She Flies Community Grant

2027 Grant Cycle Opens — TBD
2027 Grant Cycle Closes — TBD

She Flies is an initiative under the Sport Oregon Foundation umbrella to support, engage, and celebrate girls and women’s participation in sports across Oregon. 

At Sport Oregon, we believe sport is for all - all body types, all races, all ages, all income levels. Our Oregon state motto is “She Flies With Her Own Wings”, and through She Flies we want to foster safe community spaces where all who identify as girls and women have an opportunity to use sports to take flight into the many positive benefits of sports participation. We also want to feed communities of encouragement and support to get active or stay active, and grow spaces to connect with like-minded peers to build an even more inclusive and impactful sports community across Oregon. 

The She Flies Community Grant, an initiative of the Sport Oregon Foundation, supports nonprofits registered as a 501(c)(3) with tax-exempt status from the IRS, that are located in Oregon or are serving communities in Oregon. 

Grant seeking organizations must align with one of the following focus areas to be considered:

Keeping Girls in the Game

Girls are twice as likely than boys to drop out of sports participation by age 14.

She Flies supports community programs that are specifically working to keep girls ages 10-16 active (i.e. a summer camp, sports tournament, after school clinic).


Empowering Women Coaches

Coaches have the power to keep girls in the game. Less than 30% of youth sports coaches are women.

She Flies supports community programs that are specifically working to educate and empower a community of coaches or officials that work with girls and women (i.e. professional development, trainings, workshops).


Fit for Life

Fitness is a lifelong journey. Among adults, men are twice as likely as women to report that they “play sports.”

She Flies supports community programs that specifically work to keep women of all ages engaged in healthy physical and mental wellness activities and to help them re-discover the positive benefits of activity later on in life (i.e. Zumba classes for seniors, wellness series for incarcerated women, running club for mothers).

Grant Guidelines

  • Applicant Eligibility

    • Organizations must be Oregon-based and/or serve Oregon communities.

    • Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and not classified as a private foundation under Section 509(a) of that Code.

    • Organizations must have an operating budget that does not exceed $5,000,000. This requirement helps ensure funding is directed to small, grassroots nonprofits. Local chapters of national organizations may apply using their local operating budget.

    • Previous recipients of the She Flies Community Grant are eligible to re-apply for up to three consecutive years. Further, they must have met all grant expectations in their award year(s).

    Ineligible Applicants

    • Organizations that discriminate against certain groups or individuals in the delivery of programs and services on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, or political affiliation.

    • Individuals (including scholarships, stipends, fellowships, and individual assistance).

    • Individual schools or PTO/PTA organizations. Organizations may be affiliated with a school, but they must operate independently of the school.

    • Political organizations.

  • Program Eligibility

    • The She Flies Community Grant is a programmatic-based grant. Applicants must apply to fund a specific program or project that aligns with the She Flies mission. Applications seeking general operating support or for re-granting purposes are not eligible for consideration.

    • Programs must serve girls and/or women in the state of Oregon.

    • Programs must align with one of the following She Flies focus areas: Keeping Girls in the Game, Empowering Women Coaches, Fit for Life.

    • Applicants may request a grant amount between $5,000 and $25,000 to fund the specified program.


    Ineligible Programs

    • Research projects.

    • Sponsorship or fundraising events.

    • Support for elite or private sports camps, programs, or teams.

    • Capital projects.

    • Endowment funds, memorials, budget deficits, or fundraising activities.

    • Projects and events that occur prior to the 2026 She Flies Grant disbursement date (June 1, 2026).

  • Grantee Expectations

    • Grantees are expected to use the funds within one year of receiving the funds (between June 2026 and June 2027).

    • All grant recipients will be invited to accept an award at the Fuel the Future gala on May 1, 2026. Grantees must have one (1) leadership representative attend the gala and celebration ceremony on May 1, 2026.

    • Recipients will be expected to complete a short impact report at the end of the year. Recipients will receive information about the format of the report in their grant agreement.

She Flies Community Grant FAQ

 2025 She Flies Community Grant Recipients




For questions or comments, please contact sheflies@sportoregon.org