‘Sports 4 Life’ Grants Bring Programs to Latina & African American Girls Across the US

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Sports 4 Life, a new grant initiative sponsored by the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) and ESPNw is expanding sports opportunities for Latina and African American girls, ages 11-18. By providing $5,000, $10,000, and $100,000 grants to qualifying sports programs across the US, Sports 4 Life, aims to help close the gender and race/ethnicity inequality gaps that exist around physical activity.

According to the Sports 4 Life page, girls who play sports are more likely to have a positive body image, to be in good health, and more likely to have lower obesity rates. They also have a higher chance of getting better grades, graduating from high school and going on to college.

In addition to fostering good health and improving accessibility to sports, all Sports 4 Life funded programs will provide minority girls with opportunities to gain lessons in: leadership, self-esteem, confidence, and perseverance.

“The Women’s Sports Foundation wants to help communities address the growing decline in sports opportunities and health outcomes for African-American and Hispanic girls by introducing quality sports programming. Our aim, alongside espnW, is to inspire girls to embrace sports and physical activity as building blocks for life,” said WSF’s CEO Deborah Slaner Larkin,  in a Dallas weekly article. “Lack of access, escalating costs, safety and transportation issues can no longer be excuses for not participating. We, as a community, owe it to all of our girls to provide access to sports and the leadership training experience that results from girls’ participation.”

Awards from Sports 4 Life may be used for sports related activities such as: coaching, curriculum, sports equipment, uniforms, transportation, facility rental, tournaments and/or team-building activities,

Three model programs sponsored by Sports 4 Life include:

• Girls in the Game;
• PowerPlay NYC; and
• Sporty Girls Atlanta

The deadline for the 2014-2015 cycle is December 17, 2014 and the award announcement will be made during Spring 2015.

Read more about this here.

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