Dollars distributed increased 52% over 2022 totals
The past year was an extremely busy one for KidSport British Columbia and its associated community Chapters. Together they funded a season of sport for 7742 kids, totaling more than $2.6M in 2023, which is the largest single-year funding distribution in the program’s history in BC and a 52% increase over 2022 grant dollars. The number of kids supported also saw a significant 44% increase compared to 2022.
The previous high for grant distributions was $2.1M in 2019, and the organization hasn’t seen grant volumes at this level since 2016. The rising cost of living, increased interest rates, and other challenges families are facing with affordability are leading many to turn to support services like KidSport to help make up the shortfall. In addition, the organization has been focused on outreach efforts to ensure that families in need are aware of the support available.
“We are proud to have been able to meet the increasing demand for KidSport grants over the past year,” says KidSport BC Director, Angela Crowther. “But there are growing concerns about being able to sustain this rate of growth. We are committed to supporting families who need financial assistance to start or continue their child’s sport activities but recognize that it is going to require a larger financial investment given the increasing need we’re seeing from families in communities across British Columbia.”
In total, KidSport funded kids to participate in 53 different sports at more than 1000 Sport BC member-affiliated local sport clubs in 210 communities across the province last year. As such, KidSport grants are not only an investment in our kids and youth, but also provide important support to the amateur sport sector.
One focus of the KidSport program is to provide opportunities for kids that are often underrepresented in sport, including Indigenous children and youth, new Canadians, and athletes with a disability. The organization is proud to report that 41% of grants in 2023 supported kids and youth who identify as belonging to one of these groups.
Receiving a KidSport grant can have a meaningful impact on not only the child’s experience, but it helps to alleviate stress for parents who are feeling stretched. Here is one message of gratitude the organization received from a parent whose child received a grant to play hockey:
“Oh my goodness I don’t know what to say!! My son has a huge passion for hockey and loves to play…As a single mom his fees and equipment put us in a position where I was holding off paying bills and really cutting back on spending anywhere we could. This grant is amazing, I can breathe and not stress at night about how I am going to afford the next month’s fees. You made this possible and now completely stress-free for our family this hockey season.”
So far this year, grant application volumes don’t seem to be slowing down any. KidSport BC’s Provincial Office, which funds grants for kids in the communities across the province where there isn’t a local chapter, has received close to 200 applications already this year in just over a month.
The organization is community-funded and relies on donor support to sustain their granting program. With the increasing volume of grant applications they are receiving, the need for donations is especially high this year. Donations can be directed to support your local KidSport chapter and kids in your local community, or through the BC Provincial Fund to support kids in more than 100 other communities across the province that KidSport BC funds. KidSport Canada is a Registered Amateur Athletic Association (86212 5986 RR0003) and tax receipts are available for eligible donations.