Daniel Snyder became a devotee of Washington Football at an early age. He was so passionate about this team that he bought it when he grew up, and it became more prominent in the community with each passing year. Currently, it is known as one of the most important sports franchises in the world.
The Washington Charitable Foundation
In the year 2000, Dan Snyder created the “Washington Charitable Foundation” with the purpose of bringing the area’s corporate leaders and community leaders together with his new team. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of the young people of the community, so the foundation tackled the problems that young people were experiencing in the Washington, D.C. area. Those issues included health, wellness and education, and it had a great impact on the people of the community. Individual people, organizations and various groups received more than $29 million from the foundation, and it changed millions of lives.
The Loads of Love Program
The foundation offers several programs and sports opportunities for the children of the area, but Dan discovered that many kids weren’t participating because they didn’t have proper clothes to wear. Dan wanted to ensure that children living in unstable conditions and those without permanent homes could also take part in the programs his foundation had to offer. The foundation donated money to more than 80 non-profit organizations and schools so that they could open laundry facilities for those in need. Known as “Loads of Love” laundry centers, they offer disadvantaged children and their families a place to do their laundry at no cost.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
The Maryland National Guard needed help addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, and Dan stepped up to offer his assistance. The first order of business was to set up a place where the people of Prince George’s County could be tested for the virus, and they placed this site at the team’s property that is known as “FedExField.” In addition to that, the Capital Area Food Bank addressed the nutritional needs of the area’s economically challenged families, so Dan donated $100,000 to the food bank.
The Ashburn Colored School in Loudoun County
The Ashburn Colored School was vandalized in 2016, and the city planned to restore the building. The Ashburn Colored School was a one-room schoolhouse that began to educate Black children in 1892. It continued to do so until 1957. The school served the pedagogical needs of the area’s Black children from elementary school until high school. Because of Dan’s influence, Washington Football donated $35,000 to this effort, so they were able to collect more than the $100,000 that they originally wanted to raise.
At-Risk Youth
The Beacon House is a charity that supports at-risk children and their families, and Dan is heavily involved with it. The charity gave Dan its “Youth for Tomorrow’s Distinguished Leader Award” for the support he gave to the charity’s residential school. This school has a counseling center that serves the needs of more than 900 homeless children. These kids receive year-round care at this facility, and they are welcome to participate from the age of 11 until the age of 17.
The Focus on the Military
The foundation also created an organization called “Salute,” and it is a club that appreciates the military. This organization spent the past 10 years introducing initiatives that advance military appreciation throughout the entire year. The NFL never had another organization quite like this one before. It dedicates itself to showing appreciation to members of the military by throwing pre-game parties just for military members. It also puts on military appreciation events and re-enlistment ceremonies.
In 2016, Salute partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation to perform a very important service for a disabled U.S. Army veteran. Captain Luis Avila is a die-hard fan of Washington Football, and the two charities broke ground on a new house for him. The house was going to be a smart home that would be highly adaptable for Captain Avila.
Business Enterprises
When Dan became the CEO of Snyder Communications, he was the youngest CEO of a company on the New York Stock Exchange. Beginning in 1985, the company became a world conglomerate with 12,000 employees. It maintained 77 offices in 17 different countries, and needless to say, it became a company that earned more than $1 billion every year. The company served the needs of 200 organizations listed in the Fortune 500. Dan sold this company in 2000 to a French company by the name of “Havas” for more than $2.3 billion.
Dan also founded inVentiv Health and is now the chairman emeritus of the organization. He also founded Red Zebra Broadcasting, a company that operates radio stations that broadcast shows about Washington Football as well as national and local programming. He remains active in the business community as an investor and as an advisor, and people all over the world invite him to give speeches about his views and experiences.
Dan is married and has three children with his wife, Tanya. They live in Potomoc, Maryland.