Jordan’s strong competitive edge has always been tempered with a soft heart. Growing up in Dallas, Jordan began playing at a high level at an early age. However, his younger sister Ellie was born with a neurological disorder, and family focus shifted to her needs. Jordan’s family life both then and now is the reason he has remained grounded on the world’s biggest stage, and he attributes his charitable perspective to her role in his life. “I love spending time with Ellie. It’s humbling to see what she goes through each day that we take for granted. Because of her, it has always been a priority to be in tune to the needs of others,” Jordan has said. “Annie and I both grew up with the idea that doing for others should always be a cornerstone of how we act and the choices we make.”
At the age of 19, with no status and before making Tour history, Jordan quickly recognized the opportunity that PGA Tour stage provided and dreamed of building a philanthropic legacy as large as an athletic one. In 2013, Jordan achieved his goal of winning a PGA Tour event, followed by an invitation to the US Presidents Cup team and being named Rookie of the Year. His most notable accomplishment, however, was establishing the official Jordan Spieth charitable platform – now the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation (JSFF). As he had always hoped, success on the course immediately yielded the opportunity to help others. Junior golf had propelled his career and afforded him the chance, so a focus on growing the game with youth was key. The Tour’s support of military veterans was inspiring, and thus a second charitable focus was chosen. Jordan’s story always came back to Ellie, his sister and cheerleader, who means the world him and shaped this charitable vision. Jordan concentrated the third mission focus on funding and assisting opportunities for special people like Ellie all over the country.
After being a part of the work from the start, in 2017 Annie Spieth took on a more formal role with the Foundation and brought pediatric cancer forward as the fourth and final JSFF mission pillar. Inspired by the cancer battles of two childhood friends, Annie knew there was important work to be done, and that the Foundation could contribute.
These significant areas, individuals with special needs, junior golf, military families and veterans, and pediatric cancer became the pillars on which the Spieth family are putting their most important efforts. Through the shared belief by Jordan’s partners and their family and friends, the opportunity to fund important work has grown to over $10M in grants to over 150 unique community partners. As a part of the Foundation’s work, an inaugural Spieth Shootout event was held in fall 2014 to celebrate the JSFF platform. Now “Spieth & Friends”, the JSFF looks forward to gathering the wider team Spieth community to celebrate the efforts of the Foundation community partners as well as continue to showcase the work left to be done.
- To learn more about Spieth & Friends, click here.
- To learn more about past JSFF community partners, click here.
- To read FAQ re: the JSFF, click here.
- To donate to the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation, click here.