Sport Oregon Foundation Offers $125,000 in Grants Through SHE FLIES Initiative in 2023

Photo: WCH Oregon22

2023 grant application process opens Feb. 2 on SHEFLIES.org; Alaska Airlines to contribute $200,000 over next two years to grants program

PORTLAND, Ore. – Sport Oregon today announced that the organization is opening its 2023 SHE FLIES Community Grant cycle Thursday, Feb. 2, with $125,000 available this year through the Sport Oregon Foundation. Grant-seeking organizations aligning with the SHE FLIES mission and corresponding focus areas are encouraged to apply for 2023 grants at SHEFLIES.org. 

SHE FLIES is the flagship initiative of the Sport Oregon Foundation, with a mission to connect girls and women across Oregon to sports, and to create inclusive communities through its programs, partnerships and networks. It aims to do so through three focus areas: keeping girls in the game, empowering women in coaching and promoting fitness for life.

For Sport Oregon COO Maika Janat-Vennemann, “Last year was really about building a network and constructing what SHE FLIES is, and can be. As a connector and trusted voice in sports, Sport Oregon is uniquely qualified to uplift girls and women in sport. When girls are in, we all win.”

In 2022, SHE FLIES awarded grants to six deserving groups, including Active Children Portland, The Children’s Course, Hood River Outrigger Canoe Club, Ophelia’s Place, the Rose City Rollers and Skate Like a Girl.

Thanks to a substantial financial commitment from Alaska Airlines, Sport Oregon has increased the amount awarded through the SHE FLIES Community Grants program, from $25,000 in the program’s first year to $125,000 in 2023. Alaska Airlines has committed $200,000 in support of the SHE FLIES Community Grants program over the next two years ($100,000 per year for 2023 and 2024).

“At Alaska Airlines, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to play, grow and thrive in athletics,” said Harry Cheema, public affairs manager at Alaska Airlines. “We are proud to support Sport Oregon through the She Flies Community Grant program to level the playing field for girls and women in sports. Alaska is committed to improving access to sports and contributing to the growth and development of athletes, and this partnership allows us to reach communities all across the great state of Oregon.”

The application period for this year’s SHE FLIES grants will end Friday, April 7 at 5 p.m. (PST), and applicants will be notified in early May. Sport Oregon will recognize the 2023 SHE FLIES grant recipients during its second-annual SHE FLIES Festival later in May, and funds will be distributed to grantees in June.

In addition to the community grants program, Sport Oregon annually produces a number of special events and relevant programming in support of the SHE FLIES initiative.

The SHE FLIES calendar of in-person events for 2023 kicks off this week with Sport Oregon’s National Girls and Women in Sports Day Panel. The event, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at PNC Live Studio in downtown Portland on Wednesday, Feb. 1, will feature speakers of different ages, sports and levels to compare and contrast how their experiences got them to where they are today. The panel will celebrate these amazing athletes and advocates, but also engage them in real conversations about pressures and challenges faced along the way, and why they ultimately stuck with it to make sport such a big part of their lives.

For more information on SHE FLIES and additional events and activities on tap this year, go to SHEFLIES.org.