The Players Coalition is a left-of-center group of professional football players focused on economic redistribution and race issues. It is a project of the Hopewell Fund, a funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by the Washington, D.C.-based consultancy Arabella Advisors. ¹

The Hopewell Fund is a non-profit and sponsor for several left-of-center organizations including the Players Coalition. ²Arabella Advisors, a for profit consulting firm, is the managing organization of the Hopewell Fund. Arabella was founded in 2005 by Eric Kessler, a Clinton administration alumnus and long-time staffer at the League of Conservation Voters. ^{3 4 5}

Background

In December 2017, the Hopewell Fund became the fiscal sponsor of the NFL Players Coalition, the charitable vehicle created by the National Football League in November 2018 to “contribute $89 million over seven years to social justice causes.” ⁶

Players Coalition works in three main issue areas in their mission to “achieve social and racial equality”: police and community relations, criminal justice reform, and education and economic advancement. ⁷ Players Coalition advocates for the policies of left-of-center prosecutors, and pushes for more lenient criminal justice policies and stricter police oversight. ⁸

In May 2020, the group penned a letter to then-Attorney General William Barr calling for an investigation into the shooting of jogger Ahmaud Arbery, signed by multiple prominent sports figures including NFL coaches, NFL player Tom Brady, and former NFL player Anquan Boldin. ⁹

Funding and Funding Organizations

Hopewell Fund describes itself as a fiscal sponsor of “projects that already exist as a legal entity but do not have tax-exempt status,” such as the Players Coalition, which focus on a range of left of center issues including supporting Obamacare. ¹⁰

Arabella Advisors is the managing organization of Hopewell Fund. ¹¹ Arabella is a for-profit consulting firm that guides the strategy, advocacy, and management for high-dollar left-leaning nonprofits and individuals. ¹² Arabella provides these clients with services that ease their operations and that enable them to enact policies focused on environmentalism and other left-of-center issues. The company was founded in 2005 by Eric Kessler, a Clinton administration alumnus and long-time staffer at the League of Conservation Voters. Between 2008 and 2018, Arabella’s nonprofits paid the company nearly $103 million in contracting and management services fees. ^{13 14 15}

1. “About the Fund.” Hopewell Fund, www.hopewellfund.org/about-the-fund/.
2. Trotter, Jim; Reid, Jason. “Sources: NFL agrees to commit $89M over seven years to social justice causes.” ESPN, November 30, 2017.
3. “Arabella Advisors.” Devex. Accessed May 29, 2020. https://www.devex.com/organizations/arabella-advisors-62136
4. “Project Directory.” New Venture Fund. Accessed May 14, 2020. http://www.newventurefund.org/project-directory/
5. “Our People.” Arabella Advisors. Accessed May 29, 2020. https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/company/our-people/
6. Trotter, Jim; Reid, Jason. “Sources: NFL agrees to commit $89M over seven years to social justice causes.” ESPN, November 30, 2017.
7. “Get Involved.” Players Coalition, players-coalition.org/get-involved/.
8. “Get Involved.” Players Coalition, players-coalition.org/get-involved/.
9.  Habib, Hal. “Anquan Boldin: ‘Very Significant’ That Tom Brady Signed Players Coalition Letter on Ahmaud Arbery’s Death.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 14 May 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2020/05/11/tom-brady-anquan-boldin-ahmaud-arbery-letter-players-coalition/3111658001/.
10. Hayden Ludwig. “Exposing Obamacare’s Support Network.” Capital Research Center. December 28, 2018. Accessed January 7, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/exposing-obamacares-support-network/
11. “About the Fund.” Hopewell Fund, www.hopewellfund.org/about-the-fund/.
12. “Conservation & Climate.” Arabella Advisors, www.arabellaadvisors.com/expertise/conservation-climate/.
13. “Arabella Advisors.” Devex. Accessed May 29, 2020. https://www.devex.com/organizations/arabella-advisors-62136
14. “Our People.” Arabella Advisors. Accessed May 29, 2020. https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/company/our-people/
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990) (multiple). New Venture Fund, Sixteen Thirty Fund, Hopewell Fund, Windward Fund. 2008-2018. Part VII. Section B (Independent Contractors)