The Consultant Who Became a Cornerstone
“If Raise The Barr was going to exist beyond Anthony’s playing career, it had to be built with that reality in mind from day one—designed to be respected not only for who founded it, but for the rigor of our data-driven decision-making”
Nearly ten years ago, Raise The Barr was in its infancy: a newly formed nonprofit with no full-time staff, modest funding, and a clear commitment to supporting single-parent students—but without the formal model or infrastructure it would later build. At that early stage, Stephanie Sandler, then a consultant, asked Anthony and Lori Barr a defining question: What is the long-term vision? And does this continue beyond Anthony’s NFL career?
Since 1999, Stephanie has advised dozens of professional athletes on their philanthropic efforts, witnessing both the promise and the pitfalls of athlete-led foundations. Raise The Barr was an opportunity to build intentionally, with sustainability from the start. Anthony and Lori were clear: they wanted the organization to endure.
As Raise The Barr clarified its direction, Stephanie and the Barrs discussed what it would take to build something sustainable. Those conversations led to a multi-year commitment from Anthony, who pledged $1 million over five years, providing the runway to research gaps in the field, strengthen infrastructure, and design a model responsive to single-parent scholars’ needs.
“If Raise The Barr was going to exist beyond Anthony’s playing career, it had to be built with that reality in mind from day one—designed to be respected not only for who founded it, but for the rigor of our data-driven decision-making and our commitment to centering the voices of our scholars,” Stephanie says.
Rather than rushing into programming, Raise The Barr invested in research, listened to scholars, and examined national data. Before the Stable Housing Cohorts or The Huddle were conceived, the focus was on understanding what would meaningfully advance economic mobility for single-parent students and their children.
Lori and Anthony speaking at an Ascend by the Aspen Institute event, a leading organization in research and efficacy of the 2Gen movement.
Over the past decade, Raise The Barr has evolved into a comprehensive two-generation model integrating housing stability, individualized coaching, academic guidance, and career readiness, achieving a 95% scholar persistence rate for hundreds of single-parents.
Like Anthony, Stephanie was raised by a student parent. Her father pursued higher education while married, working several jobs, and raising a family, shaping her understanding of how education impacts not just an individual, but an entire household. What continues to motivate her at Raise The Barr, however, is the opportunity to help build an organization strong enough to outlast any one athlete, staff member, or funding cycle, one that could serve as a model for what is possible in professional athlete philanthropy. “This model isn’t out of reach. For many professional athletes, the capacity is there,” Stephanie says. “It simply requires approaching philanthropy with the same intentionality and rigor that defines success on the field.”
With Anthony’s retirement, Raise The Barr approaches its 10-year anniversary not as a project winding down, but as an organization built intentionally to last.
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