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2026 The Hartford Adaptive Sports Equipment Grant Opportunity for Move United Member Organizations

2026 The Hartford Adaptive Sports Equipment Grant Opportunity for Move United Member Organizations

Move United, in partnership with The Hartford, is empowering youth and adults with disabilities to achieve amazing things by making adaptive equipment and sports more accessible. The program’s goal is to make a significant impact in adaptive sports by empowering 60,000 people, including youth and adults with disabilities, to participate in sports and recreation over 10 years, which was surpassed in 2024. After providing 67 Move United member organizations with grants in 2018-2025, The Hartford and Move United are excited to invite the next round of member organizations to apply and help advance the goal to grow adaptive sports.

 

GRANT OVERVIEW

Eligible organizations can receive $20,000 to $50,000 to build your adaptive equipment inventory and welcome new participants (youth and adults) to the transformative power of adaptive sports.

Program Period: January-December 2026

 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Must be a Move United member organization (Chapters, Adaptive Clubs, and Inclusive Clubs; Affiliates responsible for direct programming are also welcome to apply)
  • Cannot have received The Harford Equipment Grant in the last 5 years
  • Priority will be given to first-time applicants
  • Previous recipients (from 5+ years ago) may apply for equipment not previously funded

 

GRANT TIERS & REQUIREMENTS

$50,000 Grant

  • Serve 200+ individuals with disabilities (including 100+ youth) between January and December 2026
  • Introduce 50+ new youth (under 25 years) with disabilities to your program
  • Impact 800+ total community members (including participants, staff, volunteers, coaches, families, friends, etc.)

 

$30,000 Grant

  • Serve 100+ individuals with disabilities (including 50+ youth) between January and December 2026
  • Introduce 25+ new youth (under 25 years) with disabilities to your program
  • Impact 400+ total community members (including participants, staff, volunteers, coaches, families, friends, etc.)

 

$20,000 Grant

  • Serve up to 50 individuals with disabilities between January and December 2026
  • Introduce 15+ new youth (under 25 years) with disabilities to your program
  • Impact up to 100 total community members (including participants, staff, volunteers, coaches, families, friends, etc.)

Program Period: January 1 – December 31, 2026

 

In addition, grantees will need to:

  • Spend a minimum of 50% of your program budget toward the purchase of new, large scale adaptive sports equipment*, identifying in your application how this equipment will help increase participation in your community.  Large equipment will need to be branded with The Hartford logo (decals provided). An additional 20% should be used toward the purchase of other sports supplies. Please be as detailed as possible in the application regarding what equipment will be purchased, include cost, quantities, links, pictures, vendor quotes, etc.  Most equipment items should be purchased and delivered by January 2026.
  • Host an activation event and/or share the exciting grant news via a media advisory and release (template provided by Move United and The Hartford), allow athletes and community to see/use the program equipment; plus select and award a deserving local athlete to receive their own custom adaptive equipment (additional grant money will be awarded if athlete application is selected).
    • Activation events can include a school sports program, camp, tournament, clinic, and/or may be an existing event between February to September 2026
    • The goal of the activation event is to prominently feature your organization’s program, local athletes, and The Hartford during an unveiling ceremony to help to garner news coverage to elevate and increase the reach of the member organization’s future programming. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mid-day (10am-2pm) events are preferred but not mandatory.
    • Program equipment will not need to be new at the time of activation
  • Complete evaluating  metrics as outlined in report form template; plus final grant report (at the end of the grant period) to include: contact & demographic information for athletes with disabilities, including at least youth served per grant requirement; expense report and participant surveys.

 

*Large scale adaptive sports equipment should primarily include items modified for accessibility and use by persons with a disability i.e., sit-skis, skis and snowboards, court chairs, racing chairs, throwing chairs, hockey sleds, power-soccer chairs, handcycles, other types of adapted cycles, adapted kayaks and paddleboards.  An additional 20% should be used toward the purchase of other sports equipment and supplies such as bows, arrows, balls, tethers, goals, ropes, cones, bibs etc. Aside from equipment purchases, the remaining budget items can include direct programmatic expenses and programmatic salaries (no overhead)

 

Application Deadline: Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET (no extensions)

Questions? Contact Micaela Venus, mvenus@moveunitedsport.org