Deadline: 31 January 2024
The High Fives Foundation’s Empowerment Fund provides financial support and equipment to life-changing injury survivors in the form of board-approved grants for adaptive sports equipment, the High Fives healing network, and so much more.
Funding Information
- The average grant size is between $2,500-$5,000.
Funding Categories
- Adaptive Sports Equipment
- Funding for adaptive sports equipment must fall within the parameters of the five pillar sports of the High Fives Foundation (mountain biking, snow sports, surfing, fly fish, and motor-fed dirt sports). Applicable adaptive sports equipment might include mono-skis, waveskis, adaptive mountain bikes, ebikes, etc.
- Healing Network
- Includes, but not limited to, acupuncture, massage, alternative healing, chiropractic, optometry (for balance), yoga, Pilates, physical therapy, personal training, and spinal cord center programs (Loco Motor Program, Craig Hospital, Shepherd Center, etc.).
- Medical Equipment
- Includes AFOs and KFOs (and other ambulatory walking aids etc.), walkers, canes, crutches, wheelchairs, Bioness units, medical aid devices, orthotics, and specialty shoes/boots, myolyn, FES, etc.
- Programs
- Funding for disabled sports programs that will enable the applicant to pursue their respective dream in the adventure sports community (i.e., Achieve Tahoe, NSCD, Teton Adaptive, etc. to be used for adaptive skill development).
- Funding for disabled sports program club fees/dues (funding in this specific category may be up to, but not exceeding, $4,500 per fiscal year, per athlete account).
Eligibility Criteria
- Cycle 1 is open to those injured in outdoor adventure sports and wounded veterans pursing outdoor adventure sports.
- Applicants must reside in the United States or Canada, and they must complete said grant in the United States or Canada. The accident/injury does not need to have occurred in the United States or Canada.
- The applicant’s injury must have been sustained within the last 25 years.
- Any applicant who has or continues to serve in the US military who has sustained an SCI, TBI, or life-changing during service are eligible if pursuing outdoor adventure sports. This applicant is only eligible in the first and third grant cycles in the calendar year and only if seeking funding for adaptive sports equipment.
- Applicants are not eligible for any future funding if they have previously been denied funding three times.
For more information, visit High Fives Foundation.
