Alberta’s government understands the critical role sport and recreation play in Albertans’ lives, especially for children. Sport teaches healthy habits and fundamental life skills such as teamwork, leadership, confidence and commitment. Learning these skills at an early age sets children up for success, all while having fun with friends.
To continue knocking down barriers to youth participation in sport, Alberta’s government has provided $8 million to the Every Kid Can Play Program. The Every Kid Can Play program includes support for community and non-profit organizations that remove barriers for families across the province and help make kids’ sport and recreation activities more accessible and affordable for Alberta families.
“We know that active, healthy kids become active, healthy adults. That’s why it’s important for barrier-free access to sport and recreation programs in our province. I encourage sport and recreation organizations to apply for Every Kid Can Play funding to help provide quality, affordable programs for our youth. Together, we can keep sport and recreation activities affordable and accessible in every corner of the province.”
Every Kid Can Play provided direct financial support to more than 8,500 children and youth in the past year and supported more than 110 child and youth-focused community sport and recreation programs throughout Alberta. Programs that have received support from Every Kid Can Play include: Swim Alberta, which supports the I Can Swim Program across the province; the Cousins Skateboard Community Association, an Indigenous-led not-for-profit focused on connecting young people with themselves, their culture and their community through skateboarding; and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers that helps youth that are new to Canada access sport and recreational activities.
“Last year, KidSport Alberta supported 17,186 kids facing financial barriers into a season of sport and this would not have been possible without the support of the Every Kid Can Play Program.”
Starting now, provincial-scope organizations can receive funding of up to $100,000 per organization per year for programs running up to two years. Community-level non-profit organizations can receive up to $25,000 per organization per year for funding. This year, applications for community-level organizations have expanded to include organizations that are members of provincial-scope organizations, allowing more support for community-level programs. The deadline for provincial-scope sport organizations and community-level non-profit organizations to apply is July 31.
Related information
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- Helping all kids pursue their passion in sports (March 5, 2024)