Sports 4 Life (Regional)

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.