Sports 4 Life offers community funding and seeks to effect sustainable improvement to the overall health and development of girls in these communities through grant making, leadership training and capacity-building efforts.

Sports 4 Life, cofounded by the Women’s Sports Foundation and ESPN in 2014, was created based on the knowledge that while sports participation offers tremendous life-long benefits – from improved physical health and self-esteem, to better grades in school and enhanced leadership skills – young girls of color are disproportionately excluded.

The program seeks to increase the participation and retention of Black, African-American, Hispanic and/or Native American girls, inclusive of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

2024 funding is made possible by co-founding partner ESPN, national partner Gatorade. With the help of WNBA legend Sue Bird and her partnership with CarMax, the WSF is awarding its largest grant pool and class since the program’s inception in 2014 to celebrate the Foundation’s 50th anniversary and the 10th year of the Sports 4 Life initiative. 

Deadlines and Relevant Dates

Grant Eligibility

In general, the applicant should be a non-profit school, parks and recreation department, non-profit organization or an amateur sports league. Eligible applicants must demonstrate that their program meets the following criteria:

• Serves predominately Black, African-American, Hispanic and/or Native American girls (representing more than 70% of the enrolled program participants)
• Has the ability to deliver structured, developmental sports programming to girls ages 11 to 18 through experienced and committed leadership
• Has the ability to provide ongoing funding to implement sports programming after the life of the funding has expired
• Complies with all of the applicable Federal Civil Rights laws, including the requirements pertaining to developing and submitting an Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP), reporting Findings of Discrimination, and providing language services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons
• Sports 4 Life Partners that have received prior funding should demonstrate how funding has resulted in the growth of girls participating in sports. Any subsequent funding is contingent upon receipt of a satisfactory final and/or mid-term report.

Grant Exclusion

Sports 4 Life Partners that have received three years of consecutive funding will not be invited to apply until 2025.

Grant Allocation

Funding can be used for coaching, curriculum, equipment, uniforms, transportation, facility rental, tournaments and/or team-building activities, all while fostering the Sports 4 Life benefits: leadership, self-esteem, confidence and perseverance.

Grant Requirements

• Partners will be required to use We Play Interactive (provided free of charge). Hosted on a fully accessible digital learning platform, We Play Interactive is for program leaders, coaches and mentors looking to create a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment that empowers girls to explore, grow and thrive through physical activity and sport. This program is activity-based and includes best practices from the Women’s Sports Foundation’s award-winning GoGirlGo!  curriculum used for more than 20 years to help girls become more active. We Play Interactive is a flexible educational tool that can easily be integrated into any program. Learn more and register here.
• Participation in a Women’s Sports Foundation program evaluation webinar by a designated program administrator.
• Completion of pre- and post-participation attitudinal surveys by the girl participants enrolled in the program.*
• Completion of post-program surveys by the designated program administrator.
• If requested, provide your organization’s most recent audited financials or IRS Form 990
• Completion of a final report detailing the impact of the program and how the funding was used. Recipients that request renewed funding will be asked to provide a mid- term report.
• If requested, participation in a site visit(s) by the Women’s Sports Foundation during the course of the program.
• Appropriate acknowledgement of Women’s Sports Foundation and its partners support in one or more of the following: program events, publications, videos, display onsite at facility or website. Usage guidelines will be provided to recipients.
• Regularly provide photos, videos, press clippings and other relevant publicity information about the projects, services, operations, activities or programs in which grant funds were used on an ongoing basis and as attachments to the required reports.
• Access to the program’s girl participants for evaluation and public education purposes.*
• Acknowledge that public announcements of the funding award may be made by the Women’s Sports Foundation, ESPN and Gatorade.

*The funded program is responsible for securing appropriate parental consent, as needed.

Grant Award

Together, the Women’s Sports Foundation and its partners awarded $10,000 grants to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sports 4 Life.

How to Apply

The Women’s Sports Foundation has developed a two-step application process that involves a letter of intent (LOI) application and a follow-up grant application. A selected group of organizations will be invited to submit a follow-up grant application. Please note that an invitation for an organization to submit a grant application does not guarantee that they will receive a grant.

During the program application period, an authorized representative must visit Foundant GLM, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s grant-management system, and follow the directions to register a new user profile or update an existing profile. Limit one (1) profile per person/email address. Once your profile is registered, you will be able to save and submit your LOI application on the website. After your LOI application is submitted, you will need to be invited to submit a grant application in order to proceed in the application process.

Please read carefully through the full eligibility requirements and program criteria before starting a Foundant account and applying. Applicants will be judged on what information is available or provided at the time of application submission.

Apply Here

Notification of Application Acceptance

You will receive an e-mail at the e-mail address provided in your profile when your application has been received.

Any application that is late, incomplete or requesting funds for an event or purchase of equipment that will occur before the applicant would receive the grant money will not be accepted.

Other conditions under which an application will not be accepted:

• Applications that are e-mailed or faxed
• Applications for programs that require compulsory religious participation
• Applications requesting funding towards the purchase of land, construction of buildings, event sponsorships, providing scholarships to individuals and/or the purchase/care of animals
• Applications requesting retroactive funding

2024 Recipients

Contact

If after reading these guidelines carefully, you have any questions, please contact Anne Peltier: 646.833.0424 or APeltier@WomensSportsFoundation.org.

The goal is to develop and/or expand quality youth developmental sport programs for girls with greater sustainability and stronger outcomes.  A signature part of this program is the technical assistance and youth development expertise that WSF will provides to Regional partners.

Deadlines and Relevant Dates

2019 applications are closed.

Grant Eligibility

Applicants must be a non-profit school, parks and recreation department, non-profit organization or amateur sports league and possess a 501(c)(3) status at the time the application is submitted and be located in the fifty (50) United States, District of Columbia or U.S. Territories.

The program must be located in Southeast Michigan or Western New York.

Eligible applicants must demonstrate that their program meets the following criteria:

• Serves girls in underserved communities, with an emphasis on girls of color
• Has the ability to deliver structured, developmental sports programming to girls ages 11 to 18 through experienced and committed leadership
• Has the ability to provide ongoing funding to implement sports programming after the life of the funding has expired
• Complies with all of the applicable Federal Civil Rights laws, including the requirements pertaining to developing and submitting an Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP), reporting Findings of Discrimination, and providing language services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons.

Programs that have received WSF funding should be able to demonstrate how funding has resulted in the growth of girls participating in sports. Any subsequent funding is contingent upon receipt of a satisfactory final and/or mid-term report.

Grant Allocation

Funding in the first two years of the program will be used for organizational capacity building. Funding in the remaining two years of the program will be used to support direct service and may include coaching, curriculum, equipment, uniforms, transportation, facility rental, tournaments and/or team-building activities, all while fostering the Sports 4 Life benefits: leadership, self-esteem, confidence, and perseverance.

Grant Requirements

• Participation in several site visit(s) by the Women’s Sports Foundation during the course of the program.
• Participation in group conference calls and webinars.
• Participation in Women’s Sports Foundation program evaluation webinars by a designated program administrator.
• Completion of pre- and post-participation attitudinal surveys by the girl participants enrolled in the program. *
• Completion of program leadership and stakeholder surveys by the designated program administrator.
• If requested, provide your organization’s most recent audited financials or IRS Form 990.
• Completion of year-end reports detailing the impact of the program and how the funding was used. Appropriate acknowledgement of Women’s Sports Foundation and Ralph C. Wilson Jr., Foundation support in one or more of the following: program events, publications, videos, display onsite at facility or website. Usage guidelines will be provided to recipients.
• Regularly provide photos, videos, press clippings and other relevant publicity information about the projects, services, operations, activities or programs in which grant funds were used on an ongoing basis and as attachments to the required reports.
• Access to the program’s girl participants for evaluation and public education purposes. *
• Acknowledge that public announcements of the funding award may be made by the Women’s Sports Foundation and Ralph C. Wilson Jr., Foundation.

*The funded program is responsible for securing appropriate parental consent, as needed.

Grant Award

The Women’s Sports Foundation will award up to $20,000 annually to a total of four programs for up to 4 years.

How to Apply

Application to the Women’s Sports Foundation Regional Sports 4 Life Program is by invitation only.

During the program application period, an authorized representative must visit Foundant GLM, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s grant-management system, and follow the directions to register a new user profile or update an existing profile. Limit one (1) profile per person/email address. Once your profile is registered, you will be able to save and submit your application on the website.

Please read carefully through the full eligibility requirements and program criteria before starting a Foundant account and applying. Applicants will be judged on what information is available or provided at the time of application submission.

Notification of Application Acceptance

You will receive an e-mail at the e-mail address provided in your profile when your application has been received.

Any application that is late, incomplete or requesting funds for an event or purchase of equipment that will occur before the applicant would receive the grant money will not be accepted.

Other conditions under which an application will not be accepted:

• Applications that are e-mailed or faxed
• Applications for programs that require compulsory religious participation
• Applications requesting funding towards the purchase of land, construction of buildings, event sponsorships, providing scholarships to individuals and/or the purchase/care of animals
• Applications requesting retroactive funding

2018 Recipients

Contact

If after reading these guidelines carefully, you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Flores-Amaya: 516.307.3915 or EFlores-Amaya@WomensSportsFoundation.org.

The WSF Athlete Ambassador Program (AAP), in partnership with Delta Air Lines, connects professional, Olympic, Paralympic, and collegiate women athletes and business leaders with youth organizations across the country to inspire girls to keep playing and reap the lifelong benefits of sports.

Delta’s mission to connect the world starts with its commitment to being a strong partner to the communities where our employees live, work and serve. Focused on the pillars of Environment, Equity, Education, and Entire Wellness, Delta invests its time and resources to care for the planet and the people within it.

This program was designed to engage young girls in a meaningful and active way, through sports activities and to educate communities through discussions about health, responsibility, and leadership.

AAP events include a girls’ sports clinic teaching new sports and skills and a panel conversation featuring prominent women athletes and business leaders discussing how their personal journey in sports helped shape their career from the playing field to the boardroom.

Our WSF Athlete Ambassadors receive training and educational tools as well as direct access to the WSF team for consultation and mentoring. They represent athletes across a wide variety of sports, who are experts in their fields and can speak to issues surrounding leadership, motivation, connection, and perseverance. The athletes who participate in the program are women who foster a love of sport and want to spread the positive impact that sport can offer to all girls.

The Athlete Ambassador Program is made possible by WSF National Partner Delta Air Lines.

For more information about the AAP program, or to request a WSF Athlete Ambassador at an event for your organization, please contact Kendra Williams:  KWilliams@womenssportsfoundation.org