FundPlay Foundation

🚨 New Project Play Report Reveals a 46% Increase Since 2019! 🚨 Project Play just released a report highlighting the escalating costs of youth sports. 🤯 The study reveals a staggering 46% increase in family spending on youth sports since 2019. This rise is impacting access to quality sports opportunities for many children. Are we creating a system where only some can afford to play?

Happy #FundPlayFriday 🎉 This week, we're shining the spotlight on Madison Hafitz, the Senior Program Manager of Kilometer Kids & Youth Running at the Atlanta Track Club! 👟 Kilometer Kids is Atlanta Track Club's oldest and largest youth running program, designed for children in grades K-5. It's 100% free and since its launch in 2007, Kilometer Kids has grown significantly, now impacting thousands of children each year in the Atlanta region. Madison is dedicated to increasing access to physical activity and building community through sports. Her passion for youth development is truly inspiring! We are so grateful to work with leaders like Madison who power accessible sport across Atlanta ❤️

We’re thrilled to see Ice Hockey In Harlem's feature on Good Morning America! 🏒 For decades, this program has been transforming lives by teaching Harlem’s youth life skills, resilience, and leadership through hockey and education. Watch the GMA story here:

This #FundplayFriday, we are shining a light on Kings County Tennis League and 4 reasons we love them and their work! 🎾 KCTL brings the magic of tennis to youth living in and around Brooklyn public housing - and they do so at no cost for their families. 4 reasons we love KCTL: 1. Through their innovative programs, they break down barriers to access, making tennis not just a sport but a pathway to personal growth and community building. 🏆 2. KCTL is Community Focused: By utilizing local public housing spaces, they create accessible play areas that bring kids together. They even refurbished 3 courts at the De Hostos Playground in 2024! 3. KCTL has parents of players on their board. This is pretty unique and shows their commitment to listening and responding to community need. 4. Every year, KCTL hosts a Summit for their board, volunteers, and community. It’s a powerful and innovative day, full of peer learning and growth. Too cool! Because 4 isn't enough, a bonus reason to love KCTL is their most amazing team! This photo features Joe, Jamie, and board member Alexandra. Thank you for the work you do and for being a partner to FundPlay Foundation 💚

About a month ago, I picked up a little "side-gig" that I'm really excited about. A brief history... From 2020 to 2022, I had the distinct pleasure of being a member of the amazing LeagueApps Customer Success team, helping launch and support youth and adult sports programs on the platform. During that time, I had the honor of helping build out a fledgling internal initiative called FundPlay. In the spirit of helping make high quality youth sports accessible to as many as possible, FundPlay was created to provide software grants to non-profit and Sports Based Youth Development organizations around the country, giving it's grantees full, complimentary access to (in my opinion) the best program management platform on the market. I found working with those mission driven clients to be one of the most rewarding parts of the job... and while I eventually moved on from that role to help lead a large grassroots program (my forte), I did so with a soft spot in my heart for the work being done through FundPlay. Fast forward... that fledgling program has now evolved into its own non-profit, the FundPlay Foundation, which now supports well over 100 vibrant youth organizations across the country...leveraging opportunities for networking, learning, professional development, and collective action & advocacy. When my good friends Jared Cooper and Bailey Holloway reached out in late 2024 to assess my interest in re-engaging in some capacity, I leapt at the opportunity! So, starting in January, I rejoined the small but mighty FundPlay team as a part-time consultant to provide ongoing grantee support, while exploring ways to increase engagement and impact across the grantee network. So far, the work and the conversations have been inspiring, reinvigorating, and the best part is, there are many more to come! As I reflect on the first few weeks, I'm just really proud to be reconnected with this important initiative, and the critical work being done by it's members. #fundplayfoundation #inclusion #equity #sportsbasedyouthdevelopment #youthsports #sportsmanagement

Happy Valentine’s Day from FundPlay Foundation! 💚 In the spirit of the holiday, we wanted to share three things we love about youth sports: 1. Youth who are physically active have better mental health, they experience more excitement, happiness and motivation than inactive peers. 🧠 2. Participation in sport activities improve academic achievement, prime youth to be better learners, and make youth more likely to attend college. 🎓 3. Sports create the space for youth to have fun, develop their self-esteem, and foster a sense of belonging. 🧡

Happy #FundPlayFriday, y’all! This week we are highlighting THE Edwin Desamour, Executive Director of The Lighthouse 1893. Edwin’s story is nothing short of incredible. 💡 The Lighthouse is Philly’s oldest nonprofit, situated in the heart of the Kensington neighborhood of Philly. Kensington is locally known as “the bad lands” given its high levels of poverty, addiction, and violence. When Edwin took on the role of Executive Director for The Lighthouse, he was determined to use the organization to create community and a space for kids to safely be kids. Since he started, over 4,000 families have attended Lighthouse programming. His commitment to making his community known as “The Good Lands” shines through every program The Lighthouse offers. We are so grateful to call the incredible team at the Lighthouse our FundPlay partner! 🧡

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt Join me in taking a look back at the 2024 New York Edge Flag Football Championships! The event took place at the legendary MetLife Stadium in December. Our amazing student-athletes and cheerleaders dreamed big, worked hard, and created memories that will last a lifetime! Shoutout to our great partners that helped make this day a reality, including: NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, New York Jets, MetLife Stadium, Wooter Apparel, American Youth Officials, LeagueApps, FundPlay Foundation, USA Football, Crown Trophy - Queens, NY, and Ace Apparel & Promotions. #youthsports #sports #nyc #flagfootball #Football #youthdevelopment #newyorkedge

Great leadership comes with a little laughter! We love our silly group photos from FundPlay Summit 2023 and 2024. They're not only cute, they remind us of how much we've grown 🤪🧡

I am honored to be featured by LeagueApps and the FundPlay Foundation as they celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Month! Extremely proud of the work Atlanta Track Club is doing through our Kilometer Kids program to make youth running and coaching more inclusive and accessible in communities across Metro Atlanta.