
Philadelphia attorney Don Kramer, who edits the website Nonprofit Issues, said the IRS has the authority to retroactively declare Hamlin’s nonprofit tax-exempt.
Hamlin suffered a blow to the chest hitting Bengals WR Tee Higgins which led to cardiac arrest
Damar Hamlin spent time with Tee Higgins and other Bengals players during the NFL off-season
This is despite the fact, Kramer said, that the deadline to apply for retroactive status is usually 27 months after the organization was founded.
Few of Hamlin’s GoFundMe donors are likely to have a significant interest in having their gift tax deductible.
Due to changes in the tax law introduced in 2017, only those who itemize their taxes, about 11% of taxpayers, can claim deductions for charity.
“I think the public needs to be a little more educated about when they give money and whether they really think they’re giving a tax deduction,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, director of sports management programs at the George Washington University School of Business.
She encouraged GoFundMe to make a clearer distinction between fundraisers organized by tax-exempt organizations and those that are not.
GoFundMe confirmed it still holds funds donated to Hamlin’s campaign and said fundraisers determine when they support charities.
Files filed with the Pennsylvania State Secretariat show that on May 1, Hamlin filed an application to update Chasing M’s charter, including its mission.
Chasing M’s Foundation will support “the aspirations of youth and community members through sport, education” and other activities, and “promote health and safety in sport through CPR and AED training.”
Players stand together after Buffalo Bills safety collapses, Damara Hamlin (3) in Cincinnati
Neirotti usually advises athletes to partner with large organizations that are already working on causes they care about, rather than starting their own non-profit organization. However, she said the windfall of having millions of dollars at once is extraordinary.
“With that amount of money, you could really put it into a donation that will last forever, long after his playing days,” she said of Hamlin.
Since his release from the hospital, Hamlin has teamed up with the American Heart Association in a campaign to teach a simple version of CPR.
He also met with President Joe Biden at the White House and advocated access to defibrillators in schools with congressional leaders.
In April, Hamlin announced that he wanted to return to the game and was cleared to train with the Bills.
Lora Golke, who leads donor engagement at the Arizona Community Foundation, said many athletes and their families often underestimate the amount of work required to run a nonprofit or foundation and the knowledge and experience required.
“At the same time, you have to remember that he is an athlete and should do his job. His work is not philanthropy,” Golke said.
Her organization has set up a sports and philanthropic center to advise ex-athletes who have settled in the state and its major teams on how they can make a difference in this community.
In his first public statement posted in a video on social media on January 28, Hamlin thanked those who donated to the fundraiser, but added: “I know it’s not enough to be grateful.
“This is just the beginning of the impact I wanted to make in the world, and with God’s guidance, I will continue to do great and great things.”
