The adidas Foundation is looking for strategic partners for its new Recovery Through Sport Program
GOALS Haiti activities in Haiti
Bring what works. build what's missing
The adidas Foundation is launching Recovery Through Sport as a new program area. We are looking for up to three partner organizations to shape it with us.
01
The program
Recovery Through Sport focuses on the role sport and physical activity can play in supporting the recovery of children and young people affected by crisis and displacement, where the conditions are right.
02
The expression of interest
This Expression of Interest is not asking for finished project proposals. We want to understand what organizations already bring: their recovery practice, MHPSS capacity, robust safeguarding systems, operational reach, experience with sport or physical activity, learning culture, and appetite to build this work with us over time.
03
The profile
Strong existing work matters. We are looking for partners with experience to build from, and the openness to strengthen, adapt, test, and develop what is still missing.
About this expression of Interest
The adidas Foundation is looking up to three organizations to enter a long-term strategic partnership for its Recovery Through Sport program. Programming, funding structure, learning priorities, and ways of working will be developed jointly with selected partners.
We have done the groundwork. With the support of an independent consortium of experts in MHPSS, sport, and physical activity—bringing together research and hands-on practice—we reviewed the existing evidence and consulted organizations across the humanitarian, MHPSS, and sport-for-development sectors. This work helped us develop the framework we are now using to shape Recovery Through Sport..
This is a partner search, not a project proposal process.
The findings are clear: sport is not a substitute for humanitarian response, and it is not a quick intervention. But where the conditions are right, sport and physical activity can support routine, connection, belonging, agency, and safe participation for children and young people whose lives have been disrupted.
The findings are also clear about what is missing. The evidence base remains thin, especially in lower-resourced crisis and displacement settings. The partnerships we invest in should help change that.
That is why we are starting with partners, not predefined projects. We are looking for credible organizations with the experience, systems, operational reach, and trusted presence to work effectively in complex and changing crisis and displacement settings. Together with selected partners, we will identify the right contexts, assess whether the necessary conditions are in place, and shape approaches that respond to realities on the ground.
Our partner GOALS Haiti, during the recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa hit Haiti
Expression of Interest Guidelines
All interested organizations should read the full Expression of Interest guidelines before submitting. They containn the complete partner profile, all submission questions, eligibility criteria, and process details.
Key Information
The partner we are searching
We are looking for organizations that bring strong institutional capability and a real appetite to shape this work with us.
We are looking for partners with:
- Genuine appetite for a co-developed partnership, including shared decision-making and joint governance
- Established MHPSS capacity sustained across the organization's work
- Operational reach across multiple crisis-affected or recovery settings
- Experience with sport or physical activity as part of recovery work, either directly or through a named partner organization
- Robust safeguarding systems that operate consistently across contexts, including child safeguarding
- Institutional interest in research, learning, and evidence creation
Beyond these criteria, we are looking for partners who can be honest about what works, what does not yet work, and what still needs to be built.
What this process is not built for
This is not a request for project proposals, a short-term grant, or a competitive bidding process.
At this stage, we do not expect detailed budgets, activation plans, MEAL frameworks, theories of change, or logframes. These will be developed with selected partners after the EOI process.
This is also not funding for business as usual. Existing work is welcome and important, but the partnership should create space to test, strengthen, adapt, and build evidence over time.
How to respond
Submissions are made through our online form between 15 July and 30 August 2026 11.59 PM CEST.
The form includes a short organizational snapshot, eight narrative questions, standard eligibility confirmations, and five required documents:
- Safeguarding policy, including child safeguarding
- Two-page summary of MHPSS expertise and technical approach
- Proof of legal registration and non-profit status
- Most recent annual financial statements
The form cannot save drafts. Please read the full EOI document and prepare your answers and documents before completing the form.
Selection process and key dates
Milestone | Timing |
|---|---|
EOI submission window | 15 July to 30 August 2026 at 11.59 PM CEST |
Process webinar | 30 July 2026 03:00 - 04:00 PM CEST |
Review and shortlisting | 1 to 11 September 2026 |
Selection calls | 20 to 25 September 2026 |
Due diligence | October 2026 |
Joint working session in Germany (exact date and time TBC) | 9 to 13 November 2026 |
Contracting | 14 November to 31 December 2026 |
Selection at EOI stage does not constitute a partnership commitment from either side. Shortlisted organizations enter a structured dialogue in which both sides test mutual fit before anything is formalized.
Webinar
On 30 July 2026 at 03:00 PM CEST we will host an open webinar walking through this Expression of Interest and answering questions. Participation is optional and has no bearing on evaluation.
Contact
Questions about the Recovery Through Sport Expression of Interest should be submitted through our dedicated question form:
Questions submitted by July 27 will be considered for inclusion in the applicant webinar on July 30. Questions received after this date may not be addressed during the webinar. A live FAQ document will be published on August 3, the first Monday after the webinar, and updated every Monday thereafter.
We will not provide individual responses to submitted questions. Instead, we will review and group similar questions and address them through the regularly updated live FAQ document. Questions that are already clearly answered in the Expression of Interest Guidelines or the information available on this page may not be included in the FAQ.
Please note that we cannot provide feedback on draft submissions or advise organizations on how to position their application.
SUBMIT YOUR INTEREST
The submission window to become our strategic partner for the Recovery Through Sport program runs from 15 July to 30 August 2026 at 11.59 PM CEST.
KEY FIGURES
€6,000,000
Total funding commitment across all selected partners and potential program activities.
1 to 3
Strategic partners selected through this Expression of Interest
3+ YEARS
Initial partnership horizon, with potential to build further
30 AUGUST 2026
Submission deadline
Why partner with us?
A partnership with the adidas Foundation under Recovery Through Sport is not a transactional grant relationship. We are serious about evidence. We are serious about safeguarding. We are serious about quality. And we are serious about building this with partners who bring real experience into the room.
Multi-year funding
We bring multi-year funding, committed for an initial horizon of at least three years and structured for continuity rather than short project cycles.
Evidence-informed organization
We bring an evidence-informed starting point, developed through research and consultation.
Co-development posture
Close collaboration on programming, ways of working, learning, and pace.
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