The adidas Foundation has launched its Recovery Through Sport Program 2026, inviting experienced nonprofit organizations to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a long-term strategic partnership. Through this initiative, the Foundation will invest €6 million across up to three selected organizations to develop evidence-based programs that use sport and physical activity to support children and young people recovering from crises and displacement.
Unlike conventional grant competitions, this opportunity is not seeking completed project proposals. Instead, the adidas Foundation is looking for organizations with proven experience, strong safeguarding systems, operational capacity, and a commitment to co-designing innovative recovery programs over multiple years.
Whether your organization works in humanitarian response, mental health, psychosocial support, youth development, refugee assistance, or sport for development, this funding opportunity could provide the resources and partnership needed to create lasting impact.
About the adidas Foundation Recovery Through Sport Program
Recovery Through Sport is a new flagship initiative created by the adidas Foundation to explore how sport and physical activity can help children and young people rebuild their wellbeing after experiencing conflict, disasters, displacement, or other humanitarian crises.
The Foundation developed the program following extensive consultations with independent experts in:
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
- Humanitarian programming
- Sport for Development
- Physical activity
- Child wellbeing
- Research and evidence generation
Research conducted by the Foundation found that while sport cannot replace humanitarian assistance, it can play a meaningful role in recovery by creating opportunities for safe participation, rebuilding routines, strengthening social connections, improving confidence, and promoting a sense of belonging.
The Foundation also recognized a significant gap in research on how sport-based interventions can be effectively implemented in lower-resourced humanitarian settings. This new initiative aims to address that gap through long-term partnerships with experienced organizations.
Funding Details
Successful organizations will become strategic partners of the adidas Foundation under an initial multi-year partnership.
Funding at a Glance
- Organization: adidas Foundation
- Program: Recovery Through Sport
- Funding Available: €6,000,000
- Partners Selected: 1–3 organizations
- Partnership Duration: Initial commitment of 3+ years
- Application Opens: 15 July 2026
- Application Deadline: 30 August 2026 (11:59 PM CEST)
Rather than distributing one-off grants, the Foundation intends to build long-term collaborations that allow partners to jointly design, test, implement, and improve recovery programs over several years.
What Makes This Opportunity Different?
Many funding opportunities require applicants to submit detailed project proposals before funding decisions are made. The adidas Foundation is taking a different approach.
This Expression of Interest is a partner selection process, not a project proposal competition.
The Foundation wants to understand what organizations already bring, including:
- Existing recovery programs
- Technical expertise
- Organizational capacity
- Safeguarding policies
- Operational experience
- Learning systems
- Geographic reach
- Partnership mindset
Once strategic partners are selected, program design and implementation plans will be developed together with the Foundation.
Who Should Apply?
The adidas Foundation is looking for organizations with demonstrated experience working in complex humanitarian or displacement contexts.
Suitable applicants may include organizations working in:
- Humanitarian response
- Refugee assistance
- Child protection
- Mental health and psychosocial support
- Youth empowerment
- Community resilience
- Disaster recovery
- Emergency response
- Sport for Development
- Education in emergencies
Organizations should already have established systems and experience rather than proposing entirely new approaches.
Ideal Partner Profile
Competitive organizations are expected to demonstrate:
- Strong Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) expertise
- Robust safeguarding and child protection systems
- Experience operating in crisis or displacement settings
- Proven use of sport or physical activity within programs
- Strong monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems
- Capacity to generate evidence and share lessons
- Commitment to collaboration and innovation
- Ability to adapt programs to changing humanitarian environments
The Foundation is seeking partners willing to strengthen and improve existing approaches while contributing to the global evidence base on recovery through sport.
What Will Selected Partners Receive?
Selected organizations will benefit from far more than financial support.
Benefits include:
- Multi-year funding
- Long-term strategic partnership
- Joint program development
- Collaborative learning opportunities
- Evidence-informed programming
- Support for research and innovation
- Shared monitoring and evaluation
- Opportunity to influence future humanitarian recovery approaches
The Foundation emphasizes that this will be a collaborative relationship focused on continuous learning rather than a traditional donor-grantee arrangement.
Why Recovery Through Sport Matters
Millions of children and young people worldwide experience conflict, forced displacement, natural disasters, and humanitarian emergencies each year. These experiences often disrupt education, social relationships, emotional wellbeing, and opportunities for healthy development.
Sport and structured physical activity can help restore normalcy by:
- Creating safe and inclusive spaces
- Encouraging teamwork and social interaction
- Building resilience and confidence
- Supporting emotional wellbeing
- Establishing healthy routines
- Promoting inclusion and participation
When combined with strong safeguarding practices and evidence-based psychosocial support, sport can become an important component of broader recovery efforts.
Selection Process
The adidas Foundation will review all submitted Expressions of Interest and select between one and three strategic partners.
Following selection, successful organizations will work closely with the Foundation to:
- Identify suitable implementation locations
- Assess local needs and conditions
- Design evidence-based interventions
- Develop learning frameworks
- Establish monitoring and evaluation systems
- Generate research and practical insights
- Scale successful approaches where appropriate
The Foundation intends for this collaborative process to shape the future direction of the Recovery Through Sport Program.
Important Dates
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications Open | 15 July 2026 |
| Application Deadline | 30 August 2026 |
| Funding Commitment | €6 Million |
| Partners Selected | 1–3 Organizations |
| Partnership Duration | Minimum 3 Years |
How to Apply
Interested organizations should follow these steps:
- Review the complete Expression of Interest Guidelines.
- Confirm that your organization meets the eligibility requirements.
- Prepare responses demonstrating your organization’s experience, systems, safeguarding practices, operational capacity, and learning culture.
- Complete the online Expression of Interest submission before 30 August 2026 at 11:59 PM CEST.
Applicants are encouraged to focus on their organizational strengths and experience rather than preparing detailed project proposals.
Final Thoughts
The adidas Foundation Recovery Through Sport Program represents one of the most significant long-term funding opportunities available for organizations working at the intersection of humanitarian response, youth development, mental health, and sport for development.
With €6 million committed to strategic partnerships lasting at least three years, the initiative offers organizations the opportunity to co-create innovative, evidence-based solutions that improve the wellbeing of children and young people affected by crises and displacement.
For nonprofits with strong operational experience, safeguarding systems, and a commitment to learning and collaboration, this Expression of Interest provides an opportunity to help shape a global program while expanding their impact in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
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