GAMECHANGERS | Sports Micro-Venture Fund

GAMECHANGERS | Sports Micro-Venture Fund

No social network voting contests, no virtual farms to tend to, no magic codes to tweet - just funding directed where it is needed most, in supporting projects on the ground. Welcome to the GAMECHANGERS Sports Micro-Venture Fund.

The Fund is a partnership between Architecture for Humanity and Nike Inc. In the past 18 months the program has funded innovative projects in Afghanistan (Skate), Brazil (Football/Soccer), Kenya (Basketball) and the United States (American Football).

We are seeking proposals for the final round of funding to support the construction of sports facilities offering programs that tackle social issues in the community. This Request for Proposal (RFP) process will award up to $500,000 in funds and is directed toward micro-interventions with a construction time line of 6 to 9 months. The majority of these grants will be $25,000 for building or upgrading facilities and completing existing projects. 10% of the funding will be earmarked for the professional design services and engineering.

At the discretion of the funding team a small number of selected proposals will be awarded additional funds based on need and scope of impact.

If you hate reading all that verbage, here is breakdown of available funds:

• Africa - 2 x $25,000
• the Americas - 2 x $25,000
• Asia - 2 x $25,000
• Europe - 2 x $25,000
• Oceania - 2 x $25,000

plus up to $250,000 in additional funding.

If you're game, apply today.

The Deal

Who is eligible?

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is open to locally-based organizations that empower the community through sports as a mechanism to spur social change and/or economic development. Projects can be anywhere in the world. They may have singular goals or multiple functions. They should address one or more of the following key areas:

• Improved access to opportunities to participate in sport
• Removal of physical, economic, social and gender barriers to participation in sport
• Improved social cohesion
• Improved physical activity
• Provides innovative alternatives to play spaces for communities that lack resources
• Positively affects the environment or reduces negative environmental impact of sport-related initiatives
• Generates opportunities for social and economic empowerment

How many projects will get chosen?

This is a global fund and we are looking to support a minimum of two projects from each of the five global regions: Africa; the Americas; Asia; Europe; and Oceania. Additionally we may award separate funds to additional projects or increase funds for selected projects that deem further investment. This fund will cap at $500,000

What are the ground rules?

To apply you must:

• Tackle at least one of the key areas listed above.
• Have a commitment from an architect or building professional involved or be willing to have one appointed to the project. Exactly 10% of the grant will be allocated for design and engineering services.
• Own the land or have long term lease on the property in question.
• Have operational funds for a minimum of five years or have developed economic models of support for the expansion of your facility.
• Be nice. We believe in fair play and we will reward organizations that have gone out of their way to do the right thing. Meanies and cheaters never win.

The Jury
A select group of stakeholders, existing grant recipients and former pro athletes.

The Time line
Submission Period August 4th - October 6th 2010
Review: October 11th - 25th 2010
Grants Announced: November 2010
Funding distribution: December 2010
Project completion: June to September 2011

About

Architecture for Humanity and Nike Inc’s Social Innovations established a revolving grants program that has funded the design and construction of innovative, sustainable and safe places to play. The goal was to provide capital to implement these structures in communities that are typically overlooked.

Game on.