The Ovie Mughelli Foundation
Sport can move culture.
The Foundation uses athlete influence, storytelling and strategic partnerships to help young people and communities see sustainability, STEM and the green economy in a new way.
An Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) creating pathways for youth through sport, culture and credible collaboration.
Premier partner spotlight
Ocean Conservancy: Protect Where We Play.
Ovie Mughelli serves as a Team Ocean Coach for Ocean Conservancy’s Protect Where We Play initiative. The programme brings athletes, artists, teams, events and fans together to help protect the places where we live, play and compete.
This appointment reflects the Foundation’s next chapter: using sport, culture and trusted voices to turn environmental concern into community action.
What we do now
How we create impact now.
Three platforms carry the Foundation’s work today. Everything else on this page is either proof of what has been built or a format available to a partner who funds it.
Gridiron Green Studio
Storytelling that reaches young people.
Gridiron Green uses sport, character and culture to make environmental learning memorable. Through future comic episodes, digital content, athlete storytelling and learning extensions, we help young people connect environmental action to the world they already care about.
Explore Gridiron Green→Green Speaker Series
Conversations that create momentum.
We convene athletes, educators, sustainability leaders, corporate partners and youth around practical conversations about the green economy, environmental leadership and the future of sport.
Explore the series→Green Sports Impact Advisory
Strategy that makes sport matter.
We help organisations use athlete influence, sports culture, community partnerships and credible storytelling to turn sustainability commitments into visible action.
Discuss advisory→Gridiron Green
Where sport meets sustainability.
A youth-centred storytelling platform that uses comics, character, culture and sport to make environmental learning feel relevant, entertaining and achievable.
It was built to reach young people who have often been left outside traditional environmental education, and it introduces them to environmental responsibility and the UN Sustainable Development Goals through a story they actually want to read.
It grows without anyone having to be in a gym on a Saturday: future episodes, short-form video, athlete-led content, learning guides, digital activations and licensing.
A Gridiron Green partnership can include a new comic episode, youth learning extensions, athlete-led content, social storytelling, employee engagement and community distribution aligned with your brand’s sustainability or youth opportunity goals.
The Foundation creates the story, the message, the athlete visibility and the sponsor narrative. Curriculum alignment, teacher resources, school distribution and impact reporting sit with an education partner.
The Green Speaker Series
Conversations that connect the future of sport to the future of our communities.
Athletes, business leaders, educators, creators and sustainability voices in one room. Built to be light to run and easy for a partner to host.
Audiences
Who it is built for
- Corporate teams
- Conferences
- Schools
- Sports organisations
- Public events
- Virtual events
Formats
How it runs
- Keynote
- Panel
- Fireside chat
- Moderated conversation
- Virtual conversation
Topics
What gets discussed
- Sport can move culture
- Athlete influence and authentic purpose
- The future of the green economy
- Sustainable communities and youth opportunity
- Building a credible environmental story
- How brands can engage sports fans around impact
A sponsor-backed Green Speaker Series can include event design, Ovie as host or moderator, athlete and expert guests, content capture, community invitations, branded recap content, and a practical next-step action for attendees.
Impact and credibility
Built for impact. Grounded in experience.
Built through youth programmes, sports activations, education partnerships, original content, and collaborations with leaders across sustainability, education, sport and community impact.
Founded in 2009. More than 15 years of work making sustainability relevant, accessible and actionable — particularly for young people and communities that have historically been underrepresented in environmental conversations.
The model for partners
Choose the right way to partner.
| Sponsor a story | Brands and funders | Gridiron Green episodes, educator resources, athlete-led content, digital reach |
| Convene a conversation | Companies, conferences, venues, civic groups | A Green Speaker Series event, moderated discussion, speaker or athlete lineup, recap content |
| Build a strategic impact plan | Sports organisations, brands, nonprofits, cities | Athlete engagement strategy, sustainability storytelling, community activation design, partner mapping, measurement approach |
Selective sponsor-funded activations
Proven programs. Built for the right partner.
OMF has developed hands-on programs that bring young people, families, athletes and communities into the action. These experiences combine football, movement, environmental learning and community engagement.
OMF Green Camps
Football and eco-education clinics
Designed to combine movement, mentorship, environmental learning and youth engagement.
Recycle on the Run
Interactive, football-inspired
Uses movement and challenges to make recycling and environmental learning memorable.
Green Tailgate
Sports-fan engagement
Connects game-day culture with visible environmental action.
Meaningful live programming requires the right staffing, logistics, equipment, safety planning, travel, materials and evaluation. Partnership scope is designed around location, staffing, equipment, participant count, travel, production needs, insurance, safety requirements, content and impact measurement.
Selected collaborators
Built with credible collaborators.
Ocean Conservancy — Protect Where We Play. Ovie Mughelli serves as a Team Ocean Coach.
Gridiron Green was developed through the Foundation and advanced through collaboration with Comics Uniting Nations and UNICEF.
The Foundation’s environmental work has run alongside the EPA, the NRDC, the Sierra Club, the Green Sports Alliance, NEXUS and the U.S. Green Building Council. It has also previously supported digital-learning efforts designed to introduce young people to STEM topics and career pathways.
Collaborations have included program delivery, content development, education, advocacy, convening and community engagement. Relationships vary by organization and project.
Why the work is personal
Why this work is personal.
Ovie’s experience as a father deepened his belief that the health of families, communities and the planet are connected.
That conviction led to the Ovie Mughelli Foundation: a platform designed to help young people, especially those in underserved communities, see themselves as future STEM professionals, environmental leaders and changemakers.
Masika Mughelli serves as Executive Director and developed the Foundation’s original program portfolio. Ovie Mughelli serves as Founder and President.
OMF helps the world of sport use its influence for a healthier, more sustainable future.
Let’s make sustainability easier to see, understand and act on.
Whether you are a company, sports organization, school system, city, nonprofit, funder or community leader, OMF can help build a credible path from purpose to visible impact.