The Charlotte nonprofit Foundation for the Carolinas said Monday it has been given a $30 million contribution from a Carolina Panthers investor donating some of his proceeds from the recent sale of the team.
The investor, Derick Springsteen Close, was among those who sold the franchise to hedge fund manager David Tepper, in a $2.275 billion purchase made official last week. Close's donation represents a "sizable" percentage of the proceeds he realized from the sale, foundation officials said.
In a statement, Close said he and his family were "very pleased" to make the gift, adding: "The success of both the team and the initial investment is a result of this community, and we are committed to investing in local nonprofits serving those in need throughout the Carolinas."
Close, part of an 11-member group of limited partners at the time of the sale, was an initial investor when the NFL awarded a football team to the Carolinas in 1993. His donation is to the Springsteen Foundation, a fund held at Foundation for the Carolinas.
"Derick Close is a generous philanthropist who is making a significant impact on our region through both lifetime and legacy gifts," foundation CEO Michael Marsicano said in a statement.
The team was put up for sale in December by Jerry Richardson, following allegations of workplace misconduct against Richardson that launched an NFL investigation into the organization.
The sales price is a record for an NFL franchise.
Richardson had owned 48 percent of the team, with the other 52 percent belonging to a group of about a dozen wealthy individuals and families from around the Charlotte region.
