Play for the Lead: adidas Foundation Offers Multi-Year Funding for Organizations Supporting Girls and Young Women Through Sport

Sport has the power to break down barriers, build confidence, and create opportunities, yet many girls and young women from underserved communities continue to face obstacles that prevent them from participating. These barriers are often even greater for those with migrant or refugee backgrounds, asylum seekers, and individuals from ethnically marginalized communities. To help address this challenge, the adidas Foundation has launched Play for the Lead, a new funding initiative designed to support organizations that are committed to making sport more inclusive across France, Germany, and Spain. Through this initiative, selected organizations will receive multi-year financial support and capacity-building to create lasting opportunities for girls and young women to access and shape sport in their communities.

Finding reliable funding opportunities for community-based organizations can be time-consuming, particularly when searching across multiple countries and sectors. Boostgrant.com helps nonprofits, sports organizations, and social enterprises discover verified grant opportunities from around the world. By creating a free account, organizations can stay informed about new funding calls, explore opportunities that match their mission, and access resources that simplify the grant discovery process.

What Is Play for the Lead?

Play for the Lead is a new project under the adidas Foundation's Playing for Purpose programme. Rather than simply funding sports activities, the initiative seeks to transform how community organizations engage girls and young women by placing them at the center of programme design. Participating organizations will work directly with young women from underserved communities to co-create inclusive sport and physical activity initiatives that reflect their experiences, needs, and aspirations.

The adidas Foundation believes that lasting social change happens when young people are not just participants but active decision-makers. Through Play for the Lead, organizations will receive financial support alongside opportunities to strengthen youth participation practices, improve organizational learning, and develop more inclusive approaches to delivering sport programmes.

Who Can Apply for the adidas Foundation Grant?

The funding opportunity is open to organizations based in France, Germany, and Spain that use sport or physical activity as a primary tool for social impact. Eligible applicants include sport clubs, nonprofit organizations, sport-for-good initiatives, and community organizations that are committed to increasing participation among girls and young women from underserved communities.

Applicants should demonstrate a strong commitment to working with girls and young women who have migrant or refugee backgrounds, asylum seeker status, or belong to ethnically marginalized communities. Participating organizations will identify young women from within their own communities and involve them throughout the design and implementation of funded initiatives.

What Support Will Selected Organizations Receive?

Unlike many funding programmes that focus solely on financial assistance, Play for the Lead combines multi-year financial support with organizational development. This integrated approach enables organizations to strengthen their internal capacity while implementing community-led projects that create meaningful opportunities for young women.

Selected organizations will also benefit from collaborative learning, knowledge sharing, and practical support that helps them improve youth participation practices and build more sustainable programmes. By investing in both organizations and the communities they serve, the initiative aims to create lasting change beyond the duration of individual projects.

Why This Funding Opportunity Matters

Across Europe, many girls and young women continue to experience social, cultural, and economic barriers that limit their participation in sport. These challenges can affect confidence, health, social inclusion, and access to leadership opportunities. By supporting organizations that actively involve young women in designing solutions, Play for the Lead promotes a more inclusive and equitable approach to community sport.

The initiative also recognizes that organizations working closest to underserved communities often have the strongest understanding of local needs. Providing multi-year funding allows these organizations to build long-term programmes rather than relying on short-term interventions that may end before meaningful impact is achieved.

How to Apply for Play for the Lead

Organizations interested in joining the Play for the Lead initiative should review the programme's Funding Guidelines, eligibility criteria, project model, and frequently asked questions before submitting an application through the official adidas Foundation website. Because the programme emphasizes collaboration and youth participation, applicants should clearly demonstrate how girls and young women will play an active role in shaping proposed initiatives.

If your organization regularly searches for grants that support youth development, gender equality, sports, education, or community inclusion, Boostgrant.com provides a convenient way to discover verified funding opportunities in one place. Creating a free account allows organizations to stay updated on new grants, identify opportunities that align with their mission, and improve their chances of securing funding for projects that create lasting social impact.