Grants, contracts and opportunities from FIBA, Adidas, Rexona and eleven others.
The definitive guide to finding opportunities, building partnerships and generating new income in the sports industry.
On The Ball is a fortnightly newsletter sharing opportunities, tools, tricks, and templates to help you unlock new income. Every edition is packed with the latest funders, guides, events, and tools curated specifically for sales, business development, and fundraising in sport and the surrounding industries.
This week, we have another fourteen (!!) opportunities for you to consider.
But first, a little announcement of our own
Introducing, On The Ball +
That’s right, we’re making some changes. Now read by more than 7,000 subscribers from all over the world, we save you several thousands of dollars in time and money spent subscribing to, searching and filtering for new income and fundraising opportunities elsewhere.
We pay to access fund, donor and investor databases for you. We identify and share capacity-building resources and guides from all over the web. We scour Linkedin, Twitter and a multitude of tender portals for income opportunities and insights in sport so you or your team don’t have to.
Doing things the right way means not taking shortcuts. And that means putting in the hours. A lot of time, money and love goes into On The Ball. Our subscriptions to various general databases and tools cost more than $150 per month, and we estimate it takes at least sixteen hours each week to research, filter and share suitable opportunities specifically for the sport industry.
So yes, you guessed it, we’re introducing a new paid subscription option to our model. Starting in March (in time for the next edition), we’re going to do things bigger and better, sharing even more opportunities to generate income in sport.
Free members will continue to receive our forever-free fortnightly updates, but they will feature just three opportunities from now on. Those who take the leap of faith and join us on our paid tier (starting at just $15 USD per month) will receive:
24/7 access to a growing archive of curated grants, funds, contracts, events, tools and guides for fundraising and business development in sport.
Fortnightly emails with all of the latest opportunities.
Facilitated introductions to other paid members of the network.
Optional entry to our Affiliate programme, enabling you to generate recurring income for every referral you make to On The Ball.
10% of your subscription committed to a members-only annual grant competition.
Plus much more to come.
Go paid before the end of March to lock in all of this for just $15 per month (or get 2 months free by paying yearly). You can cancel at any time, but we don’t think you’ll want to.
But anyway, let’s get into it:
👩🎓Sport Northern Ireland have £200k+ to spend over the next three years on a partner who can help them source expert speakers for their learning and development events and resources. Experts will be sought in areas such as coaching practice, administration and leadership, sport science, workforce planning, and research and insight. Tenders are due by March 13th. The winning provider is expected to agree to a three-year contract, with the option to extend to up to five years in total based on performance.
💰Sapphire Sport, an early stage investor in sports, technology, media and entertainment companies, recently raised a second US$181m venture capital fund which they are now looking to invest in 20 sport related start-ups. Sapphire typically invest in Seed, Series A and B-stage companies at a value of between $3M and $10M per initial investment. Investors include City Football Group plus owners and investors from major U.S. sports franchises across the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and MLS.
🙋♂️Sport England and Unltd have launched a new investment programme for social entrepreneurs in sport, offering grants of up to £18,000 plus a programme of business support. The Movement for Change programme will run until 2025, offering needs-based support to entrepreneurs helping marginalised communities to access sport and physical activity. Anyone over the age of 16 residing in England can apply to join the programme, as long as your idea or project currently earns less than £250,000 per year.
🎤It’s pricey, but the Financial Times Business of Football Summit takes place next week in London, with a focus on “New Money and the Battle for Growth”. More than 200+ attendees plus 700+ remote participants are expected to hear from 50+ speakers, including executives from the Premier League, LaLiga, Newcastle United and more. The in-person pass costs £1,949 for two-days, but at least there’s plenty of facilitated networking on the agenda. Digital passes cost more than £400, and you’ll get none of that.
🏃♀️Looking for something a little more grassroots and affordable? On the same dates as the FT Summit, instead join the Youth Sport Trust (YST) at their annual conference in Telford, UK. This year’s focus is on the power of physical activity, sport and play to improve mental health. Tickets start at £249, but are just £99 for YST members. More than 600 attendees from across the UK’s youth sport industry are expected to attend, including schools, clubs, sport for development charities and government officials.
⛹️♀️The FIBA Foundation have launched a global call for proposals for projects using basketball to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Grants of up to $3,000 USD, equipment and mentoring support will be offered to projects that improve health and wellbeing, facilitate equality and inclusion, develop culture and education, resolve conflict, or protect the environment. The application window remains open until April 15th, with awards expected in June this year. Make sure you read the guidelines!
🏄♀️Organisations using sport for good in Australia and New Zealand are invited to apply for funding from Rexona via Beyond Sport for programmes or initiatives that support young people aged 12-24 to develop the confidence and opportunity to move more. Applications must be submitted online by the 8th of March. Successful projects will receive a combination of funding, training, and online resources.
🏆Adidas are looking to recruit a new cohort of European entrepreneurs for their Breaking Barriers Innovation Lab programme. The Lab provides incubation support for projects that are working to remove barriers in sport for women and girls, and includes training, financing and networking opportunities. A grant pot of up to $80,000 is available to share between 6-8 projects who form part of the programme. Submit your application to join the next cohort before the 16th of March.
📝The Foundation for the Carolinas are awarding capital grants of up to $150,000 via their Longleaf Fund to projects that increase daily physical activity amongst at-risk children and youth. Funding is available for buildings and structures, athletic fields, climbing walls, parks, and adaptive sports equipment, amongst others. Grants are limited to projects in or serving populations in at least one of the following five cities: Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina; Florence and Spartanburg, South Carolina. Apply before the 16th of March.
🎓30% of organisations in sport do not have a fundraising strategy and more than a quarter of organisations rely on a single income source for more than half of their annual income. Oaks Consultancy, Laureus, sportanddev and others have published the latest state of fundraising report and the findings might prove useful for those looking to generate income within the sector. The report is published annually and features data from more than 150 organisations around the world, including case studies from the likes of Bloomsbury Football, Soccer without Borders, and Peaceplayers USA.
And finally, a few tools and resources you might find useful:
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