The Next Move Grant 2026: Up to €250,000 in Multi-Year Funding for Sport-Based Nonprofits in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina

Organizations using sport and physical activity to tackle gender-based violence, discrimination, exclusion and harmful gender norms can apply for The Next Move, a multi-year general support funding opportunity under the United by Sport program. The initiative is designed to strengthen organizations that use sport as a vehicle for social impact and help create safer, more inclusive and cohesive communities.

Selected organizations can receive €150,000, €200,000 or €250,000 over three years, with the funding divided equally across the 36-month partnership. The total funding pool is €2 million.

The opportunity is particularly relevant for nonprofit and grassroots organizations working directly with communities through sport, including organizations addressing gender equality, gender-based violence prevention, inclusion, leadership opportunities for girls and young women, and positive gender norms.

The Next Move Grant 2026

The Next Move is part of the United by Sport program and focuses on supporting organizations that use sport intentionally to address barriers to social cohesion.

The program recognizes that sport can sometimes reproduce existing inequalities, but it can also serve as a powerful platform for positive social change. Through sport and physical activity, organizations can help people build trust, develop positive relationships, challenge discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, and strengthen their sense of belonging.

The funding opportunity specifically focuses on communities in:

Brazil
Colombia
Argentina

Organizations must apply based on one country of implementation, meaning applicants cannot submit a single multi-country application covering several countries.

What Is the Purpose of The Next Move?

The Next Move aims to strengthen organizations that are working to create communities where people feel:

Safe
Valued
Connected
Included
Able to participate meaningfully
Treated fairly and equitably

The program identifies several issues that can prevent people from fully participating in sport and community life. These include gender-based violence, discrimination, exclusion, unequal opportunities and harmful gender norms.

Through general support funding, the adidas Foundation intends to provide organizations with the flexibility to strengthen their overall work rather than requiring them to implement one narrowly defined project.

This means selected organizations can identify their own organizational priorities and determine how the funding can best support their charitable mission, programs and organizational development within the funding guidelines.

Key Focus Areas

The Next Move is particularly interested in organizations working on issues connected to gender, inclusion and social cohesion through sport.

1. Gender-Based Discrimination and Sexism

Organizations may work to address:

Gender stereotypes
Sexism
Unequal opportunities
Discriminatory attitudes
Exclusion from participation
Barriers affecting girls and women in sport

The objective is to help create environments where people can participate in sport and community life without facing discrimination based on gender.

2. Gender-Based Violence

The program also focuses on preventing and addressing gender-based violence, including:

Sexual harassment
Abuse
Intimate partner violence
Unsafe environments
Other forms of gender-based violence

Sport can be used as a platform to promote safety, awareness, respectful relationships and non-violent behaviors.

3. Inclusion and Equal Participation

Organizations can also contribute by creating opportunities for groups that experience exclusion or unequal access to sport.

This may include initiatives that increase participation, representation and opportunities for girls, young women and non-binary young people.

4. Positive Gender Norms and Masculinities

The Next Move seeks to support organizations promoting healthy, respectful and non-violent gender norms.

This can include work that challenges harmful expectations surrounding gender and encourages healthier relationships and behaviors.

5. Community Connection and Social Cohesion

Sport can bring people together and create opportunities for communities to build trust and stronger relationships.

Organizations may therefore use sport to promote:

Belonging
Trust
Positive relationships
Community participation
Cooperation
Social cohesion

How Much Funding Is Available?

The Next Move offers three possible grant amounts:

€150,000
€200,000
€250,000

The selected amount is provided over three years, meaning the grant is divided equally over the 36-month partnership.

The total funding pool for the opportunity is €2 million.

Organizations are not automatically guaranteed the amount they request. Following the assessment process, the adidas Foundation may offer a lower amount than the organization initially requested. Any adjustment will be discussed with the organization before the grant agreement is finalized.

The partnership is expected to begin in Q1 2027, with the grant start and first disbursement expected around March 2027.

What Is General Support Funding?

Unlike a grant that requires an organization to deliver one predefined project, The Next Move provides General Support funding.

This approach is designed to support the organization as a whole and give partners greater flexibility to determine their priorities.

Selected organizations can use the funding to support their charitable activities and organizational priorities, provided that the proposed expenditure remains within the eligible funding categories and complies with the Foundation’s requirements.

Organizations will identify a small number of priorities and planned activities and report on what the funding supported, what changed and how the money was used at category level.

This structure allows organizations to make adjustments during implementation when necessary, provided those adjustments remain within the approved scope and eligible uses of the grant.

What Can the Grant Be Used For?

The funding can support activities that directly advance an organization’s charitable work or help the organization deliver its work safely, effectively, inclusively and accountably.

Examples include:

Sport and Community Programs

Funding can support:

Community-based sport and physical activity programs
Inclusive sporting events
Participant activities
Community engagement
Outreach initiatives
Advocacy and awareness campaigns
Coalition-building and networking
Peer-learning activities
Participant transportation
Venue costs
Activity costs
Sports equipment
Adaptive equipment
Materials required for implementation

Organizations can also use eligible funding for staff time and related expenditure directly connected to charitable program activities.

Training and Capacity Building

Organizations may support training for:

Coaches
Facilitators
Community stakeholders
Staff members
Other individuals involved in program delivery

The objective is to strengthen the organization’s ability to deliver its programs effectively and safely.

Safeguarding and Participant Protection

Funding may also contribute to:

Safeguarding policies and procedures
Safeguarding training
Incident reporting systems
Referral procedures
Participant protection measures
Community protection measures
Inclusion and accessibility measures
Data protection
Information security

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

Organizations can also use eligible funding to strengthen their ability to understand and demonstrate their impact.

This includes:

Monitoring and evaluation
Accountability systems
Learning processes
Participant feedback
Community feedback
Outcome measurement
Evaluation activities
MEAL systems
Specialist advice related to charitable programs

Organizational and Administrative Costs

The grant includes an indirect cost recovery component equivalent to 20% of eligible direct costs.

This component is intended to recognize that strong programs require strong organizational systems behind them.

Eligible indirect costs can include areas such as:

General management and administration
Finance and accounting
Payroll and staff resources
General office expenses
Operating costs
Audit expenses
Insurance
Legal and compliance costs
Organization-wide IT systems
Administrative systems
General fundraising and income-generation activities

Organizations do not need to provide a separate expenditure breakdown for the indirect cost recovery component, although they must maintain appropriate financial records.

What Cannot Be Funded?

Although The Next Move provides flexible General Support funding, the grant is not completely unrestricted.

The following are not eligible:

Sub-granting or onward granting
Non-charitable activities
Activities outside the scope of the program
Commercial or primarily profit-seeking activities unrelated to charitable work
Support for political parties or candidates
Partisan campaigning
Lobbying outside the organization’s charitable mission and legally permissible activities
Religious proselytization or missionary work
Repayment of historic deficits
Unrelated loans
Penalties or liabilities unrelated to eligible charitable activities
Private benefits
Disproportionate remuneration
Illegal activities
Harmful or discriminatory activities
Sanctioned activities
Costs that cannot be properly documented

Organizations should therefore ensure that their intended use of funding is directly connected to their charitable mission and the objectives of The Next Move.

Who Can Apply?

The Next Move is not an individual scholarship or fellowship opportunity. It is specifically designed for non-profit organizations.

Eligible organizations must be legally registered and operating in one of the three eligible countries:

Brazil
Colombia
Argentina

Organizations must use sport or physical activity as a core vehicle for creating social impact.

This means sport should be central to the organization’s mission, programs and approach to creating positive change in the communities it serves.

Potentially eligible organizations include:

Community-based sport organizations
Sport-for-good organizations
Sport clubs with a demonstrated social impact mission
Sport foundations
Women’s sport networks
Advocacy organizations that combine advocacy with sport-based programs
Grassroots organizations delivering sport-based community services

Sport clubs can qualify where their charitable mission extends beyond simply providing sporting activities to their own members.

APPLY HERE

Organizational Eligibility Requirements

In addition to being a nonprofit organization operating in an eligible country, applicants must satisfy several organizational requirements.

The organization must:

Be a legally registered non-governmental organization or equivalent established for charitable or public-benefit purposes under applicable national law.
Have been registered and operational for at least two years in the country where it will implement its activities at the time of full application submission.
Be legally permitted to receive foreign charitable funding under applicable local law.
Not engage in partisan political activity or religious proselytization.
Have a statutory purpose and core mission aligned with the objectives of The Next Move and the United by Sport program.
Demonstrate commitment to non-discriminatory practices across race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion and ethnicity.
Have an annual grant request that does not exceed 50% of the organization’s total income in its most recent completed financial year.
Have appropriate governance oversight and checks and balances, such as a board or equivalent oversight body.
Have basic financial controls and reliable financial records.
Be able to identify, track, document and report how the adidas Foundation’s funds are used.
Have documented safeguarding policies and procedures.
Have a safeguarding reporting mechanism explaining how concerns are raised and addressed.
Have appropriate safer recruitment measures.
Have documented rules covering expected and prohibited behavior, such as a Code of Conduct or Ethics Policy.
Have guidance or established practices for protecting participant data and images.
Not be subject to international sanctions or restrictions that would prevent a partnership.
Be willing to undergo the Foundation’s due diligence process.
Be willing to support communications and storytelling activities in accordance with the adidas Foundation’s ethical communication guidelines.
Be committed to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning processes.

Income Requirements Based on the Grant Requested

The organization must also have an annual income proportionate to the amount of funding it is requesting.

Based on the most recent financial statement, covering 2025 or 2024, the requirements are:

Organizations requesting €150,000

Minimum annual income: €100,000
Maximum annual income: €1.5 million

Organizations requesting €200,000

Minimum annual income: €135,000
Maximum annual income: €2 million

Organizations requesting €250,000

Minimum annual income: €165,000
Maximum annual income: €2.5 million

These financial requirements are intended to ensure that the level of funding is proportionate to the organization’s existing financial capacity.

Geographic Eligibility

The Next Move is specifically open to organizations operating in:

Brazil, Colombia and Argentina.

Organizations must be legally registered and implementing their activities in the country where they are applying.

Importantly, applicants cannot submit one application covering multiple countries. Each application should focus on one country of implementation.

Organizations based outside Brazil, Colombia or Argentina should not assume they are eligible simply because they work internationally. The guidelines specifically identify these three countries as the geographic scope of the call.

Race and Diversity Eligibility

The opportunity does not specify a particular race or ethnic group that applicants must belong to because the applicants are organizations rather than individuals.

However, eligible organizations must demonstrate a commitment to non-discriminatory practices across:

Race
Gender
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Age
Disability
Religion
Ethnicity

The program itself is designed around inclusion, equality, safety and social cohesion.

The Application Process

The Next Move uses a two-stage application process designed to allow organizations to determine whether the opportunity is suitable before investing significant time in a full application.

Stage 1: Expression of Interest

Organizations begin by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) through an online application form.

The EOI includes:

Eligibility screening
Questions about the organization
Questions about the organization’s work
Required document uploads

The eligibility screening includes yes/no questions covering the non-negotiable organizational requirements.

Stage 2: Full Application

Only organizations that are shortlisted following the EOI stage will move to the full application stage.

Shortlisted organizations may be asked to:

Complete a self-assessment