NFL Foundation and American Heart Association Expand Youth CPR Training with Super Bowl Incentives

The National Football League Foundation and American Heart Association have awarded five students with Super Bowl tickets and five schools with $10,000 equipment grants through a collaborative initiative designed to expand CPR education among youth. The incentives were offered to participants in the Association's Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge programs during the 2024-25 school year who completed Hands-Only CPR training, addressing a critical public health need where immediate intervention can mean the difference between life and death.

Students from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, and Washington each received two tickets to Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in February 2026, while elementary schools in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, California, and Minnesota received funding for physical activity equipment upgrades. This program comes at a crucial time, as more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States, with 70% happening at home where family members might be the only available responders.

According to American Heart Association data, 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside hospitals die, often because they don't receive immediate CPR. The Association publishes the official guidelines for CPR and aims to double cardiac emergency survival rates by 2030 through initiatives like this partnership. Research demonstrates that immediate CPR can double or triple survival chances, and children as young as four can impact survival rates by calling 911, making early education particularly valuable for community safety.

NFL Vice President of Philanthropy Alexia Gallagher emphasized that the collaboration ensures young people gain the knowledge and confidence to act during cardiac emergencies. The program features an introductory video by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, a cardiac arrest survivor who credits CPR with saving his life during a 2023 game. Each elementary student completing the online Hands-Only CPR module earned entries for Super Bowl tickets, while participating schools qualified for equipment grants that support physical education programs.

The NFL Foundation has renewed its commitment for the 2025-26 school year, offering five more Super Bowl LXI ticket packages and five additional $10,000 school grants. The Kids Heart Challenge, operating for 48 years, now integrates physical activities like dance and basketball with digital missions including CPR training. The Association encourages broader participation through its Nation of Lifesavers initiative, promoting CPR awareness as a community fixture that empowers even the youngest citizens to become potential lifesavers.