CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today its plans for distributing grant funds in conjunction with the College Football Playoff Foundation (CFPF) through its Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) initiative ahead of the 2025 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 6, between No. 17 Virginia and Duke at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
As part of this year’s efforts, the ACC announced in September 2025 that it will remodel a local Charlotte Mecklenburg School (CMS) space as the conference pledges to make an impact within the Charlotte community.
The conference is pleased to announce Croft Community School will be the recipient of a $50,000 Extra Yard makeover. In addition to the Extra Yard makeover, the ACC has invited all the students and teachers of Croft Community School to the 2025 ACC Football Championship Game.
“We are thrilled to honor the remarkable community at Croft Community School with a transformative makeover that will uplift current and future students, teachers, and administrators,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “As a conference, we remain steadfast in our commitment to furthering education, and we are grateful to partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation to provide vital resources that empower the teachers who are changing lives every day.”
As part of this year’s Extra Yard for Teachers distribution of grant funds – and in addition to the Croft makeover – the ACC will be also be funding teachers’ projects through Donor’s Choose. In celebration of the ACC Football Championship Game and the two participating teams, projects in the greater Charlotte, Charlottesville and Durham communities will be selected and their project requests fulfilled. Fans will help determine the areas of funding as part of the EYFT activation located within ACC Fan Fest.
In addition to the classroom resource projects, the ACC has named student-athletes from participating schools as recipients of the 2025 Go Teach Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway. Each will receive $2,500 on behalf of the CFP Foundation and Dr Pepper to assist in their continued pursuit of a degree or career in education. And in the coming weeks, one recipient will win the Grand Prize of an additional $10,000 in tuition support. The student-athletes were chosen by campus representatives, and the Grand Prize winner will be selected by the ACC’s awards committee.
- Boston College: Ismael Zamor, Football
- California: Marcel Dancy, Football
- Clemson: Aysia Fingall, Women’s Track & Field
- Duke: Connor Barket, Wrestling
- Florida State: Lydia Ward, Women’s Lacrosse
- Georgia Tech: Carter “Liv” Mogridge, Volleyball
- Louisville: Jayden Gohs, Softball
- Miami: Emma Hencock, Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
- North Carolina: Sietske Brüning, Field Hockey
- NC State: Kendall Weik, Softball
- Notre Dame: Henry Nadile, Fencing
- Pitt: Maggie Long, Women’s Lacrosse
- Syracuse: Maya D'Arcy, Women's Ice Hockey
- Virginia: Macee Eaton, Softball
The College Football Playoff Foundation is the largest sports entity in America that is supporting education. Its nationwide Extra Yard for Teachers platform has collectively invested approximately $92 million in support of education. The CFP Foundation Extra Yard for Teachers platform is successful in supporting and uplifting teachers by focusing on four major areas: recognition, resources, professional development, and recruitment and retention. Since its inception, the CFP Foundation has supported nearly 650,000 teachers nationwide, creating a positive impact for more than 13 million students and 81,000 schools.
For more information about the CFP Foundation, visit cfp-foundation.org and for more about the Atlantic Coast Conference, visit theACC.com.
About the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 73rd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow the ACC on Instagram (@accsports), Twitter (@theACC) and Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).
About the College Football Playoff Foundation
The College Football Playoff Foundation is the 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving as the community engagement arm of the College Football Playoff and works in partnership with institutions of higher education, sports organizations, corporations and nonprofits to support educators and improve U.S. student outcomes. The purpose of the CFP Foundation lies in supporting PK-12 education across the country. The CFP Foundation’s primary platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers in four core areas: resources, recognition, professional development, recruitment and retention. To learn more, visit cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.