Founded by the Spanos family in 1995 to supplement the efforts of the team's Community Relations Department, the Chargers Community Foundation has led the way in honoring volunteers, assisting youth sports, and helping critical causes important to the region. Since its inception, the Foundation has provided more than $11 million in direct community assistance. Specifically, the Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants for athletic equipment and physical fitness programming in public schools; provided hundreds of thousands in funding to high school athletic programs through the annual Coach of the Week Program; and provided millions of dollars in assistance when disaster has struck.