Fined and Philanthropic: How the NBPA Foundation Rethinks Player Giving

On this episode of the Charity Charge Show, we sit down with Erika Swilley, Executive Director of the NBPA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Basketball Players Association. Swilley explains how the foundation turns NBA player fines into matching grants that give strategically instead of chasing one-off headlines. Her core message applies to any nonprofit leader: intent is not enough, and lasting impact comes from focus, not volume.

About the guest. Erika Swilley has spent more than two decades in sports philanthropy, including senior community and social responsibility roles with the Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, and Chicago Sky. She now leads the NBPA Foundation, where she created the Fined and Philanthropic campaign and advises active and retired players on building genuine, durable community impact.

Quick Summary

• The NBPA Foundation funds much of its work through pooled player fines, then matches player donations up to $25,000 a year for active players and $15,000 for many retired players.
• The Fined and Philanthropic campaign educates players, agents, and families on where fine money goes and how to tap the match.
• Swilley pushes players away from one-off events like turkey drives and toward year-round, focused giving that builds a legacy.
• Most young players are steered away from starting their own foundation and toward donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsors, or established nonprofits.
• Nonprofits can connect with the foundation through its website or LinkedIn to be considered for player partnerships.

Inside the NBPA Foundation: how player fines fund community work

The NBPA Foundation is a nonprofit that channels NBA player fine money into community programming led by the players themselves. When players receive technical fouls or ejections, those fines are pooled and, at the end of the season, split between NBA Cares and the foundation.

The foundation then reinvests those dollars through a matching grant program that has existed since 2015. Engagement has climbed sharply under Swilley, who describes the model as non-traditional because so much of the funding starts as penalties. In the 2025 offseason, the NBPA reported distributing roughly $1.6 million in matching grants from fine money.

Player status	Annual matching grant cap
Active players	Up to $25,000 per year
Eligible retired players	Up to $15,000 per year

Fined and Philanthropic: turning penalties into purpose

Fined and Philanthropic is the campaign Swilley created to show players exactly where their fine money goes and how to put it to work. Many players assumed their fines vanished into a black hole with no idea the money funded community programs they could tap.

The campaign uses simple, memorable touches, including hats that tell players where their fine dollars land. The goal is awareness across the full circle around a player, meaning agents, family members, and team staff. Swilley spent 19 years on the team side without knowing these resources existed, so she built the campaign to close that exact gap.

Why one-off giving falls short

Swilley’s central argument is that one-time events like backpack giveaways and turkey drives rarely create lasting change. The same dollars, focused differently, can support a school for a full year or feed families well beyond a single holiday.

She encourages players to pair a visible moment with a longer commitment, so a turkey giveaway becomes a year-round pledge to the same families or school. Students need supplies in the middle of the semester, not only at the start. She also reminds players that having the dollars does not mean having the answer, and that listening to community needs comes first.

Should you start a foundation? Usually not

The most common request Swilley hears from players is “I want to start a foundation,” and she usually advises against it early on. Running a foundation takes far more time, structure, and compliance than most people expect.

Instead, she points players toward donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsors, or partnerships with established nonprofits. She describes her role as air traffic control: understand what a player cares about, then direct them to the right vehicle. Thousands of existing nonprofits already align with what most players want to accomplish, which makes building something new from scratch unnecessary in most cases.

Building a legacy that survives a trade

Swilley coaches players to design giving that does not collapse if they change teams, and that starts with a mission statement narrow enough to say no. A focused mission lets a player support the same cause in a new market after a trade.

National organizations and repeatable program models make giving portable across cities. She pointed to players such as Collin Sexton, Terance Mann, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Ayton as examples of consistent, intentional giving. The episode was recorded the day after the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, and Swilley noted early conversations with newly drafted players, including Kingston Flemings, the San Antonio native selected by the Atlanta Hawks.

What this means for nonprofits

For nonprofit leaders, this episode is a lesson in strategic focus at a moment when many organizations are losing federal funding. Swilley frames professional athletes as one part of the private sector that can help fill that gap.

Nonprofits that already receive support from an NBA player may be eligible for a match through the foundation. Organizations can share their work through the foundation’s website or LinkedIn to be considered for player partnerships. The broader takeaway is that a clear, narrow mission makes an organization easier to fund and easier to champion.

Three Takeaways

1. Focus beats frequency. One well-chosen, year-round commitment outperforms a calendar full of one-off events.

2. You may not need your own foundation. Donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsors, and existing nonprofits often accomplish the same goals with far less overhead.

3. A narrow mission is a strength. Saying no to off-mission requests is what makes lasting impact and portable legacy possible.

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Full Interview Transcript

Grayson Harris: Tell me a little more about what the NBPA Foundation does, because a lot of NBA fans may not understand the work being done behind the scenes.

Erika Swilley: We are a very unique and, I would say, non-traditional foundation, because the majority of our money comes from player fines. When you see players get technical fouls or ejections, that money is pooled and, at the end of the season, split between NBA Cares and our foundation.

We use those funds to go back into the work our players are doing in the community. Our foundation has a matching grant program, so we match players up to $25,000 a year for their community work, and we help them strategize around their philanthropy.

Players always have great intent and these amazing platforms to give back, but we want to make sure they do it responsibly, so their impact is not just a one-time event. They are young, so I do not always expect them to know where to start, and we are here to guide them through that process.

Grayson Harris: When you came into this position, you realized the fine revenue was underutilized. Can you talk about that challenge and the steps you took to address it?

Erika Swilley: I had a unique view of the Players Association and the foundation, because for many years I worked on the team side in the philanthropy space and did not know these resources existed or that I could direct players to them. So when I took over, I was keen on how we could educate not only our players, but their inner circle: their agents, their family members, and the folks on the team side.

I wanted them to understand the matching grant program and our thought partnership, and how we can help. My team and I created the Fined and Philanthropic campaign to educate people on exactly what we did.

It was a little cheeky, but it worked. I spent 19 years on the team side, and if I did not have an understanding of this, I knew others did not either.

Grayson Harris: What about that campaign stood out to you in actually building awareness within the community?

Erika Swilley: I have worked with players for a long time, so I knew I needed something to catch their attention. I thought, who does not want to be referred to as fined and philanthropic? It also played off the fact that they were being fined, so we created hats with messaging on where their fine money was going.

What I also learned is that when you ask players where their fine money goes, they thought it went into a black hole. They had no clue it was actually being used for amazing community programming, and specifically programming they were doing.

It is not fun to get fined, but I wanted them to know the money is going to really amazing causes.

Grayson Harris: If you are talking about incentivizing philanthropy, can you talk about the matching program and how it played into that communication with players?

Erika Swilley: Current players get the $25,000 match per year, and retired players can currently tap into $15,000. What I always say to players is do not leave money on the table. You are already doing this amazing work, so why not use these additional funds to amplify it?

Then we help them strategize so it is not just giving money away to say you gave. What is authentic and genuine to you, what do you care about, and how can you build off of that to build a legacy?

We help not just with the matching grant, but by pointing them toward nonprofits or organizations they can work with, and helping them work with their teams on their initiatives. Setting them up to build a legacy is what we are trying to do.

Grayson Harris: Can we dive into the planned giving and strategy piece? Say an up-and-coming player signs their first big contract extension and wants to get more involved in their community. How does that conversation usually go?

Erika Swilley: It is a great question, and it is funny, because the number one thing I hear is “I want to start a foundation.” I understand why they have been conditioned to think that way, but I do not think a lot of people realize how much it takes to run and operate a foundation.

So I try to understand why they want to start one and what they are looking to accomplish, then talk them through the process and show them there are other ways to give back. For players who already have foundations, my goal is to help them run effectively and responsibly.

For those who do not, I explain that you do not necessarily have to start a foundation. You can accomplish your goals by opening a donor-advised fund, using a fiscal sponsor, or working with the thousands of amazing pre-existing nonprofits and foundations out there, because most times there is one that aligns with what you are trying to do.

I always tell them I am like air traffic control. They come to us, and we point them in the right direction for what makes sense for them. I do encourage them not to start foundations early on and to go down a different path if possible.

Grayson Harris: What are some of the misconceptions leading to that desire? Is it just that everybody has done it in the past, and the name recognition that comes with it?

Erika Swilley: That is exactly right, it is the name recognition. People assume that having money means starting a foundation to give back, without knowing you can give back in the community without your own foundation and still build that brand recognition.

There are so many nonprofits out there that would be willing to partner with our guys and put their name on programming, because it is mutually beneficial. That is especially true right now, with a lot of nonprofits losing federal funding.

I am really trying to educate players about how they are part of that private sector and how they can help fill the gap for some of these organizations, and what that looks like on a different scale for them.

Grayson Harris: That is something we dive into on almost every episode, because nonprofits are having to shift their funding models toward earned revenue and private donors. How are you building those relationships yourself to be that bridge for players?

Erika Swilley: I have been in this business for going on 21 years, so I have built a lot of relationships with different nonprofits. I also have good relationships with folks in different cities who can point us to amazing organizations, and players bring us organizations as well.

I try to get players to figure out what is authentic and genuine to them. If a player says they want to focus on youth sports, I will ask, did you grow up going to the Boys and Girls Club or the YMCA, or is there a community center where you started playing? Often there is, so I say, you can start there, and I will sit on calls and help them vet the organizations they want to work with.

I am also on a campaign to get players to stop doing backpack giveaways and turkey drives, those checkbox one-off events. The same amount of money can impact a school for a whole school year or feed families for the year, instead of just a moment in time. They have the right intentions. It is about getting them to work a little smarter with their dollars.

Grayson Harris: Can you elaborate on that, especially the ways philanthropy is changing and that almost ingrained mentality in the space?

Erika Swilley: It is easy to do a backpack giveaway, or to think a family in need during the holidays just needs a turkey. All the right intentions, but how can you go a little deeper?

You can still get the publicity, and a lot of them are not in it for the publicity anyway. I always tell them publicity is not a bad thing, because you are inspiring others, and they have this really unique platform when it comes to their giving.

I just want them to do it in a way that sets them up for long-term success. Do a turkey giveaway, but also say you will support that group for the year, because those folks are not just hungry on Thanksgiving. Students run out of paper, their pencils break, and their pens run out mid-year, so how can we think about giving a little differently and actually make an impact?

I also encourage them that even if they have the dollars to support, that does not mean they have the answer. Take the time to sit down, listen to the needs of the community, and from there understand how you can help.

Grayson Harris: The theme that comes to mind is sustainability and lasting legacy, instead of those one-off moments. Do you have a story of a player you advised who got the full match and created lasting impact in their community?

Erika Swilley: A lot of our players are doing amazing work. I just had a really good conversation with Collin Sexton, who participated in one of our player experiences where players learned about impact investing on the continent of Africa. We took a group of players to Morocco.

Collin taps into his matching grant every year and divides it across different nonprofits. He is consistent, he is present, and he shows up. My question to him was, what is the through line between these nonprofits you are working with, and how do we take the work you have already started and build a legacy? He said that is exactly what he wants to do, and that it is the next step for him, so we are starting that process now.

I already have players who just got drafted that we have been talking with about not starting a foundation yet, and how they can tap in and do the work instead. Terance Mann is another one who has done a great job building out his philanthropy and using his matching grant. Kevin Durant and DeAndre Ayton are strong examples too, and DeAndre has ties to the Bahamas and Jamaica, so using his dollars to impact those communities has been a big focus for him.

Grayson Harris: You mentioned the draft, and we are recording the day after day one. How does that initial relationship begin? Are you reaching out, are players seeking you out, or a mix of both?

Erika Swilley: It is a mixed bag. I have the opportunity at the NBA Combine to meet with players and their families, and that is our initial touch point to say, this is what the Players Association has to offer and we are here to be a resource. I sat down with quite a few families who followed up, and I met with a lot of agents while I was there.

Kingston Flemings, his agent, and his family have been phenomenal and early adopters. Now that we know he is going to the Atlanta Hawks, we can take what we have been discussing and build a plan for San Antonio, where he is from, and Atlanta, where he is going to play.

That ties back to legacy. I want players to set up their philanthropy so that if they get traded, they do not have to start from scratch, and it does not shift everything.

Grayson Harris: That is a really unique challenge these players face with their planned giving. What are some of the strategies you use to help them with that?

Erika Swilley: What I do know is that most players want to give in the communities they are from and the ones they play in, which makes total sense. So I set them up with national organizations, so if they are supporting a certain market and get traded, they can still support that same organization.

I also tell players to have a mission statement that is not so broad. That way you are able to say no when people come asking for dollars, and you know the direction you are moving in with your philanthropy.

If education is important to you, we build out an educational program in the community where you play, so that if you get traded, you can still run that same program in another market.

Grayson Harris: So you really identify your internal mission and where you want your dollars flowing, and keep the scope narrow enough to say no. You also mentioned legacy, and the Players Association just launched Players United. How does the foundation advise players on donating their time or their platform, as opposed to purely financial donations?

Erika Swilley: We did just launch Players United, an amazing campaign that we are very proud of. It is built on legacy and the idea that all of our players have a seat at the table, which is really what our new brand is about.

Part of what we tell players often is that when you partner with a nonprofit or foundation, it should be mutually beneficial, and it is not always about dollars. Sometimes it is showing up for events. I am not a huge fan of PSAs, because I do not think they always land, but it is players delivering messages on their platforms so that people understand how they too can give back.

They do not do the work for recognition, but when they get it, it truly inspires others. Their fans look up to them and want to emulate what they do, on and off the court.

Grayson Harris: When you think about the future of the foundation, what has you excited? You launched Fined and Philanthropic, so what is next?

Erika Swilley: One, I am excited because our growth has been exceptional. We have more players than ever taking part, whether it is the matching grant program, our court refurbishment program, or our philanthropy coaching.

We definitely want to continue getting more players engaged, especially at a younger age as they start their careers. For us, success is really about amplifying the work they are doing and making sure they keep showing up in these spaces in a thoughtful and responsible way.

Grayson Harris: For a nonprofit audience tuning in, is there a path to get connected with the foundation? Maybe they are already receiving NBA player dollars but not the match, or they want to be made aware to NBA players in their local community.

Erika Swilley: We are always open and interested in talking to different nonprofits. Through our website or LinkedIn, they can send us information on what their nonprofit or foundation does, and if we have a player who aligns with that work, we are happy to make the connection.

Usually players come to us with ideas of who they want to support. We want it to be authentic and genuine to who they are and the work they want to do, so as long as it aligns, we are always happy to have those conversations.

Grayson Harris: As we come to an end, is there anything else you want to share, and how can our audience get involved with the work of the foundation?

Erika Swilley: In terms of getting involved, follow us on our social channels. We post about the work our players are doing and the nonprofits they are partnered with and giving back to.

Support that work and cheer them on, on the court but also off the court, because they are doing incredible work and they truly care. Being able to support their initiatives and efforts goes a long way.

Grayson Harris: Erika, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing more about your journey and launching Fined and Philanthropic. I am excited to see what the future brings for the foundation.

Erika Swilley: Thank you. I truly appreciate you having me on.

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