Small Grants

The Small Grants Program recognizes the contribution of volunteer-run sports organizations in providing consistent sports opportunities to youth in low-income communities in Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties.

Grantmaking Goals

A.   Expansion: Getting More Young People into the Game

Team-Up supports after-school sports organizations that serve children and youth from low-income communities. We are particularly interested in programs that offer physical activity opportunities to girls and young women.

B.   Quality: Strengthening Sports Programs to Promote Healthy Development 

By quality, we mean programs that promote young people’s healthy development. Team-Up believes that quality sports programs should embody the same principles that have been demonstrated to make a difference in other youth programs. Team-Up has created The Building Blocks for Quality Youth Sports, a set of five guiding principles for achieving quality in physical activity programs and making a difference in the lives of young people. They are:

• Safety:  Emotional and Physical
• Positive Relationships:  Caring Adults and Supportive Peers
• Youth Participation:  Voice, Choice and Leadership
• Skill Building
• Physical Activity 

The Building Blocks are described in more detail on our website at www.teamupforyouth.org/core_principles.html.

The Small Grants Program is for organizations that are primarily volunteer-run or do not have a history of receiving foundation or government grants. Small Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 and are awarded using a streamlined application and decision-making process.

 Small Grant requests should focus on expanding participation, improving quality, or both.

 Allowable Expenses:

• Equipment and uniforms
• League fees
• Staff and volunteer training
• Parent and youth workshops
• Outreach (e.g., recruitment of young people and volunteers, parent involvement)
• Volunteer Stipends

Expenses/Requests Not Allowed:

• General operating support
• Individual scholarships
• Office or facilities rental
• Tournaments
• Multi-year grant requests

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Small Grants program, organizations must be primarily volunteer-run and must operate in San Francisco, Alameda, or Santa Clara Counties (unfortunately, we can't make exceptions to this rule). Organizations should serve 20 or more young people and have at least one year of experience providing sports programs. Eligible organizations must have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Applications may also be submitted through a sponsoring organization, if the sponsor has tax-exempt status. The sponsoring organization must provide a letter stating its willingness to act as the fiscal sponsor for the application. Organizations must be able to provide a copy of their certificate of liability insurance.

Applicants should complete a Small Grants application form and submit it with the required attachments.  Applications are accepted via email or by mail throughout the year. 

• STEP 1: Download PDF Application (76K), or download Microsoft Word Application (64K) AND Demographic Worksheet (Excel file 32K)
• STEP 2: Email your application to grantmaking(at)teamupforyouth.org;
  OR mail your application to:
  
  Victoria Gevlin, Manager of Grantmaking
  Team-Up for Youth
  310 Eighth Street, Suite 300
  Oakland, CA 94607

Contact

If you have questions about the process or about your eligibility, we urge you to call Victoria Gevlin at 510-663-9200 x 101 BEFORE completing an application.