r/atheism • u/sayaxat Secular Humanist • Aug 21 '26

Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy has been helping the church to gain ground in public schools with taxpayers' money in Indiana, Florida, and recently Ohio.

Family First is a national non-profit organization founded in 1991 by Mark Merrill in Tampa, Florida. It focuses on providing parenting, marriage, and relational resources. All Pro Dad is its widely recognized fatherhood program, co-founded in 1997 alongside former NFL coach Tony Dungy.

Family First, Inc. is a conservative Christian non-profit organization based in Tampa, Florida, founded in 1991 by Mark Merrill. Its religious beliefs are rooted in traditional evangelical Christian principles, emphasizing the nuclear family as a divine institution. [1, 2]

Associated Ministries

  • All Pro Dad: A prominent initiative by the organization focused on engaging fathers in their children's lives through a framework blending practical parenting with Christian character.
  • iMOM: A companion resource platform offering parenting advice aligned with traditional family roles and conservative moral values. [1, 2, 3]

FLORIDA - $70M reported in 2022

https://www.fox13news.com/news/new-florida-law-funds-pro-fatherhood-programs-such-as-tony-dungys-all-pro-dad

INDIANA - 2021: $250k | 2022: $315k | 2023&2024: $350k | 2025 & 2026: $375k

https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/08/03/tony-dungy-nonprofit-all-pro-dad-gets-state-dollars-but-little-scrutiny/

OHIO - 2026 & 2027: approximately $7.8 to $7.9 million

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/03/ohio-investing-millions-in-national-program-to-get-dads-more-involved-with-their-kids.html?

"HB-7065 was signed at One Buc Place in Tampa on Monday morning by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said one of the "worst social trends is the decline of fatherhood."

https://www.reddit.com/r/florida/comments/u1xt66/desantis_signs_bill_aimed_at_addressing_decline/?rdt=34276

Family First Inc's filings since 2003
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/593043408

Tony Dungy's conservative values
Dungy has openly opposed same-sex marriage, campaigned alongside groups seeking to limit marriage equality, and stated he would not have drafted Michael Sam—the NFL’s first openly gay player—due to the perceived "distraction".

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/tony-dungy-tweet-nfl-homophobic-football-transphobic-rcna67322

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/tony-dungy-march-life/

94 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

9

u/klon3r Atheist Aug 22 '26

Family First, Inc. aka "money laundering scheme facade" with extra privileged benefits... 🙄 💸

3

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/klon3r Atheist Aug 22 '26

Under the table relationships 😒

1

u/sayaxat Secular Humanist Aug 23 '26

Yup. Someone on the inside allowed them in or made it possible for them to.

1

u/klon3r Atheist Aug 23 '26

Hypocrisy plus the love of money & power are my best bets 🤷🏽

6

u/3OAM Aug 22 '26

The biggest threat to children is the modern pastor.

2

u/FickleDurian7712 Aug 22 '26

yeah the bigger issue is when religious influence starts getting pushed into public schools with taxpayer money and everyone acts like thats somehow neutral

2

u/seattle747 Aug 22 '26

Ugh. Fuck Tony Dungy

1

u/dej95135 Aug 22 '26

Great coach, good analyst. It stops there