Side OF EQUITY™ Grant PROGRAM
The Side of Equity™ Grant Program is designed to support Women Athletes that are underpaid and who are striving to compete on the Global level without adequate funding from traditional sources (endorsements, National Governing Bodies, etc).
The first initiative that the Fund will focus on is the 2023 Women’s World Cup where there is a clear gap in Prize Money and low salaries for women athletes across many of the National Governing Bodies.
Launching in June the Side of Equity™ Fund will raise money for all the women playing at the WWC and honoring the past winners of the first 8 WWC’s. The Fund will distribute grants to all athletes that qualify for this years Women’s World Cup and athletes on the winning teams of the last 8 WWC’s starting with 1991. Grants will be awarded to all eligible Athletes who apply.
As each athlete has different financial needs, athletes have the opportunity to pay it forward and donate their portion back to the fund. This will then be directed to another athlete in need.
Applicants wishing to receive a grant must apply below by Sept 20th, 2023.
The Side of Equity™ Fund and Grant Program will continue after the World Cup to focus on other pay gaps for women athletes.
Inspired by the global fight for equitable treatment and pay that decades of women have been fighting, the Side of Equity™ Fund will help accelerate closing the gap for athletes and put money directly in the players pockets.
The Side of Equity™ Fund was established by VOICEINSPORT Foundation in June 2023 ahead of the WWC.
Relevant Dates
Applications open on July 1st, 2023 for all athletes attending this years Women’s World Cup, 2023 and for any athletes that were on a winning team at the following WWC’s 1991 (US), 1995 (Norway), 1999 (US), 2003 (Germany), 2007 (Germany), 2011 (Japan), 2015 (US) and 2019 (US).
Online applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST on Sept 20th, 2023. Please note that it may take up to three months for a decision to be made on your grant application. Grants will start to be disbursed during the fourth quarter of 2023.
Eligibility & Criteria
Applicants for this round of the Side of Equity™ Grant Program must qualify for the Women’s World Cup 2023 in New Zealand / Australia with their National Team. or any athletes that were on a winning team at the following WWC’s 1991 (US), 1995 (Norway), 1999 (US), 2003 (Germany), 2007 (Germany), 2011 (Japan), 2015 (US) and 2019 (US).
Applicants must demonstrate financial need by showcasing the current or past salary and/or stipend amount paid to compete on a national level from their federation.
An individual may be awarded only one grant per calendar year.
A grant may not exceed $300,000 per athlete.
A qualified athlete can donate their portion from the Side of Equity™ Fund back into the Grant Program and that money will be redirected to athletes that are in need and qualify.
Any Funds not applied for through the applicant pool by a qualified athlete will be redirected towards other VOICEINSPORT Foundation to support the Foundation’s mission to advocate for girls and women in sport through research, education and advocacy programs.
Grant Allocation
Funding from this grant can be used to offset expenses such as training, travel, housing, equipment and related costs of competing at the elite level including but not limited to participation in competitions, meals and supplies, equipment and medical expenses.
GRANT ReQUIRMENTS
Use of grant for its intended purpose to close the gap in equal pay and support women athletes
Completion of a survey outlining how the funds were used to the betterment of the athletes lifestyle, wellbeing and/or participation of sport at the elite level.
Participation in the VOICEINSPORT Foundation program evaluation survey and events that aim to demonstrate the impact that the Fund has on women athlete recipients.
Promote the receipt of the grant in the following ways: a) announce on social media platforms as a recipient of the Side of Equity™ Grant from VOICEINSPORT Foundation b) participate in media opportunities c) submit a video about their experience d) mentions in press releases and on VOICEINSPORT Foundation website and e) optional events that highlight the recipients
Recipient must sign a grant agreement and comply with all applicable tax rules.
GRANT AWARD
Together, the VOICEINSPORT Foundation, contributing brands and fans of women’s sports that donate to the Side of Equity™ Fund will be awarding up to 736 grants to this years Women’s World Cup players and the 184 players from the prior 8 WWC winning teams. The 736 potential grants take into consideration 23 players x 32 qualifying teams. The 184 potential grants from prior WWC winning teams take into consideration 23 players x 8 winning teams.
Grant size will be determined after the fundraiser closes and the award amount will be in the discretion of the Board of the VOICEINSPORT Foundation. Grant size will not exceed more than $300,000 per athlete.
Grants will prioritize distributing the grant awards to the athletes where Federation salaries are low or non existent.
Grant Criteria
The VOICEINSPORT Foundation Grant Program Committee will evaluate applicants on the following criteria when determining Grants:
Qualified for the WWC in 2023 or on the winning team of the following WWC teams: 1991 (US), 1995 (Norway), 1999 (US), 2003 (Germany), 2007 (Germany), 2011 (Japan), 2015 (US) and 2019 (US)
Financial need
Current or past salary administrated by applicants National Federation during National level experience during the World Cup years.
Low financial support from traditional sources (e.g. brand endorsements, National Governing Body salaries, etc)
Impact of grant in advancing equal pay for women in sports and advocacy through recipients current advocacy efforts.
Grant allocation
Grants will be awarded by the discretion of the VOICEINSPORT Foundation Board.
how to apply
Click the APPLY button below and complete the Side of Equity™ Grant - WWC 2023 Application by using our partner grant- management system Foundant GLM. Applicants must register and create a new user profile in order to submit your application.
Please note for this specific enrollment period applicants qualify only if they are participating in this years Women’s World Cup 2023 or were on the winning team of the prior 8 WWC’s: 1991 (US), 1995 (Norway), 1999 (US), 2003 (Germany), 2007 (Germany), 2011 (Japan), 2015 (US) and 2019 (US). The Side of Equity™ Fund will initiate another grant program to close other gaps for women athletes after this initial campaign.
Please note: Under the organization information, please enter the contact information for your National Governing Body (NGB). A Tax ID number is not required to register (so you may leave that space blank).
Athletes applying for the Side of Equity™ Grant Program that play for a NCAA DI, DII, DIII school in the US are responsible for reviewing the financial aid policies of the NCAA or sports organization governing their current high school, college or university to avoid any issues with compliance related to eligibility.
The Application process will take about 10 min to complete and does require a short video. Thank you for fighting for equal pay and supporting your fellow athletes as we aim to close the gap around equal pay.
NOTIFICATION & AWARDS
Athletes that apply will receive notification by email that the application was submitted and received.
Any application that is late or not completed will not be considered.
At this time we will not be providing grants for all athletes that participated in the prior World Cup qualifying tournaments, only the athletes on the winning teams.
Athletes will be notified of their grant application outcome by no later than January 15th, 2024.
Grant payments for recipients are contingent on signing a grant agreement and compiling to all required tax implications.