Agitos Foundation launches 2015 Grant Support Programme
15.04.2015EUR 650,000 available to IPC Members’ para-sport development projects for the third year in a row.
Benin National Paralympic Committee (NPC) has organised a total of three Paralympic days in different regions to develop para-sport in the country. The Agitos Foundation's Grant Support Programme supported Paralympic day in Benin.
© • NPC Benin
The first IPC Athletics Education programme to be run in Spanish took place in Ecuador at the end of March with 30 individuals receiving key training in officiating.
© • Richard Robert
Fifteen youngsters with impairments from countries in south east Europe gave alpine skiing a try in Stara Planina, Serbia, helping to foster cross-cultural ties as well as develop para-snow sports.
© • Serbian National Paralympic Committee
Charles Okwanga had both his legs blown off after stepping on a landmine in 1996 left by the Ugandan civil war, but discovered wheelchair basketball nearly ten years later.
© • Ugandan Paralympic Committee
“In two years of the Grant Support Programme we have pledged over EUR 1,100,000 to more than 60 projects around the world. That is thanks to the continuing support of the IPC and our partners.
The International Paralympic Committee’s development arm, the Agitos Foundation, launched the third edition of its innovative and hugely successful Grant Support Programme on Wednesday (15 April), which will once again make EUR 650,000 available to para-sport projects around the world.
The programme, launched in 2013, aims to support the development of both summer and winter para-sports through funding proposals from National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), Regional Organisations (ROs), International Federations (IFs) and International Organisations of Sports for the Disabled (IOSDs).
In 2015, the Agitos Foundation is calling for applications from NPCs and ROs that aim to improve awareness of the Paralympic Movement, educate or develop athletes or train national coaches, classifiers and technical officials.
IFs and IOSDs are invited to submit proposals for the development of educational tools or programmes for officials, coaches and classifiers, youth or development competitions, purchasing sport equipment or classification research and strategies.
Georg Schlachtenberger, Director of the Agitos Foundation, said: “In two years of the Grant Support Programme we have pledged over EUR 1,100,000 to more than 60 projects around the world. That is thanks to the continuing support of the IPC and our partners.
“We have seen some incredible outcomes – from increasing the number of young skiers in south east Europe to the development of wheelchair tennis in the Caribbean. It is very rewarding to see the real-life impacts that will be felt for many generations to come.
“I am looking forward to receiving the latest round of innovative ideas from the IPC Membership, which will take us towards our goal of strengthening athlete pathways for Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020.”
The guidelines and documentation for applicants has been published at the Agitos Foundation website.
Applications will then be accepted from 1-31 May via an online portal. The outcomes of the selection process will be announced on 30 June, 2015.
