adidas Foundation Launches Play for the Lead Funding Opportunity for Youth Sport Organizations in Europe @Unknown

The adidas Foundation has opened applications for Play for the Lead, a new initiative under its Playing for Purpose Program, aimed at strengthening youth participation and empowering young women through sport and physical activity. The three-year project seeks to support nonprofit organizations, sport-for-good initiatives, and community-based groups working with underserved young people across France, Germany, and Spain.

The funding opportunity combines financial support, organizational capacity strengthening, and peer learning to help participating organizations deepen youth engagement and co-create impactful community initiatives alongside young women.

About Play for the Lead

Play for the Lead is designed to promote meaningful youth participation by enabling young women to actively contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs that affect their lives and communities.

Through the initiative, selected organizations will participate in a structured learning journey focused on youth participation, leadership development, organizational growth, and collaborative learning with peer organizations across Europe.

The adidas Foundation is particularly interested in supporting organizations that use sport and physical activity as tools for social impact and inclusion.

Eligible Countries

Organizations must be legally registered and actively operating in at least one of the following countries:

• France
• Germany
• Spain

Only organizations implementing activities within these countries will be considered for funding.

Who Can Apply?

The call is open to:

• Sport clubs
• Sport-for-good organizations
• Community-based nonprofits
• Social organizations using sport or physical activity as a core engagement tool

Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to creating inclusive opportunities for young people, particularly girls and young women from underserved communities.

Focus on Inclusion and Equity

A key objective of the initiative is to increase access to safe, welcoming, and empowering sport environments for young women from marginalized backgrounds.

The project specifically seeks organizations that work with:

• First-generation migrant communities
• Second-generation migrant communities
• Refugees and asylum seekers
• Ethnically marginalized populations
• Young women facing social and economic barriers

Applicants will be asked to explain the challenges faced by these groups and describe how their programs address issues of access, participation, belonging, and safety.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, organizations must meet a range of mandatory criteria.

Applicants must confirm that they:

• Are politically and religiously independent in their programming
• Are legally registered nonprofit or non-governmental organizations
• Have operated for at least two years
• Are legally permitted to receive foreign charitable funding
• Have delivered sport or physical activity programs for young people for at least two years
• Maintain safeguarding policies and procedures
• Have documented codes of conduct or ethics policies
• Possess governance and financial oversight structures
• Can track and report project-related expenditures
• Have monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) systems in place
• Commit to the full three-year project period
• Support diversity, equity, and inclusion principles

Organizations must also demonstrate that the requested funding will not exceed 50 percent of their annual externally reviewed revenue, implying a minimum annual turnover of €100,000.

Organizational Information Required

The application process requires detailed information about organizational structure, governance, safeguarding, and financial management.

Applicants will be asked to provide information on:

• Organizational mission and objectives
• Staffing structure and gender representation
• Governance systems and reporting mechanisms
• Financial management procedures
• Safeguarding practices
• Trauma-informed approaches
• Anti-discrimination policies and implementation strategies

The adidas Foundation aims to ensure that selected organizations possess the capacity and systems necessary to manage funding responsibly and deliver sustainable impact.

Community Engagement and Youth Participation

A central component of the application focuses on how organizations involve young people in decision-making processes.

Applicants must explain:

• How community feedback is collected
• How young people influence program design
• Examples of co-design and consultation processes
• Challenges encountered in participatory approaches
• Methods used to communicate outcomes back to participants

Organizations will also need to demonstrate their existing relationships with young women who may participate in future project activities and leadership opportunities.

Capacity Strengthening and Learning Opportunities

Beyond funding, Play for the Lead offers extensive organizational development support.

Participating organizations will benefit from:

• Youth participation training
• Capacity strengthening workshops
• Peer-learning exchanges
• Networking opportunities
• Collaborative learning with organizations across Europe
• Access to tools and resources for strengthening participation practices

Each selected organization must designate at least one staff member to lead project implementation and participate in the learning journey.

Measuring Impact

All funded organizations will align their monitoring and reporting systems with the adidas Foundation’s Playing for Purpose framework.

Mandatory reporting indicators include:

• Number of unique participants reached
• Number of coaches, mentors, teachers, or community leaders trained
• Number of schools and nonprofit organizations supported

Applicants must demonstrate their ability to collect, manage, and report this data throughout the project lifecycle.

Required Documentation

Organizations will be required to upload supporting documentation, including:

• Proof of legal registration
• Safeguarding policies and procedures
• Most recent financial statements

Selected organizations may be required to provide additional documentation during the due diligence process, including governance records, financial controls, and compliance information.

Why This Opportunity Matters

Play for the Lead represents more than a traditional grant program. By combining funding with capacity development and youth leadership, the initiative seeks to transform how organizations engage young women and communities in shaping sport-based social impact programs.

For organizations committed to inclusion, youth empowerment, and community-driven change, the initiative offers a valuable opportunity to strengthen internal practices while creating lasting impact for underserved young people across Europe.

Application Information

Interested organizations should carefully review the funding guidelines and eligibility requirements before applying. Due to the comprehensive nature of the application process, applicants are encouraged to prepare responses and supporting documents in advance.

Questions regarding the application process can be directed to:

programs@adidasfoundation.org

Organizations should include “Play for the Lead Application” in the email subject line when making inquiries.

VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.

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