David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers and the upcoming Charlotte MLS expansion franchise, has donated $2.65 million to help the local community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donations, announced Thursday and Friday, were made through the David A. Tepper Foundation, which is also supporting relief efforts in other parts of the country. The money will be going to the COVID-19 Response Fund, the Atrium Health Foundation, the Novant Health Foundation and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Foundation.
The COVID-19 Response Fund was launched March 16 by Foundation for the Carolinas and United Way of Central Carolinas as a community-wide effort to help provide assistance to those affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday, the fund has collected more than $7.8 million in donations in four days.
Atrium Health and Novant Health also jointly announced a $1 million donation from the Tepper Foundation, with Atrium Health Foundation receiving $650,000 and Novant Health Foundation receiving $350,000.
On Friday, the Tepper Foundation also partnered with the Belk Endowment and the David Belk Cannon Foundation on a $1 million donation to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Foundation's COVID-19 Relief Fund. The donation will be used to help purchase 6,000 mobile hotspots with six months of prepaid internet services for students without access to home connectivity.
