The Barstool Fund
In just one month, Barstools Sports founder and president, Dave Portnoy, has helped raise over $22 million with nearly 175,000 supporters to save over 100 small businesses (data updates every 5-minutes).
The Barstool Fund, started with $500,000 of Portnoy’s own funding with the aim of helping small businesses hit by the pandemic. The majority of recipients are bar and restaurant owners, but barbershops, dry cleaners and yoga studios have also received assistance from the Barstool Fund. This includes the 47-year-old The Abbey Bar & Grill in De Pere, Wisconsin.
“It was flooring when I think of the millions of bars and restaurants in the United States and the thousands who applied for support (from the Barstool Fund),” owner Kerry Counard said in an interview with the Green Bay Press Gazette. “It’s ridiculous to think they chose the Abbey. I knew it was a big deal, but I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal from our little corner of De Pere.”
Among the fund’s supporters is Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. After donating $500,000, Rodgers told Portnoy that he had been touched by the videos of business owners sharing their stories and has since encouraged his teammates, sponsors and NFL players to pledge their support.
“We all have charities and stuff that are really important and do great work, but we’re talking about our people. I mean these are our people,” Rodgers said during an Instagram livestream with Portnoy. “This is the backbone of this country, small business and the middle class, that’s taking it on the chin right now, and I want to get involved. I have to get involved. This is real money. This is real change.”
Elon Musk, Tom Brady, Kid Rock and Guy Fieri have also pledged their support for the Barstool Fund.
Despite little national attention, Portnoy and his supporters are fighting for small businesses and their livelihoods, one door at a time.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
