How We Started
The Best Is Ahead Foundation (TBIAF) began in 2022 with a bold and heartfelt mission: to empower young people in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area through education, mentorship, and advocacy.
At the time, the foundation harnessed the emerging power of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights among college athletes—not only to create meaningful opportunities for athletes to serve their communities, but to ensure they received social, emotional, and financial support in return.
Our early work centered on helping athletes thrive both on and off the field, while using their influence to uplift the neighborhoods they came from.
SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS WORK
TBIA: FATHERS TABLE EVENT
DIGGS DAY CAMP 2025
DIGGS DAY CAMP 2024
STUDENT ATHELETE EVENT AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
SERVICE AT
TYLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
What others say about TBIAF
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The Best is Ahead Foundation is and has become a important platform for the University of Maryland football program to compete in the BIG Ten and continue our winning ways. With today's landscape in college football, this NIL platform allows us to not only keep our players on the current roster but attract other players to our program. Our football players actually work for their compensation through community outreach and other programs that I've personally witnessed through our Under Armour RISE flag football program. We need to continue to support The Best is Ahead Foundation so we can be proud of the foundation we helped establish and build for today's Terps!
John Kaleo
University of Maryland Quarterback, 1991-1992
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I support TBIAF as our athletes connect in the community and focuses on gun violence education, mental health awareness, literacy programs and more. NIL is changing the landscape in college football and we need your support and donations. Lets keep moving forward as "The best is ahead" of us Terp Nation.
Jaimie Bragg
University of Maryland Offensive Lineman, 1991-1994
HOW WE’VE EVOLVED
As NIL regulations shifted and our leadership reflected on the deeper needs within the community, TBIAF underwent a powerful transformation. We recognized that the struggles athletes faced—mental health challenges, career uncertainty, personal development—mirrored the realities of many local residents.
This insight sparked a wider mission: to become a community-first foundation, serving not just athletes, but all individuals navigating adversity.
This evolution became deeply personal after the tragic loss of our son Meiko, a passionate football player, avid reader, and bright light in our lives. His journey through mental health challenges and substance use, and ultimately his life being cut short due to gun violence, redefined our purpose. We became a family foundation in his honor, expanding our work into literacy, mental wellness, gun violence prevention, and drug and alcohol education.
Today, TBIAF stands as a resilient force for hope and healing—committed to lifting up every life we touch, with a clear vision: building a better future, starting now.
We’re committed to our mission of serving others and raising awareness of the work we do through our core pillars in our local DMV community, and beyond. As passionate as we are about our cause, we can’t do it alone! We’d love to gain your support.
At TBIAF, we’ve partnered with various organizations and entities to advance our goal of impacting lives and providing resources for community growth. If you’d like to contribute to our work, please secure your donation at the link below.
