The J.T. Thomas Foundation

“Empowering South Florida’s youth through education, leadership, and youth sports.“

The J.T. Thomas III Foundation is a 501c-3 non-profit organization founded in 2012. Our mission is to empower South Florida’s next generation through education, leadership, and safety amongst youth sports. Our key partners include the Heal Foundation, the city of Ft. Lauderdale, and the Team Tate family, all of which are benefactors of our annual donations. We would like to thank members of our community, family, and all organizations who have helped support our foundation since our inception.

Our History

After being drafted in the 6th Round by the Chicago Bears in 2011, JT3 understood his platform in the NFL and began providing opportunities to assist those in need. He would first make headlines returning to his college town of Morgantown, West Virginia to accompany Joselyn Levell, an 8th grade student with Spina Bifida, to her school dance. JT3’s younger brother Jared Thomas, then a classmate of Levell, was diagnosed with autism at the early age of 3 and played a major role in his initial philanthropic efforts.

In 2012, he would go on to form a non-profit organization to facilitate his contributions off the field in The JT Thomas Foundation. Upon the inception of his foundation, the first project taken on was to increase the awareness of adolescent Epilepsy. JT3 made public headlines once again surprising 14-year-old Anthony Grandberry, who suffered with epilepsy, with a ticket and a trip to Super Bowl XLVI after completing a 1,395 Mile road trip from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Chicago, IL supporting the fight against the neurological disorder. 

JT3’s 5th and most transformational year as a professional also gave birth to the anchor of JTTF’s programs and events schedule in, JT3’s Legends Youth Football Camp. Covering the fundamentals of safe play and providing a unique positive football experience are the overarching goals and purpose for its existence. 

Currently JT3 and JTTF are laying the foundation for perpetual giving, building a board to maximize efforts, and redeveloping underserved communities in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, FL. His aspirational goals in philanthropy include building platform for affordable private education and finding a cure for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Programs & Events

Our programs and events cater to our family of well deserving student-athletes who show exceptional conduct in the classroom and unparalleled relentlessness on the field in the midst of adversity. We will continue to develop our platform with our future leaders in mind.

JTTF College Tour

The JTTF college tour is an annual collaboration between the JT Thomas III Foundation and the Team Tate Family. The college tour offers South Florida high school student athletes the opportunity to visit colleges, be evaluated, and compete in front of college coaches. The tour is co-founded by Tyler Tate, a fellow Ft. Lauderdale native and life-long friend of JT3. JTTF, and The Team Tate Family, observes this trip as a first time and life changing experience for many of our student athletes and parents! Together, both organizations have contributed over 25 years of mentorship and youth development to the City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County.

The Faith Scholarship

The Faith Scholarship is an opportunity for high school students to earn a need based scholarship up to $10,000 toward their pursuit of higher education. Criteria for the scholarship includes an essay, 25 community service hours served with the foundation, and a grade point average of 2.5 or higher.

JT3’s Legends Youth Football Camp

JT3’s Legends YFC is our FREE annual football camp for ages 5-15 hosted by JT Thomas III at Joseph C. Carter Park in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Our guests include JT3’s current and former NFL friends, community leaders, and the best of South Florida’s youth and high-school student-athletes. The kids are coached on the fundamentals of safe play and making smart decisions on and off the field.

For more information regarding the J.T. Thomas Foundation, please email us at info@jtthomasfoundation.org or follow us on Instagram @_JTTF