The Heisman Trophy

What The Heisman Trophy does

The Heisman Trophy Trust is a private non-profit organization that has administered the Heisman Memorial Trophy — the most prestigious annual award in U.S. college football — since 1935. The Trust operates an event-driven model centered on the annual Heisman Trophy Weekend in New York City, where the winner is announced at a ceremony broadcast on ESPN. Voting is conducted via electronic ballots distributed to approximately 870 media members and 58 living former Heisman winners across six regions (Northeast, Southwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Far West), with ballots tabulated by Deloitte & Touche LLP as an independent third party. The product surface is narrow but high-prestige: the annual trophy, a year-round website (heisman.com) hosting historical voting records, statistics, trivia, and winner profiles, the monthly Heisman Trophy Podcast, and the Heisman Central micro-site for in-season coverage. The Trust's extended offerings include the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development (established with the New York Community Trust), high school scholarships, the Heisman Humanitarians program, and partnerships with charities such as Desire Street Ministries, supporting over 300 charitable organizations focused on youth development through sports. The organization is governed by a board of trustees, funded through corporate sponsorships (notably Nissan, which sponsors the Heisman House tour, plus ESPN, Jostens, and Axia Time), grants, and charitable contributions. In May 2026, the Heisman Foundation committed its largest single grant in history as founding partner of the Aspen Institute Captains Leadership Academy, with pilots launching in 2026 and national expansion planned for 2027.

Name

The Heisman Trophy

Legal name

Heisman Trophy Trust

Website

https://heisman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Heisman Trophy Trust is a private non-profit that has awarded the Heisman Memorial Trophy annually since 1935 to the most outstanding college football player, running the ESPN-broadcast ceremony, managing voting records, and funding youth development through sports via the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Awards & Recognition

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

National Collegiate Governing Bodies (e.g., NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA/USCAA) (MPAKACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• College football awards
• Athletic recognition programs
• Sports youth development
• Charitable sports foundation
• College athletics honors

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding & Grants: The Heisman Trophy Trust funds charitable organizations through grants, including the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development established with New York Community Trust. The Heisman Foundation serves as a founding partner for initiatives like the Aspen Institute Captains Leadership Academy through significant grants supporting youth development through sports and education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Heisman Trophy Trust administers the Heisman Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding college football player in NCAA Division I FBS. The organization also runs related programming including the Heisman Trophy Weekend ceremony, the Heisman Trophy Podcast, the Heisman Humanitarians recognition program, High School Scholarships, and the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development supporting over 300 charitable organizations.

Product overview

The Heisman Trophy is a single unified product — the most prestigious award in college football, presented annually by the Heisman Trophy Trust to the most outstanding player. The organization operates related programs including the Heisman Trophy Podcast (monthly episodes with interviews), the Heisman Trust charitable arm (overseeing youth development funds and high school scholarships), Heisman Trophy Weekend events (annual ceremony and Legends Brunch), and digital content offerings including voting records, trivia, and statistical archives. The core Heisman Trophy award is complemented by the Heisman Humanitarians program recognizing winners' community service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Heisman Memorial Trophy
• Heisman Trophy Weekend

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Aspen InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026The Heisman Trophy organization and the Aspen Institute announced a new national initiative, the Aspen Institute Captains Leadership Academy, designed to develop high school team captains into civic leaders. The Heisman Foundation is serving as founding partner through the largest single grant in its history supporting youth development through sports and education.
• New York Community TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Heisman Trophy Trust established the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development with New York Community Trust, established in 1924. The Fund supports NYC charitable organizations that use sports to engage underprivileged young people ages 8 to 18 in educational activities.
• ESPNcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerESPN broadcasts the Heisman Trophy ceremony and related events, including the finalists announcement show and annual ceremony coverage from Manhattan.
• NissancoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNissan is the sponsor of the Heisman House tour, an interactive experience that travels to various locations allowing fans to engage with Heisman winners and learn about the award. Nissan also sponsors related events and content.
• Deloitte & Touche LLPcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP tabulates the Heisman votes as an independent third party, ensuring the integrity of the voting process.
• JostensminorOthersJostens manufactures the Heisman Trophy, the physical award presented annually to the winner.
• Axia TimeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAxia Time is listed as a sponsor on the Heisman website, providing timekeeping and related services.
• Desire Street MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by 1996 Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel, Desire Street Ministries works to restore impoverished urban neighborhoods. The Heisman Trophy Trust supports this charity which focuses on bolstering leaders in urban communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Walter Camp Football Foundation: The Walter Camp Football Foundation awards the Walter Camp Player of the Year annually — the oldest collegiate football award, directly comparable to the Heisman in mission, voting structure, and recognition status.
• Chuck Bednarik Award: The Chuck Bednarik Award recognizes the college defensive player of the year through a similar media-vote and ceremony structure, directly comparable to the Heisman Trophy in format and audience.
• Outland Trophy: The Outland Trophy honors the best interior lineman in college football annually through a similar media-vote and ceremony model, making it a direct structural peer to the Heisman Trophy Trust.
• Maxwell Football Club: The Maxwell Football Club presents the Maxwell Award to the college player of the year, operating a near-identical annual award model with media voting and a ceremony — directly comparable to Heisman.
• College Football Hall of Fame: Operated by the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame celebrates college football excellence with induction ceremonies, archives, and educational programming — a direct peer in collegiate football recognition and storytelling.
• Doak Walker Award: The Doak Walker Award recognizes the nation's premier college running back annually via a media vote, mirroring the Heisman's structure for a position-specific award with similar ceremony and voting mechanics.
• National Football Foundation: The NFF runs the College Football Hall of Fame and multiple awards (MacArthur Bowl, NFF Scholar-Athlete), operating an annual collegiate football awards portfolio directly comparable to the Heisman Trophy Trust's model.
• Davey O'Brien Foundation: The Davey O'Brien Foundation administers the Davey O'Brien Award for the nation's best college quarterback, following the same award-and-charity model as the Heisman Trophy Trust.

Broad incumbents

• ESPN ESPY Awards: The ESPYs are ESPN's flagship multi-sport awards show — a broader incumbent that competes for sports-award media attention and sponsorship dollars across all sports, including college football.
• NCAA: The NCAA is the national governing body for collegiate athletics and runs championship events tied to the same players and audiences the Heisman Trophy Trust engages — a broad incumbent in the collegiate sports ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeismanTrophy
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeismanTrophy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heisman-trophy-tr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Heisman Trophy