As a young child growing up close to Washington, D.C., Dan Snyder was a passionate fan of the Washington Redskins early in life. While he maintained that passion into adulthood, his attention focused on several entrepreneurial endeavors after college. A few of his startups included Red Zebra Broadcasting and inVentiv Health. He also established Snyder Communications, Inc. in 1985, and this company grew to become his most successful business venture to date. In fact, by the time the company was purchased in 2000 for $2.3 billion by a major French corporation, it had 77 offices in more than a dozen countries, 12,000 employees and more than a billion dollars in gross revenue annually.
While Snyder Communications, Inc. is undeniably a notable accomplishment that Dan Snyder is proud of, many people are more familiar with Dan Snyder as the current owner of the NFL football franchise that he grew up loving. The Redskins franchise, which is currently known as the Washington Football team, has been owned by Snyder for more than 20 years. This entrepreneur has an established history of being active in his community and beyond, and his acquisition of the National Football League franchise elevated his ability to focus on causes that he is passionate about. His philanthropic efforts have been in conjunction with his wife, Tanya, on a personal level and through his charitable foundation. This organization, the Washington Charitable Foundation, was created soon after Snyder purchased the NFL franchise.
On a personal level, Tanya and Dan Snyder have reached out to their community in several notable ways in recent months. This includes making a generous donation of $100,000 to the area’s food back during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also were instrumental in establishing the largest COVID-19 test site in the region, and they provided a substantial donation of $250,000 to support the social injustice movement known as Black Lives Matter. Prior to 2020, Dan Snyder worked in conjunction with the National Football League to support initiatives under the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Salute program. Personal endeavors have also included providing financial donations to the Beacon House, the Children’s National Hospital and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. For the latter two organizations, Dan Snyder’s substantial contributions were vital to the construction and development of expansion efforts. Because of these contributions, both organizations named new buildings or wings in their facilities after Snyder.
Dan Snyder’s extensive and positive impact on others has been magnified through the Washington Charitable Foundation. Under Snyder’s direction, this philanthropic center has actively supported educational endeavors of local children. It has raised and contributed a considerable amount of money for the Loads of Love initiative. This group has expanded over the years to provide clean clothing to children in need across more than 80 educational institutions in Snyder’s local area. The purpose of doing so is to help children take full advantage of educational opportunities available to them through the public school system. In addition, Snyder and his foundation have improved the lives of 12,000 students through several wellness programs at the middle school level. An additional 40,000 elementary school students have also benefited from literacy workshops and related special events in recent years.
Through the foundation, Dan Snyder has been able to direct aid to communities around the world that have been hit hard by natural disasters. This aid includes emergency supplies, on-the-ground support and financial assistance. Notably, his efforts have helped Gulf Coast residents in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, several Caribbean communities after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and a few Asian countries after the 2004 tsunami.
In recognition for his continued efforts to make the world better place, Dan Snyder has received numerous awards over the years. Some of these accolades include an induction in the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and a notable award in 2014 at the Hope Awards Dinner. Collectively, Snyder has touched millions of lives and has contributed to the disbursement of almost $30 million worldwide.
Learn more about Dan Snyder: https://www.washingtonfootball.com/team/front-office-roster/