On Wednesday, Colin Kaepernick announced that he is donating the final $100,000 of his $1 million pledge to charity to 10 beneficiaries, which will be revealed as the week progresses. In addition, other celebrities and athletes are matching Kaepernick's donations, thus doubling the amount that the charities will receive (making it $20,000 apiece and $200,000 total).
The first charity named is Silicon Valley De-Bug, and the match will come from the Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant. The charity is for youth, immigrants and lesser-paid workers in the Northern California area.
For the last round of my #MillionDollarPledge I'm going #10for10! My brother @KDTrey5 is joining & chose DeBug in the Bay Area! I’m donating $10k, KD's donating $10k! Thank you brother for all the hard work! See it on https://t.co/xr8M9wiOiq & check tomorrow to see who's joining! pic.twitter.com/G4Ltvcv4rb
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) January 17, 2018
Since Kaepernick made his pledge in October 2016, he has made donations to over 30 charities, and it will be over 40 once the final $100,000 is dispersed. To view his previous donations, you can go to the Million Dollar Pledge page.
As for the Silicon Valley De-Bug $20,000, that money will be used for families to visit those in prison, lobby for a law to protect young people in prison, pay for pretrial release for those that can't pay bail and support steps taken to end bail.
On Thursday, Kaepernick announced where the second $10,000 would be going. In collaboration with Jesse Williams (who made waves for his speech on equality at the 2016 BET Awards), Kaepernick pledged $10,000 to the Advancement Project, based out of Washington D.C. Williams will match Kaepernick's pledge, making the donation to Advancement Project $20,000.
Thank you @ijessewilliams for choosing Advancement Project to be part of my #MillionDollarPledge & matching my $10k donation to them! They will receive $20k to work on national programs focused on tackling inequity with innovative strategies & strong community alliance. #10for10 pic.twitter.com/geDEmJ3AMu
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) January 18, 2018
You can learn more about Advancement Project by visiting its page.
Kaepernick made this pledge around the same time he was criticized for kneeling during the national anthem when he played for the 49ers. Now a free agent, Kaepernick has used his time visiting impoverished areas and raising awareness for equal rights while continuing to fulfill his pledge.