Deadline: 20-Apr-23

PLAY International is inviting applications for the “Strengthening Inclusive Sports Academies in Africa” program (hereafter the “Academies Program”).

Supported by the NGO PLAY International and the Diambars Institute, the “Supporting inclusive sports academies in Africa” programme aims to foster the emergence of viable and inclusive academies on the African continent. The programme benefits from the financial support of the French Development Agency (AFD).

This 3-year program is designed to support academies in developing high quality educational and pedagogical pathways, in creating job opportunities for youth, in becoming economically, autonomous, and simultaneously and in encouraging and promoting gender equality. The latter will be possible by encouraging gender diversity (amongst students and professionals) and by training the leaders of tomorrow to promote societal values (generosity, gender equality, respect, etc.).

This call for projects (CFP) aims to integrate 12 new academies into the program. The objective is to offer technical and pedagogical support to encourage the development of projects that will benefit to youth and their communities. The CFP has a triple ambition. It aims to strengthen the role of emerging academies, in particular by co-constructing a methodology that will enable the academies to analyze and develop their own model related to:

• Gender equality: in particular in terms of training, awareness-raising and development of gender diversity. The contribution of women to the overall performance of the academies and their local and national influence will be strongly valued in this program.
• Education: to increase students’ commitment to their education, to guide them in their career development and their professional integration, to encourage their integration in vocational training, including in the sport industry.
• Economic model: to build a methodology to ensure the autonomy and sustainability of the academies’ business model and prepare their exit from the “Academies program”.

Objectives

• The objective of this CFP is to support organisations that demonstrate a strong desire to carry out projects whose values, mandate and vision focus on sport as a tool for educational and personal development for the most vulnerable populations. For this reason, special attention will be paid to organisations and projects that:
  • Promote women and girls’ empowerment through sport;
  • Develop training and capacity building programs for professionals to help them lead educational and sports sessions for the promotion of gender equality, gender diversity and social cohesion;
  • Develop education through sport programs that empower youth;
  • Anticipate the long-term sustainability of the project;
  • Benefit from the support of professional sportsmen and women involved in sport for development, in particular those of African origin.
  • Provide a healthy and safe environment where the rights and needs of the young
  • beneficiaries are respected in line with child safeguarding principles
  • These academies must also meet PLAY International’s requirements related to the fight against corruption, money-laundering and the funding of terrorism to be eligible to the CPF.

Themes

• The project aims to promote education, social inclusion and capacity building through sport

Funding Information

• Maximum funding of €130,000 (grant) and capacity building workshop in Dakar.
• The total duration of the project is between 12 months minimum and 15 months maximum and starts, at the earliest, on September 1, 2023 and ends, at the latest, on December 31, 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be a non-profit organisation (non-governmental organisations, associations, schools, sports organisations, groups, etc.) and with at least 2 years of legal existence
• To have a secure physical location with sports and/or educational facilities (or even accommodation) or be able to demonstrate easy access to secure sports facilities nearby
• Be strongly anchored in the local ecosystem (interaction with local sports federations, sports stakeholders, civil society organisations and/or local public authorities)
• Have significant experience in the key themes of the programme (education; gender equality; inclusion, etc.)
• Not be involved in (or conduct) religious proselytising activities
• Have an annual budget of more than €80,000 (profit and loss accounts validated by the last General Assembly)
• Be recognised by the authorities of one African country and has its own legal existence and accounting system. Organisations located in the zones classified as red by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) are not eligible to this call for projects.
• Have sufficient human resources to implement a large-scale project
• Be able to mobilise two people to participate actively to the entire program, including a bootcamp that will take place in Dakar, and to conduct activities following these training sessions
• Carry out its activities in one of the countries of the African continent outside the red zones

 Project Eligibility Criteria

• The project must take place on the African continent (excluding red zones)
• The project aims to promote education, social inclusion and capacity building through sport
• The total duration of the project must be between 12 and 15 months, starting no earlier than 1 September 2023 and ending no later than 31 December 2024
• Organisations must demonstrate their ability to ensure the sustainability of the project on the long term, in terms of human resources and sustainability of the business model (forecasted resources covering operating and maintenance costs on the medium term)
• Projects should present future activities
• The grant requested must not exceed €130,000 and represent a maximum of 75% of the eligible expenses of the projected budget

For more information, visit PLAY International.