Playing for Purpose
Photo by: KICKFAIR e.V. / Jörg Jäger Fotografie - KICKFAIR’s activities in Germany.
UPCOMING RFP ON FEBRUARY 27TH
A new Request for Proposals opens on the 27th of February for community sport organizations in the 16 Football World Cup host cities across the USA, Canada and México.
Physical activity is beneficial to health and well-being and conversely, physical inactivity can lead to poor health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that children and adolescents are insufficiently physically active, with 81% of 11- to 17-year-olds not meeting the recommended daily physical activity guidelines. Girls are particularly affected, with 85% being inactive compared to 78% of boys. The WHO projects these numbers to rise until 2030.
Being physically active is shaped by a complex interplay of individual, social, environmental, and economic factors. When these factors (and others) align—safe spaces, quality sport and physical activity based programming and opportunities , supportive communities and organizations, affordable access, and personal motivation—young people are far more likely to be active and to reap the physical health benefits, the mental and emotional benefits and the social benefits.
Photo by: KICKFAIR e.V. / Jörg Jäger Fotografie - KICKFAIR’s activities in Germany.
P4P supports different types of community-based organizations working to create more intentional, more inclusive, and safer spaces to enable young people to be active, move, connect, and engage in meaningful sport-based experiences that positively influence their wellbeing.
Louhento Foundation's activities in Finland
This program has a particular focus on underserved young people who often have less access to services, resources, or opportunities in sport and physical activity due to barriers at different levels: individual, organization, community, and systemic. The specific target groups are defined for each project.
Playing for Purpose is grounded in the understanding that sport and physical activity are powerful vehicles for supporting the development of one's physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Children and youth thrive when they have equitable opportunities to not only access sport and physical activity but to also participate in quality programming over time. When youth are served by strong organizations and connected communities they are more likely to stay engaged, build confidence, develop healthy habits, and experience a sense of belonging.
How P4P Works
Playing for Purpose invests in partners through four main areas
1. Grants
General organizational support and project‑specific funding distributed to address an organization’s needs, align with their goals and catalyze their steps towards positive change and development.
2. Capacity Strengthening
Support for organizations, coaches, educators, and young leaders through: Training and technical assistance, shared tools and resources, strengthening organizational safeguarding and overall inclusive practices.
3. Knowledge, Research & Insights
Generating and sharing evidence to highlight barriers, enablers, and pathways towards positive youth development in and through sport. Convening organizations, supporting knowledge develompent to support advocacy and long‑term systems change.
4. Peer Exchange & Community Building
Prioritzing the exchange between partners to learn, collaborate, and grow through Communities.
However, many young people face substantial barriers - ranging from personal constraints to environmental, organizational, and systemic obstacles - that limit their ability to participate and stay engaged. This program aims to address these barriers by supporting organizations to:
- strengthen young people’s sense of safety, inclusion, and belonging.
- provide meaningful experiences guided by physical literacy principles that support overall wellbeing.
- create pathways for long-term, sustained engagement.
- deliver interventions based on a partnership approach.
- be supported through tailored capacity-strengthening opportunities — including their staff, coaches, teachers, educators, and young leaders.
- be part of and benefit from networking and peer exchange opportunities with other organizations and key stakeholders.
As Playing for Purpose evolves, we collaborate closely with partners across regions to co-create initiatives that respond to the needs of local communities.
Photo by: KICKFAIR e.V. / Jörg Jäger Fotografie - KICKFAIR’s activities in Germany.
Supporting young people in overcoming barriers to being physically active
Program Impact
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