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Over the past few months, the Beyond Sport team has been on the road connecting with leaders in philanthropy, impact investment, sport and community development. From discussions about the future of charitable giving in London and New York to learning exchanges with coaches and grantees in Dallas and Warsaw, these conversations provided platforms to share and explore insights, collaborate and ideate with partners and advance sport for development around the world.
London, UK: Exploring Sport’s Role in Philanthropy at Alliance’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
In September, our Director of Programs, Adam Burgess, represented Beyond Sport at Alliance Magazine’s 30th anniversary celebration at the Aga Khan Centre in London. As part of a panel discussion with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), leaders from across the philanthropy sector explored the role of sport within charitable giving and opportunities for greater investment in community-led impact.
Drawing on Beyond Sport’s international experience, Adam shared insights on why sport is often viewed through a recreational rather than social infrastructure lens, despite its ability to support health, education, inclusion and climate resilience. The panel discussions also examined athlete philanthropy, trust-based grantmaking and how funders can better connect with community organizations creating impact on the ground.
A particular focus of the conversation was helping philanthropic leaders understand sport as a powerful entry point to broader social outcomes. Using examples from our global grantmaking and capacity-building work, Adam highlighted how community organizations are successfully leveraging sport to address everything from youth wellbeing and economic opportunity to environmental sustainability.
“When we speak about the connection between sport and sustainability, we often focus on elite sporting events and the professional game. Being able to advocate for greater acknowledgment of the role of community sport and sports-based NGOs on sustainability and climate change at the Alliance event was a privilege, bringing that topic to an audience we wouldn’t normally interact with.”
– Adam Burgess, Director of Programs, Beyond Sport
New York, USA: Bringing Sport and Philanthropy Leaders Together with CAF
Beyond Sport and Charities Aid Foundation again joined forces during UNGA, this time to explore how more investment can be directed toward sport for development. Hosted by Beyond Sport Board Member and LionTree Chief Impact Officer Caryl Stern, the roundtable brought together leaders from sport, philanthropy, finance and international development, including Beyond Sport Board Chair & Founder Nick Keller. Beyond Sport Executive Director Fred Fikhoui-Turner and CAF Head of International Marijana Sevic guided the conversation around a central question: how can the sports industry mobilize more capital toward the areas where sport creates the greatest social value?
Facilitated by Think Beyond Expert Partner, Radha Balani, the discussion focused on trends, gaps, structures, and opportunities for collaboration to help more resources flow toward community initiatives and expand sport and social impact’s presence in the capital investment space.
Rzeszów, Poland: Supporting Futures in Motion Grantees Through Peer Learning
In September, Emily Belcher, Manager, Community & Foundation Events, and Nick Coltman, Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning, traveled to Rzeszów for a series of capacity-building workshops with Futures in Motion grantees WĘDKA and Fundacja Swim For A Dream. In partnership with New Balance Foundation, the Futures in Motion program expands for underserved youth up to age 26, to support physical and mental health, education, employability and inclusion. Grounded in Positive Youth Development (PYD), the program empowers young people to take an active role in their own growth.
Designed to encourage learning and exchange, and led by Nick, the sessions focused on organizational development, program quality, youth leadership and evaluation. The two organizations shared learnings from the first phase of the program, reflected on common challenges and explored practical approaches to strengthening their impact and supporting young people more effectively.
Discussions also helped identify future capacity-building priorities, including leadership development, fundraising, governance and opportunities for continued peer learning among the growing Futures in Motion community.
“The opportunity to meet face-to-face with the inspiring people we support in Poland was very valuable. It gave us the opportunity to explore more nuanced conversations than aren’t often possible online, helping us build stronger connections and a better understanding of local realities. Building trust in this way is so important for our work, as it enables real challenges to be discussed openly and constructively, rather than ‘painting the grass green’, which helps us adapt our approach where necessary to ensure we are meeting needs on the ground.”
– Nick Coltman, Monitering & Evaluation Manager, Beyond Sport
Dallas, Texas: Sharing Ideas at the US Youth Soccer Grassroots Symposium
In August, Claudia Larrea, Senior Manager, Programs, attended the US Youth Soccer Grassroots Symposium (presented by Common Goal and Soccer Forward), where she also had the opportunity to connect in person with several members of the Play Collective community. Partners from adidas Foundation, Fútbol Más México, Puede Network and Safe-Hub Philadelphia were all in attendance.
Throughout the symposium focused on Moving Legacy Forward, practitioners shared ideas, tools and approaches on impact measurement, storytelling, mental wellbeing and building communities of care. The event also offered a valuable chance to strengthen relationships with organizations working across different communities and contexts, while hearing firsthand about successes, challenges and emerging opportunities in the field.
A highlight of the week was a visit with Puede Network, where participants experienced firsthand what it looks like to put community at the heart of legacy-building efforts. The experience underscored the importance of creating spaces where organizations can learn from one another, share practical resources and build lasting connections that extend beyond any single event.
“I’ve attended the US Youth Soccer Grassroots Symposium for the past three years, and it remains one of the few conferences that truly centers both the communities we serve and the practitioners doing the work. This year’s event was especially meaningful because we had the opportunity to visit Puede Network. The experience left me inspired and reenergized to continue this work and to keep building a lasting legacy with the communities we partner with through a sport that creates so many opportunities for so many young people.”
– Claudia Larrea, Senior Programs Manager, Beyond Sport
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