Quarterback Club makes record $2.4 million donation

The Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club and the Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation recently announced their annual fundraising recipients.

Following a record-breaking season, the non-profit donated $2.4 million to 35 local nonprofits focused on children’s medical needs.

Fundraising and donation

Since 1939, the MMQBC has been raising money to fight health issues in children. In over eight decades of existence, the organization contributed more than $36 million to children’s health-related charities.

In 2024, they continued their good work by raising a single-year record.

“We are grateful for our Monday Morning Quarterback Club members and donors. Due to their generosity, our $2.4 million in support allows us to positively impact nonprofit organizations that assist Alabama children and families in need. The funds raised represent life-changing programs, essential medical care, and hope for many in our community.”

Tommy Sisson, MMQBC Captain

MMQBC awarded 35 checks totalling $2.4 million at their Next Level Impact Luncheon, held at the Harbert Center in Birmingham in March.

The 2024 recipients were:

• Alabama Institute for Dead and Blind
• American Sports Medicine Institute
• Breakthrough T1D
• Camp Seale Harris
• Children’s Harbor
• Children’s of Alabama
• Easterseals of the Birmingham Area
• Embrace Alabama Kids
• ESFA- UAB Dept. of Pediatric Ophthalmology
• ESFA- Sight Savers America
• Glendwood, Inc.
• Grace House Ministries
• Hand in Paw
• HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
• Iron City Trykes
• Kid One Transport
• King’s Home
• Libby’s Friends
• Mitchell’s Place
• Mothers’ Milk Bank of Alabama
• Oasis Counseling for Women & Children
• Preschool Partners
• Prescott House
• Red Mountain Grace
• Ronald McDonald House
• Smile-A-Mile
• Spring Valley School
• The Bell Center
• The Exceptional Foundation
• The RISE Center
• The WellHouse
• UAB Institute for Arts in Medicine
• UAB Sports & Exercise Medicine
• United Ability
• Woolley Institute for Spoken-Language Education

Monday Morning Quarterback Club

Zipp Newman, sports editor of the Birmingham News, established the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in 1939. At the time, polio was rampant, and efforts where therefore aimed at addressing the deadly disease.

With help from the community, the MMQBC raised over $3 million to build the Crippled Children’s Clinic. Once the need for a polio-specific hospital disappeared, UAB purchased it, tore it down and replaced it with the Spain-Wallace Building.. The funds from the sale went to creating the Crippled Children’s Foundation, since renamed the Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation.

Throughout its lengthy history, the MMQBC has raised money through individual donations and sponsored events. Today, the MMQBC is deeply intertwined with the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), notably partnering with its Super 7 Football Championship game.

2025 cycle

The 2025 grant application cycle opened June 1 and will run through August 31.

Following fundraising and board approval, this year’s beneficiaries will be awarded in February 2026.

To learn more about the grant process, email Michelle McIntyre at michelle@mmqbc.org or call 205-226-8830.

Know someone who benefited from the Quarterback Club’s generosity? Share their story with us by tagging @bhamnow on socials.