COLUMBUS - Haslam Sports Group founders Dee and Jimmy Haslam on behalf of the Haslam family on Monday pledged $1.5 million to COVID-19 relief funds throughout the state of Ohio.

Through their Haslam 3 Foundation, the Haslams earmarked $1 million to the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund and $500,000 to the Columbus Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund.

“We are humbled by the tremendous work of people around the world in their efforts to help those impacted by COVID-19 and we wanted to try to positively impact those affected in our own communities of Cleveland and Columbus,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “We are grateful for the individuals who are putting others before themselves and for the sacrifices they are making.”

The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund is designed to complement the work of public health officials and expand local capacity to address all aspects of the outbreak as efficiently as possible. The fund will provide grant awards on a rolling basis to nonprofit organizations in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.

The Columbus Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund assists non-profit organizations that are responding to the spread of COVID-19 and experiencing financial challenges by doing so.

Haslam Sports Group owns and operates the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns and Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew SC.