In August 2025, the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, Cash App, and nonprofit ForgiveCo, eliminated $10 million in debt for 3,500 families across Atlanta.
It wasn’t a donation, or a grant. The three partners wiped out actual debt — medical bills, credit card balances — entirely, with individual amounts ranging from $500 to $80,000. It was a move that, quite literally, created a path to financial stability for thousands of families for years to come.
The model:
Brand sponsorship + team platform + social impact infrastructure =
measurable community outcome + long-term support systems
How it worked:
ForgiveCo, a company designed specifically as a philanthropic lever for major brands, identified families in Atlanta's most financially-unstable communities based on demonstrated need. Then, with funding from Cash App (who was already the Atlanta Dream's jersey sponsor), they acquired the families’ debt at a reduced rate, and forgave the full remaining balance for Every. Single. One.
For added PR-ability, the announcement was strategically timed to the 62nd anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, giving it both a grounding and an aspirational angle. And while the debt elimination effort received national attention, another more personal element made quiet ripples throughout the community, as the Dream hosted a girls' basketball clinic in one of the neighborhoods directly impacted by the debt relief, with players and Cash App executives leading skill stations and leadership workshops.
Why it matters:
Even with Cash App’s existing ties to the Dream (they executed another brilliant marketing and women’s-sports-advocacy play in May 2025), this wasn't your basic CSR check-box bolted onto a sponsorship. It was an intentionally-designed activation built around community impact from the beginning.
Yes, Cash App also gets jersey placements, commercials, and all the traditional branding elements through their multi-year partnership. But what’s different is that from the very beginning, this partnership was built on shared values — financial freedom, economic empowerment, community investment — not just consumer exposure.
"We believe sports is a catalyst for social change," said Larry Gottesdiener, majority owner of the Atlanta Dream. "Together, we're proving that sports teams can be powerful agents for transformation."
And the Dream have made a public commitment to continue this mission well beyond 2025.
"You can't just relieve debt and expect that that might not happen again," said Morgan Shaw Parker, the team's president. "So we're looking forward to partnering with others and Cash App as well to really figure out what is the financial literacy piece of it? What is the wealth management piece of that? And then how does that lead to long-term generational wealth?"
The Dream + Cash App + ForgiveCo is an incredible example of a sustainable sports and social impact partnership. And it’s one we hope to see more of in the future.
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Keep an eye out for more insights behind the best sports and social impact collabs from 2025, coming soon: