Grants to Washington nonprofit organizations in eligible areas to increase equal access to sports and recreation opportunities for underserved youth in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Funding is intended to increase youth access to and participation in high-quality physical activity programs, improve health outcomes, reduce health disparities, and reach priority populations. Eligible applicants provide programs and facilities that support youth access to physical activity in King County.

King County Parks (KCP) has partnered with the King County Play Equity Coalition in this community centered participatory grantmaking process to design, develop, and implement this Youth Sports & Outdoor Recreation Relief Fund program to distribute federal Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery (CLFR) funding to nonprofit organizations providing programs and facilities that support youth access to physical activity. King County Parks will administer a one-time investment to organizations most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who serve youth furthest from play equity.

Program Goals

• Increase youth access to and participation in quality physical activity programs, facilities, and parks
• Reach priority populations of low-income youth, youth of color, immigrant and refugee youth, youth with disabilities, and unincorporated area residents
• Improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities in low-income communities

For Priorities and Rating Criteria, see page 7 of the Guidelines document in Supporting Documents below.

There are 3 types of funding available related to providing opportunities for youth to be physically active:

1.  Financial Impact
• Purpose: Support economic recovery for nonprofit organizations or groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)
2. Youth Sports & Recreation Programming to Priority Youth in K-12 
   
• Purpose: To fund organizations providing physical activity opportunities to youth experiencing loss of opportunity as a result of the pandemic
• Applicants must demonstrate proposed programming addresses the impact of significant loss of time / access to physical activity instruction that students in the program experienced due to COVID-19.
3. Capital Projects
• Purpose: Support 501c3 organizations proposing new construction or renovations to recreation facilities used for youth sports/ recreation programming for K-12 students
• Applicants must demonstrate project addresses the impact of significant loss of time / access to physical activity instruction that students accessing the project experienced due to COVID-19
• The facility will be used for sports/recreation programming for youth & available to the public, and any usage fees will be no greater than those generally charged by operators of similar facilities in King County