NCHSAA Foundation: Education-Based Grant Program

The education-based grant program is coordinated through the NCHSAA Foundation, Inc. Only NCHSAA member schools are eligible to apply and must meet the established criteria. Areas of focus include student-centric initiatives/programs, coach/athletic administrator education, health, safety, & wellness initiatives, and small equipment.
The Education-based Grant Program is funded with endowment funds to ultimately support and enhance student-athletes’ physical wellness, psychosocial well-being, mental wellness, and life-skill development.
Grant funding comes solely from interest earnings on the principal investments. Funds earmarked towards grants will vary year-to-year based on market volatility and interest returns.
Focus Areas
School administrators must identify an unmet need facing student-athletes and/or coaches and school athletic administrators that relates to one of the following focus areas:

• Student-Athlete focused Program Supplementation

Mental Wellness InitiativesSportsmanship InitiativesCharacter DevelopmentCareer Exploration and Post-Graduation Preparation
Coach & Athletic Administrator Education
Fostering Diversity and InclusionNFHS Learn or NIAAA Courses, Training, and Clinics
Health, Safety, and Wellness Initiatives
Physical WellnessSocial and Emotional Learning (Mental Wellness Initiative)Cultivating Healthy RelationshipsHealth and lifesaving equipment (i.e. AED unit, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature device, cooling tub)
Equipment
Examples are game ball, net/netting systems, goal, and scoreboardWeights/weight machine/cardio machine

Eligibility

Only NCHSAA member schools are eligible to request and receive grant funding through this Education-Based Athletics Grant Program.  Grants awards are limited to a maximum award of $5,000.00 each. This does not mean that all recipients will receive the maximum amount of $5,000.00.Only one (1) grant application may be submitted per school in a given grant cycle. School personnel should coordinate efforts.We encourage schools who have previously not applied to consider submitting an application for an unmet need in your school. Grant amounts will, in part, be decided by assessing the following:Estimated cost for program or initiative NOTE: A projected budget will be required as part of the grant proposal. The grant coordinator is expected to research costs and secure multiple quotes prior to submitting this projected budget.Pledged or collected funds in place from other funding sources and evidence of a concerted effort to acquire funds from other sources;  Number of individuals positively impacted through the grantGrantees may receive partial funding (or no funding at all) based on the above criteria and the selection/review committee’s determination.

Ineligibility

Schools awarded a grant in one year are not eligible to receive a grant the following year (i.e. Receipt of a grant in 2024-2025 means your school is not eligible for consideration in the 2025-2026 cycle). Political activities or attempts to influence legislationSalaries or supplemental incomeAny activities that serve for the personal gain of an individualAncillary activities such as programs, advertising or special events not related to the purpose(s) of the NCHSAA Foundation as outlined within its Articles of Incorporation