SHE FLIES Community Grant
Grant Cycle Opens February 5, 2025
Grant Cycle Closes March 21, 2025
SHE FLIES is an initiative under the Sport Oregon Foundation umbrella to support, engage, and celebrate girls and women’s participation in sports across Oregon.
At Sport Oregon, we believe sport is for all - all body types, all races, all ages, all income levels. Our Oregon state motto is “She Flies With Her Own Wings”, and through SHE FLIES we want to foster safe community spaces where all who identify as girls and women have an opportunity to use sports to take flight into the many positive benefits of sports participation. We also want to feed communities of encouragement and support to get active or stay active, and grow spaces to connect with like-minded peers to build an even more inclusive and impactful sports community across Oregon.
The SHE FLIES Community Grant, an initiative of the Sport Oregon Foundation, supports nonprofits registered as a 501(c)(3) with tax-exempt status from the IRS, that are located in Oregon or are serving communities in Oregon.
Grant seeking organizations must align with one of the following focus areas to be considered:
Keeping Girls in the Game
Girls are twice as likely than boys to drop out of sports participation by age 14.
SHE FLIES supports community programs that are specifically working to keep girls ages 10-16 active (i.e. a summer camp, sports tournament, after school clinic).
Empowering Women Coaches
Coaches have the power to keep girls in the game. Less than 30% of youth sports coaches are women.
SHE FLIES supports community programs that are specifically working to educate and empower a community of coaches or officials that work with girls and women (i.e. professional development, trainings, workshops).
Fit for Life
Fitness is a lifelong journey. Among adults, men are twice as likely as women to report that they “play sports.”
SHE FLIES supports community programs that specifically work to keep women of all ages engaged in healthy physical and mental wellness activities and to help them re-discover the positive benefits of activity later on in life (i.e. Zumba classes for seniors, wellness series for incarcerated women, running club for mothers).
Grant Guidelines
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Applicant Eligibility
• Organizations must be Oregon-based and/or serve Oregon communities.
• Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and not classified as a private foundation under Section 509(a) of that Code.
• Organizations must have an operating budget that does not exceed $5,000,000.
• Previous recipients of the She Flies Community Grant are eligible to re-apply for up to three consecutive years.
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Program Eligibility
• The She Flies Community Grant is a programmatic-based grant. Applicants must apply to fund a specific program or project that aligns with the She Flies mission. Applications seeking general operating support or for re-granting purposes are not eligible for consideration.
• Programs must serve girls and/or women in the state of Oregon.
• Programs must align with one of the following She Flies focus areas: Keeping Girls in the Game, Empowering Women Coaches, Fit for Life.
• Applicants may request a grant amount between $5,000 and $25,000 to fund the specified program.
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Required Documentation
• Organization budget for the most recently completed fiscal year.
• Project or program budget related to the grant request, including revenue, expenditures, and how the funding will be applied.
• Most recent annual report.
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Ineligibility
Ineligible Applicants
• Organizations that discriminate against certain groups or individuals in the delivery of programs and services on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, or political affiliation.
• Individuals (including scholarships, stipends, fellowships, and individual assistance).
• Individual schools or PTO/PTA organizations. Organizations may be affiliated with a school, but they must operate independently of the school.
• Political organizations.
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Ineligibility
Ineligible Programs
• Research projects.
• Sponsorship or fundraising events.
• Support for elite or private sports camps, programs, or teams.
• Capital projects.
• Endowment funds, memorials, budget deficits, or fundraising activities.
• Projects and events that occur prior to the 2025 She Flies Grant disbursement date (June 1, 2025).
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Grantee Expectations
• Grantees are expected to use the funds within one year of receiving the funds (between June 2025 and May 2026).
• All grant recipients will be invited to accept an award at the Fuel the Future gala on May 9, 2025. Grantees must have one (1) leadership representative attend the gala and celebration ceremony on May 9, 2025.
• Recipients will be expected to complete a short impact report at the end of the year. Recipients will receive information about the format of the report in their grant agreement.
Grant Cycle Timeline
February 5, 2025
Application Opens
March 21, 2025
Applicaton Closes
Week of April 21, 2025
Grand Applicants Notified
May 9, 2025
Fuel the Future Grant Recipient Recognition
June 1, 2025
Grant Recipient Funds Disbursed
July 1, 2026
Grant Recipient Impact Reports Due
SHE FLIES Community Grant FAQ
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Grant applicants may apply for one grant type (Keeping Girls in the Game, Empowering Women Coaches, Fit for Life) per year.
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Grant funding is limited to programmatic support.
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All applications will be reviewed and selected by the Oregon Community Foundation and the SHE FLIES Community Grant Review Committee. The committee will be made up of a diverse group of individuals such as Sport Oregon employees, board members, sponsors, and local community leaders.
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Previous recipients of the She Flies Community Grant are eligible to re-apply for up to three consecutive years.
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Yes, although the SHE FLIES Community Grant Review Committee will be looking for a strengthened application.
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Yes. You can include a Form 990 in place of an annual report. You can also attach existing materials that explain the program you are seeking funding for and/or the impact.
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As long as there is an intentional focus on engaging female-identifying athletes within the program you’re seeking funding for, and you’re able to provide specifics around that in your submission, you are encouraged to apply.
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Yes. The SHE FLIES Community Grants are increasingly competitive. In 2024, we saw a 50% increase in applications year over year, thus making it an extremely competitive grant cycle with high-caliber grant submissions. Organizations are encouraged to reapply.