Russell Wilson’s foundation raises millions, a quarter of it goes to charity

On Wednesday, serious questions were raised about Russell Wilson’s charity—known as the Why Not You Foundation—when a six-month investigation by The USA TODAY Network was published.

The story, which sought out to investigate past Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winners’ nonprofits’ ended up keying in on the Denver Broncos quarterback. Wilson received the award in 2020, which is dubbed as the league’s most prestigious honor. It is presented for excellence on and off the field, with an emphasis on community service and philanthropy.

Still, the investigation by USA TODAY found that Wilson’s organization reported it spent just 24.3 cents of every dollar on charitable activities in 2020 and 2021 combined and nearly twice as much, $1.1 million, on salaries and employee benefits in that span, according to federal tax records.

The salaries include more than six figures for an executive who also works personally for Ciara and Russell Wilson, which has nonprofit experts prodding.

The investigation states:

Form 990 federal tax returns from the nonprofit’s inception through 2021 show it reported $7.5 million in revenue and $7 million in expenses during its first eight years of existence.

Less than half of the money — $2.8 million, or 39.6 cents of every dollar spent — has gone to charitable activities, all as grants to other nonprofits.

The remaining $4.2 million has paid for fundraising, administrative and management expenses, including the salaries of three employees, who have received $1.9 million combined.

In 2020, the year in which Wilson was given the Man of the Year award, his foundation reported $838,000 in revenue and $1.2 million in expenses, including $257,000 on charitable activities and $548,000 on salaries and employee benefits. Meaning about twice as much money went to executives in the foundation compared to charity and only 21 cents of every dollar earned went to charity.

“Russell Wilson has always prioritized serving his community, but this year, he met the challenge and more when it was needed most,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said when Wilson was given the award. “He has shown continued excellence on the field for nine seasons, but the work he has done to help youth and fight food insecurity through his Why Not You Foundation bolsters his lasting legacy.”

The examination by USA Today calls into question the exact contributions Wilson has made which were cited by the NFL as some of the reasons for why the quarterback was given the award.

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