Call for applications: IOC Sport and Active Society Commission grants

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Sport and Active Society Commission has announced that it has four development grants worth USD 20,000 each to award to organisations that are running effective Sport for All programmes in their communities.

Sport and physical activity in society are more important than ever as people, and especially younger generations, become less active and obesity levels continue to rise with negative impacts on society. There are countless testimonials as to the value of sport and physical activity as a tool that can help drive social change, tackle issues such as inclusion amidst diversity or gender equality, or as a means to inspire greater self-confidence, and ultimately contribute to healthier and happier individuals of all ages, abilities and nationalities.

The Sport and Active Society development grants are an initiative of the IOC’s Sport and Active Society Commission. They were created to further its mission to encourage people everywhere to participate in regular physical activity and to promote the health and social benefits of sport.

“On behalf of the Sport and Active Society Commission, I am delighted to offer this opportunity to organisations delivering valuable projects in their local communities,” says Commission Chair Sam Ramsamy. “We want to know how the development grants would be used, and how would they impact a project and its beneficiaries. We want to be inspired by the proposed projects and be reminded of the power of sport at grassroots level.”

Interested in applying?

Applicants are encouraged to illustrate how their project or initiative fits in one of three themes:

1) Sports legacy for the Olympic Games or other major events

2) Community-wide promotion of physical activity

3) Youth engagement

To be considered for a grant, applicants should demonstrate that their project has a long-term and sustainable timeline; uses sport or physical activity as a tool to improve social issues; uses available public space and/or sports facilities and venues to promote participation in physical activity; has concretely developed long-term partnerships; and has a solid monitoring/evaluation plan in place.

In order to further secure the future and development of their project, applicants are also encouraged to seek matching funding for their proposed project by obtaining a letter of commitment from another organisation.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), not-for-profit organisations, International and National Federations (including IOC-Recognised International Federations) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are eligible to apply.

The deadline for submissions is 1 May 2017.

Winning entrants will be announced by end of June, with funding scheduled to be provided to the organisations in September.

Those interested in applying for a grant are asked to send a completed application form to: [email protected]. The rules and regulations can be found here.