Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) announced its largest grant distribution ever. This year, 3,256 grants valued at $6.2 million were distributed to athletes from first-time applicants to elite-level Paralympic competitors.
Grants were distributed for 83 sports and activities, including track and field, wheelchair basketball, adaptive fitness training, cycling, surfing, fly fishing, wheelchair rugby, alpine and Nordic skiing, sled hockey, and outdoor recreation, among others. Grants were funded in all 50 states and 29 countries and for individuals between the ages of two and 79 years old.
Twenty-seven percent of grant recipients were under 18; 33 percent were first-time grant recipients; 36 percent were female and 63 percent were male. Thirty-six percent of recipients have household earnings under $20,000 annually and 26 percent of recipients’ households earn income between $20,000 and $50,000 annually.
In response to an increase in requests for adaptive cycling equipment with electric capability, CAF funded grants for the first time this year, and retrofitted over ten existing handcycles to incorporate e-assist. CAF also distributed 140 grants for all-terrain wheelchairs.
CAF’s Operation Rebound continued to support injured servicemembers, veterans, and first responders, funding 295 Operation Rebound grants, totaling $535,000. Of those grants, 32 percent were first-time grant recipients and 34 were Purple Heart recipients.
“We believe sports are a pathway to more in life and that’s why we are committed to providing access to equipment, travel, and competition expenses for athletes of all abilities across a wide variety of sports and activities,” said Kristine Entwistle, CAF chief executive director. “We were proud to support nearly 700 first-time applicants, increase the number of grants to youth under 18, and provide access to some of the most innovative sports equipment available.”
