A thoughtful and compassionate philanthropist with family ties to autism, Lurie is devoted to raising critical research funds for the developmental disorder and has leveraged his resources as a professional sports owner to turn autism awareness into action.
In 2019, Lurie expanded on this commitment by launching the team's signature philanthropic initiative – the Eagles Autism Foundation – to help drive scientific breakthroughs and establish Philadelphia as a major center for autism research and care. The foundation has centralized all of its autism efforts to create a larger impact and has raised more than $10 million for institutions focused on autism research.
Through the Eagles Autism Foundation, the organization has been viewed nationally as a progressive leader in the autism community. The Eagles became one of the first sports franchises in the country to build a state-of-the-art sensory room, presented by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and received Sensory Inclusive Certification for Lincoln Financial Field in partnership with Kulture City. The Eagles also became the first professional sports team to partner with Popcorn for the People, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating meaningful employment for those with autism and developmental disabilities. Most notably, the foundation's annual cycling and 5K run/walk event – the Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial Group – contributes 100 percent of participant-raised funds to autism research and care.
To ensure the most transformational projects are funded through the Eagles Autism Foundation, Lurie organizes a nationally recognized independent peer review panel each year that is tasked with evaluating and approving submitted proposals. A total of 43 research projects, postdoctoral fellowships and community grants have been funded for exploratory work in the field of autism thanks to the foundation.
On May 8, 2019, Lurie was presented the Commitment to Cures Award by the American Brain Foundation for his ongoing work to find cures for neurodevelopmental diseases and disorders.
Additionally, Lurie is a director of the NLM Family Foundation, which devotes significant resources to autism research and education, and he also established the Lurie Family Foundation to strengthen the efforts toward autism research.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Lurie, in consultation with leading institutions, carefully assessed the short-term and long-term needs of communities and frontline workers combating the global health crisis and continues to commit substantial resources toward philanthropic aide.
Lurie contributed $1 million to Penn Medicine on April 3, 2020, to establish the COVID-19 Immunology Defense Fund, which is an emerging research program that aims to address critical needs as the pandemic evolves. The priorities of the program range between creating rapid diagnostic testing, finding drugs that work against the virus, and developing potential vaccines.
On April 21, 2020, Lurie and the Eagles announced $1 million in donations helping COVID-19 relief efforts throughout the Philadelphia area, focusing on providing critical assistance to the well-being of essential healthcare workers and their families, as well as supporting local businesses. The funds included $300,000 to purchase N-95 masks for local healthcare systems; $250,000 to the American Red Cross to maintain a sufficient blood supply; $225,000 in gift cards to local businesses for essential healthcare workers; $100,000 to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Better Together Fund, which assists employees and students facing unforeseen hardships during the crisis; $55,000 to Vision To Learn, which will ensure continuity of the Eagles Eye Mobile program in the region's schools; $35,000 to the JFCS of Greater Philadelphia to expand services for the Helping Healthcare Heroes Support Group; and $35,000 to the Uplift Center for Grieving Children, helping expand mental health services for essential healthcare workers and their families.
The Eagles have also planned 11 community blood drives at Lincoln Financial Field since the start of the pandemic. To date, these drives have yielded enough pints of blood to help nearly 2,000 patients.
Additionally, on June 5, 2021, the Eagles partnered with the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Fire Department on a community-wide vaccination initiative. The combined effort, which is supported by the Eagles Eye Mobile, involves several clinics that will be offering free COVID-19 vaccines to residents throughout the summer.
CHAMPIONS IN THE COMMUNITY
One of Lurie's first philanthropic endeavors was the creation of the team's nonprofit charitable wing in 1995. For 20 years, the Eagles Youth Partnership served more than 50,000 at-risk children in the Greater Philadelphia region annually with a focus on health and education programming. In 2015, Lurie oversaw the Eagles Youth Partnership's transition to the Eagles Charitable Foundation that now provides children in the local community with greater access to vision care and autism research and services. Its signature program – the Eagles Eye Mobile – travels to local schools to provide free eye exams and prescription eyeglasses to under- and uninsured students in partnership with Vision To Learn.
Under Lurie's direction, the Eagles launched the groundbreaking Go Green initiative in 2003 aimed at reducing the organization's footprint on the environment and creating programs that improve quality of life in the Philadelphia region. In December 2018, Lincoln Financial Field was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, the Eagles are the first professional sports team in the world to receive the prestigious ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System certification.
In 2011, in acknowledgment of the organization's commitment to the community, as well as their Tackling Breast Cancer and Go Green campaigns, the Eagles were presented with the coveted Sports Team of the Year Award by Beyond Sport.
Finally, over the past three years, the Eagles Social Justice Council, a committee of select players and Eagles staff, awarded over $1.3 million to local Philadelphia organizations working to improve education, mentoring, health services, criminal justice reform, reentry programs, and workplace development.
During the 2018 offseason, Lurie was honored by the Fritz Pollard Alliance with the Paul "Tank" Younger Award. The award is granted annually to an NFL executive, coach, or owner who promotes gender and racial diversity. Lurie's efforts to foster civic responsibility throughout the organization have also led the Eagles to be recognized by many for supporting social justice and human rights initiatives. Lurie was the recipient of the Torch of Liberty Award conferred by the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia and a year later was honored by Philadelphia's Operation Understanding, an acclaimed group that advances interracial harmony among future leaders of the African American and Jewish communities.
Widely considered one of the most progressive owners in professional sports, Lurie embraces innovative thought. His commitment to enhancing every element of the organization through forward-thinking decisions has been a hallmark of his tenure as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Lurie invests in both people and ideas. Throughout his ownership, he has gone beyond traditional football practices by focusing on infusing talented individuals from other industries into the Eagles' business operations. As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles have become a leader in professional sports with regards to gender diversity in the workplace.
The Eagles' organic effort toward staying ahead of the curve and mining for value where others may not see it has also been fundamental to the football team's success over the years.
During the 2021 offseason, Lurie hired a 39-year-old first-time head coach in Nick Sirianni – the second-youngest head coach in Eagles history – following a highly productive, three-year stint as the Indianapolis Colts' offensive coordinator. Sirianni, who has helped coach three different players to Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year honors, guided the Colts to numerous top-10 rankings in major offensive categories.
Doug Pederson was hired by the Eagles as a first-time head coach during the 2016 offseason. In his second year at the helm, Pederson led the team to its first Super Bowl Championship in franchise history when the Philadelphia Eagles outdueled the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
In 1999, Lurie found a match with former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Andy Reid, who at 40 years old took on a lead role for the first time in his career and was also the second-youngest head coach in the NFL at the time of his hiring. Reid enjoyed a 14-year stay with Philadelphia (franchise record) and became the winningest head coach (140-102-1, .578 – including playoffs) in Eagles history. Named the 2002 NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, Reid led the team to nine postseasons, which included five conference title games and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Lurie's first head coaching hire, Ray Rhodes, came to Philadelphia in 1995 as just the third African American head coach in modern NFL history. In his first season with the Eagles, Rhodes guided the team to a 10-6 regular-season record and playoff berth and earned Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year honors.
Each of Lurie's first four head coaching hires have achieved double-digit win totals and playoff appearances within their first two seasons. Lurie, who was named NFL Owner of the Year by Sporting News in 1995 and by Pro Football Insider in 2000, currently serves on numerous NFL committees, including the Finance Committee, Media Committee, International Committee, and the Super Bowl & Major Events Advisory Committee.
After purchasing the Eagles, Lurie recognized that the organization's facilities needed a total reconstruction, which required the design and relocation of its office headquarters, practice facility, and stadium. He immediately committed to providing the franchise with everything it needed to succeed and constructed two state-of-the-art facilities in South Philadelphia – the NovaCare Complex (2001) and Lincoln Financial Field (2003).
Although Lincoln Financial Field was erected specifically to house its primary tenant, the Philadelphia Eagles, Lurie also created a multidimensional event destination that could hold a wide variety of events. Fittingly, the first ticketed event at the new stadium was a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona in August 2003, followed by a Bruce Springsteen concert soon after.
Since then, Lincoln Financial Field has continued to evolve with an ever-changing entertainment landscape and underwent a two-year, $125 million revitalization in 2013. Over the years, the venue has hosted high-profile events including sold-out concerts, national and international soccer matches, the NCAA Lacrosse Championships, the Army-Navy game, Monster Jam, Temple University football games, and more.
Prior to purchasing the Philadelphia Eagles, Lurie joined General Cinema Corporation, a major movie theater company founded by his grandfather, Philip Smith. Two years later, he started Chestnut Hill Productions and produced a variety of theatrical and television movies. In 2008, Lurie established Screen Pass Pictures and served as an executive producer of Inside Job, the 2010 documentary film, which earned the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Inocente, which earned an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary in 2013. Most recently, Lurie formed Play/Action Pictures to produce socially impactful documentary films, including Totally Under Control (2020), Summer of Soul (2021), MLK/FBI (2020), and The Meaning of Hitler (2020).
Lurie's passion and love of sports began when he was a young boy growing up outside of Boston. Lurie became an avid fan of the NFL and all the major leagues after watching the first ever sudden-death over-time NFL Championship between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants in 1958.
Prior to entering business, Lurie served as an adjunct assistant professor of social policy at Boston University. He earned a B.A. from Clark University, a master's in psychology from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in social policy from Brandeis University. Lurie returned to his college campus in May 2019 and served as Clark University's commencement speaker to the graduating class.
Born on September 8, 1951, Lurie has two children. He resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Tina. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, golfing, tennis, movies, music, and discovering great restaurants.
