How to Fund Your New Mountain Bike/Sit Ski
Fundraising for Personal Adaptive Sports Equipment and Adventures
Bookmark this page as we will continue to update this resource. Be sure as well to look for our follow up post next week on grant writing tips!
by Pat Addabbo
OAS Staff
The adaptive sports industry is supported by several foundations and organizations that provide funding for individuals with disabilities to support their athletic and outdoor pursuits. This can be for obtaining adaptive sports equipment like sit-skis and off-road handcycles, or to pursue adventures or competitions like signing up for a marathon or completing an ambitious adaptive mountaineering pursuit.
During these times of crisis many foundations are still offering their typical funding cycles and a few have opportunities specific to COVID-19. Next week we will also be posting a guide with some tips on seeking funding from one of these or a similar organization.
Note this is a preliminary list – we will continue to add to this resource as our research develops.
- Challenged Athletes Foundation
- Kelly Brush Foundation
- High Fives Foundation
- Wheel to Walk – Youth focused!
- GoHawkeye Foundation
- SCORE – Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment
- Independence Fund – Veteran focused, offering COVID-19 specific support
Challenged Athletes Foundation
https://www.challengedathletes.org/
It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) to provide opportunities and support to people with physical challenges, so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics.
CAF offers one funding cycle each year. In 2019, CAF awarded grants to over 3,000 individuals with disabilities. The 2021 CAF funding cycle opens in September 2020 and typically closes at the beginning of November.
Eligibility:
From the CAF website, they state, to apply for a CAF grant, an individual must have a permanent physical disability. CAF uses the International Paralympic Committee’s eligibility criteria as a guideline. Individuals with strictly cognitive or intellectual disabilities are not eligible to apply.
Kelly Brush Foundation
https://kellybrushfoundation.org/
The mission of the Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) is to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives.
KBF offers grants to individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries twice a year through the “Active Fund.”
The KBF also offers participation in a nationwide community including during these times of crisis. We recommend checking out their website, social media, and especially the “Durso Dispatch” with KBF Program Director Greg Durso as he interviews various folks from around the adaptive sports industry.
High Fives Foundation
https://highfivesfoundation.org/
The High Fives Foundation focuses on preventing life-changing injuries and provides resources and hope if they happen.
The High Fives Foundation Empowerment Fund provides resources and inspiration to those who suffer a life-altering injury. life-altering injuries are injuries such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputation or other mobility-limiting injuries that occurred in an athlete’s lifetime. The resources and inspiration we provide come in the form of board-approved grant funding paid to service providers in nine funding categories: living expenses, insurance, health, travel, high fives healing network, adaptive equipment, winter equipment, and “stoke” (positive energy, outlook, attitude).
The Empowerment Fund offers four quarterly funding opportunities, with the next cycle open for applications June 1-June 31, 2020. More information about the available funding can be found here: http://newfive.wpengine.com/grant-application/
Wheel to Walk Foundation
The Wheel to Walk Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps children with disabilities, 20 years and younger, obtain medical & adaptive equipment or therapy services not provided by insurance. Wheel to Walk purchases items such as therapy tricycles, adaptive strollers, shower chairs, pumper cars, zip zac chairs, selective communication devices, gait trainers, speech therapy and wheelchairs, to name a few. Our organization strongly believes that no child or young adult with special needs go without items that could improve the quality of his or her daily life.
The Wheel to Walk Foundation is focused on youth in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and California. And, according to their website, the foundation is currently accepting applications!
To apply, visit the Wheel To Walk Foundation website (link above) and fill out the inquiry form to begin the process, applications are being accepted! OAS also has a copy of the application, reach out to Pat at pat@oregonadaptivesports.org if you would like a copy and have any questions.
GoHawkeye Foundation
The mission of the GoHawkeye Foundation is to support adaptive organizations and individuals through financial aid, outdoor experiences and filmmaking meant to inspire people of all abilities.
The GoHawkeye Foundation offers both Sports Equipment and Sports Experience Grants through two funding cycles each year. The current cycle ends June 30th!
SCORE (Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment)
https://scorefund.org/
SCORE (Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment) is a non-profit organization that provides modest financial grants to people paralyzed while participating in sports or recreational activities.
SCORE offers grants on a rolling basis, generally in the range of $1,000-$7,500. The application is available on their website through this link: https://scorefund.org/applying-for-a-grant/
Independence Fund | https://www.independencefund.org/
Founded in 2007, The Independence Fund is committed to empowering our nation’s severely wounded, injured, or ill Veterans to overcome physical, mental, and emotional wounds incurred in the line of duty.
Typically the Independence Fund offers funding opportunities for Veterans for a variety of services, including adaptive sports participation and equipment. Due to COVID-19 the Independence Fund has shifted efforts towards areas of support like “mortgage/rent, utilities, childcare, transportation services, home WiFi services, household cleaning and upkeep, grocery and medical product delivery and streaming services for work and learning.” More information can be found here: https://www.independencefund.org/apply-for-assistance/
Note: Not sure which bike to get? Give us a call or shoot us an email we would be happy to help you plan!
