Peyton considers his most important accomplishments those he has achieved off the field. In 2002, Peyton earned the USA Weekend's Most Caring Athlete Award for his ongoing community service activities and was honored as the 2002 male recipient of the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award. The award is given to America's premier male and female athletes who have excelled in their sport and have shown by their actions a strong desire to help others. In 2001, Peyton was selected as the Walter Payton/Indianapolis Colts NFL Man of the Year for his participation in community affairs. He was also honored by his Colts' teammates as the 2001 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award for courageous play by an individual on the team. His teammates have nominated him for the Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award the two of the last three years (2001-2002). Named for Supreme Court Justice and former NFL star Byron White, the award goes to the player who best personifies the spirit of Justice White's service to team, community and country. The Sporting News selected Peyton as one of the Good Guys in professional sports in 2002 and 2003. The Good Guys are athletes with the biggest hearts, who give back the most to the community, and who are most willing to serve the needy and unfortunate. The Indianapolis Star ranked Peyton eighth on a list of Central Indiana's Most Influential People on Sports for his work in the community.

In 2001, Peyton was awarded the American Dream Award by the Hudson Institute for his work with the PeyBack Foundation. The same year, The Indianapolis Business Journal named Peyton one of the area's Top 40 Leaders Under 40 years of age and Indianapolis based Nuvo Magazine named him "Best Professional Athlete in Indianapolis," in 2001 and 2003. Peyton was named one of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Americans for 1999 by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce and was recognized for being among the best, brightest, and most inspirational young leaders America has to offer.

Peyton was named to the NCAA Foundation Board of Directors in 2000, now the NCAA Leadership Advisory Board, and was its youngest-ever member and first active professional athlete. In addition to his board responsibilities, Peyton is the spokesperson for the NCAA's Stay in Bounds program. Stay in Bounds is a character development initiative committed to teaching citizenship through sports and the acceptance of a set of guiding principles of sportsmanship. Peyton is the Colts United Way spokesperson. Peyton also serves on the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Advisory Board, Center for Leadership Development Advisory Board, Board of Visitors of the College of Art and Sciences at the University of Tennessee and the Board of Advocates for the Indiana Golf Foundation.

Peyton has also continued his association with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for abused and neglected children. For the fifth consecutive year, Peyton coached a team of foster children in a game of flag football at the Union Federal Football Center to benefit CASA. Manning along with the PeyBack Foundation official sponsors presented a check for $5,000 to CASA in 2003.

In 2003, Peyton joined forces with Caps for Kids, a non-profit organization that provides caps for children undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer or other life threatening illnesses. St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis is one of 70 hospitals and treatment centers throughout the United States that participate in the program. Kids are given the choice to receive an autographed hat by anyone they consider their hero.

Part of Peyton's off-season is spent traveling to various parts of the country for speaking engagements. He makes several visits during the season to various elementary schools. In addition to his own work in the community, Peyton helps other athletes and entertainers raise funds for various charities. Peyton has joined his father and brothers' Cooper and Eli for the past seven years for the Manning Passing Academy at Southeastern Louisiana University. In 2003, more than 750 kids from 26 different states attended the three-day camp.

Recognizing Others:
Peyton established the PeyBack Award in 2002 to recognize an individual currently or formerly associated with the game of football. The recipient will have achieved a high level of success in the sport and distinguished themselves through philanthropic deeds on a local, regional or national level. Character, integrity, and honor define a PeyBack recipient. Legendary NFL quarterback Roger Staubach was the first recipient of the PeyBack Award while former NFL quarterback Dan Marino received the honor in 2003. The honorees are recognized during the Pathfinder Awards ceremonies at Conseco Fieldhouse as part of the Youthlinks Indiana Charity Golf Tournament.