Play for Pride

Description

1) Objective

At the adidas Foundation, they believe that sport can contribute to building fairer, more connected societies when the organizations shaping community sport are equipped to be inclusive. That is why they focus on supporting those organizations by building capacity, centering lived experience, and fostering partnerships grounded in trust. To fulfil this intent, they are launching Play for Pride, a new project under their Playing for Purpose program.

Play for Pride is cocreated with IGLYO, the expert partner bringing deep knowledge of LGBTQIA+ youth inclusion and European sport systems. At the heart of Play for Pride is a trio model: one LGBTQIA+ association (mentor) working alongside two grassroots sport or sport-for-good organizations (mentees) in each participating country.  Together, they will form country level partnerships that combine expertise, community context, and lived experience to drive inclusive change. Through quarterly cross-country peer-learning circles, the participants also learn from one another, sharing practical ideas and challenges across different environments.

Each trio will cocreate an Inclusion Action Plan, guiding 24 months of organizational change. Plans may include staff training, policy updates, facility adjustments, or the design of LGBTQIA+ inclusive sport activities. Multiyear grants support partners in implementing these actions and strengthening long-term capacity.

2) Eligibility

They encourage organizations with strong local presence and commitment to inclusive, conflict-sensitive approaches to apply.

3) Location

The project countries are: Montenegro, Spain, The United Kingdom.

4) Budget

Selected organizations will receive multi-year financial support for implementation, structured mentorship from LGBTQIA+ organizations and the opportunity for peer learning across countries.

5) Application

Call for Applications Deadline is Sunday April 19th, 23:59 CET.