Opportunities from Nike, Fit for Life, Right to Play and 12 others.
The definitive guide to finding opportunities, building partnerships and generating new income in the sports industry.
Happy New Year!
On The Ball is a fortnightly newsletter and digital platform sharing opportunities, tools, tricks, and templates to help you unlock new income for your business or non-profit in sport.
This week we have a bumper free edition to welcome 2024 in. We have 16(!!) opportunities for you to consider, including:
- Nine grants and/or funding competitions
- Three networking events
- Two consultancy/supplier opportunities
- Two resources and/or tools
Don’t forget, only paid members usually get full access to the list plus 24/7 access to the On The Ball + digital hub featuring a full events calendar, grants database and more.
So, let’s get into it:
The Anita White Fund (AWF) aims to support female leaders in sport around the world. The Fund operates two award schemes; The ‘Cath Sweet Award’ supports women who wish to deliver programmes that promote social inclusion through sport, and will prioritise activities with a focus on disability. The ‘Anita White Catalyst Grant’ is to enable women who have successfully completed leadership programmes to advance the women and sport movement in their countries/regions/organisations. Awards are £2,000 GBP per successful applicant, and applications must be received by February 1st
Nike’s local Community Impact Fund distributes around $550,000 per year to projects benefitting communities where Nike employees live, work and play in and around its Oregon HQ. The program aims to help local organizations bring the benefits of sport to their communities, allowing kids to enjoy the benefits of quality play and active lives and creating stronger communities where sports and physical activity are highly valued parts of everyday life. Grants awarded through the fund typically range from $5,000 to $25,000. The deadline for proposals is February 15th.
Applications to the Fit For Life Foundation’s annual awards are back. Each year the Foundation awards grants of €100,000 each to three or four nonprofit organizations or social enterprises that are pioneering projects to promote healthy aging around the world. These may include solutions relevant to physical fitness, mental health and well-being, exercise and sport, mobility, nutrition, at-home care, community support for older people, prevention of non-communicable diseases, and other forms of preventative health support. Applications are welcomed from organizations all around the world before February 15th.
The 7th edition of the MEI Hosts and Federations Summit will be returning to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland from the 17th to the 20th June 2024. The aim of the Summit is to provide an environment to nurture the symbiotic relationship between major sports rights holders and cities that host them. The three day summit from the 17th to the 20th June 2024 will involve a number of speakers and panelists from across the major sporting events arena, including representatives from the IOC, World Rugby, IAAF, FIFA and more. Delegate passes start at £950 + VAT, but federation representatives go free!
Now in its 22nd year, the Sports Industry Networking and Career conference (SINC) will be taking place across two days in late February in Washington, DC. The event typically brings hundreds of college students and career changers together with sport industry professionals to learn more about the industry and network with leaders across a variety of different areas including sport leagues, teams, media, agencies, esports, venues, Olympics and more. This year, SINC will be held in a hybrid format to welcome attendees in person at The George Washington University campus. In-person tickets start at $239 USD.
Based out of Australia, the Play for Equity Fund from TeamUp aims to resource innovative and intersectional community initiatives advancing gender justice in and through sport and play in the Pacific. Round two of this fund will provide core funding of up to $15,000 AUD to groups and individuals with new and radical solutions derived from community-based activism. The fund supports both registered or unregistered non-profit community-based organisations, sporting bodies, collectives, groups, and cooperatives, as well as individuals. Applicants are asked to produce a 3–5-minute video pitch which will be submitted via an application form on Google Form, with a deadline of January 26th.
The new Jacobs Futura Foundation are looking to invest up to £300,000 in organisations and programmes that support athlete transition and wellbeing across the high-performance sports system in the UK, anchored around the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Foundation are particularly interested in funding existing athlete support services ranging from personal development and career transition advice, to mental health and resilience support, to financial stability advice. Proposals should be summited by 08:00am UK on January 22nd. Grant approval decisions are expected to be made in Q1.
UNESCO’s Fit for Life team are seeking a sport and gender equality expert consultant to develop a game-plan that will support UNESCO Member States, and other decision-makers in the physical education, physical activity and sport ecosystems to advance existing commitments in gender equality in and through sport. It is expected that the development of the Game Plan will commence in late January and be completed at the latest by early June 2024. All interested consultants are required to submit an application, including a CV for each Team Member and a technical and financial proposal no later than January 12th.
The Community Health Foundation invites applications for the 2024-25 round of its Responsive Grants program, which will award grants of up to and beyond $50,000 USD to nonprofit organizations working to improve health and well-being in Ohio, USA. Thematic priorities include programmes that focus on healthy living, chronic disease prevention, maternal health, mental health, neighbourhood stability and more. Applications are due on January 26th, and awards are expected to be disbursed in full in May or June.
International Sport for Development NGO Right To Play is seeking proposals from experienced event management companies to provide event concept, design, planning, entertainment, and production services for its annual signature fundraising gala, The Heroes Gala. This event has been a huge success, driving significant revenue for Right To Play programs worldwide. In 2023, more than $2.1 million was raised. The contract is worth circa $340,000 USD and the 2024 fundraising target is at least $2m. All proposals (maximum 15 pages in length) must be submitted by Friday, January 19th.
The Simply Sport Grant is designed to strengthen the grassroots sports ecosystem in India, offering financial aid to organisations working in the area of grassroots sports, supporting them to enhance their capabilities in areas such as coaching, infrastructure, sports science, and tournament exposure. Clubs, NGOs and academies based in India who have been existence for at least three years are invited to apply for grants and capacity building support of up to 2 Crore INR (~$240,000 USD). Expressions of interest must be submitted by January 15th in order to be shortlisted for a full project proposal.
Creating Opportunity & Independence grants from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation support programmes that enhance the quality of life for individuals and families living with spinal cord injury. Awards of up to $200,000 USD will be made to organisations in the USA or Canada that provide support for community integration, participation, and independence for individuals or increasing health and wellness in rehabilitation. Sport and recreation is listed as a priority theme. Funding can be requested for one or two years; the budget for any year cannot exceed $125,000. Letters of intent are due January 29th, with full applications due April 19th.
The International Sports Convention is back in March 2024, again taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The two-day event is expected to bring more than 1000+ delegates and 100+ speakers from the global sport industry together to discuss a number of key themes including integrity and governance, digital and fan engagement, sponsorship, events, tourism and more. Early bird tickets start at £795 + VAT, which saves you £500 on the standard ticket price. Book before February 20th to secure this rate.
In the UK, the Community Ownership Fund provides funding of up to £2m to support community groups to take ownership of community assets (such as sports fields, pitches and more) and run them sustainably. Capital funding of up to £2m plus revenue grants of £50,000 per applicant are available, enabling organisations to take ownership of community facilities, renovate and refurbish the assets, and set-up/buy community businesses. Round three closes at the end of January, but there are expected to be regular rounds every three months through to 2025. You must submit an expression of interest in order to be invited to the full application stage.
And finally, a few tools and resources you might find useful:
Summarise your favourite podcasts.
Use AI to record and transcribe your meeting notes.