The Return to Play Fund will close December 2025.
Since its 2021 launch, the Return to Play Fund worked to address inequities in access to sport and play for Black and Brown communities across the U.S., emerging from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. With generous support from ESPN, The Pincus Family Foundation and TeamSnap, the Fund engaged more than 20 organizations, built eight safe spaces for play across six states and supported culturally grounded, wellness-driven programming that has empowered thousands of young people.
As we close the Fund, we recognize that it has fulfilled its mission of responding to a moment of urgent need and that community priorities continue to evolve. While this page will no longer be available after December 2025, related resources and stories will be shared elsewhere on our site.
Promoting Equitable Access to Play for Black & Brown Youth
We know sport helps build community, instills a sense of belonging and teaches crucial social and emotional skills for young people. When sports and play are tailored to youth needs, they can provide a safe space that gives them a sense of connection.
Black and Brown communities are grappling with significant hurdles, limiting opportunities for their younger members. Systemic barriers such as high participation fees, underfunded schools, lack of diverse coaches and inadequate facilities and equipment further marginalize low-income and communities of color, putting kids on the sidelines.
Ensuring youth have options that both get them into and keep them in sports is crucial for them to continue receiving the invaluable benefits from sport.
RECONNECT THROUGH SPORTS
In 2021, Beyond Sport and ESPN created the Return to Play Fund (RTPF) to address disparities in support and access for Black and Brown communities coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The RTPF facilitated essential tools and resources to build skills and capacity and provide safe recreation spaces. It also advocated for systemic change to ensure equitable opportunities to play, particularly in school and park environments.
The Fund leveraged sport, collaboration and investment to champion youth and combat racial inequities in the immediate and long-term. Supporting its development was an Expert Advisory Council specializing in youth sports, public health, trauma-informed responses, diversity, equity, inclusion and public health.
THE PROBLEM
Sport and play opportunities for Black and Brown communities have long been insufficient. Now more than ever, these activities are crucial for child development. And yet:
BIPOC youth are playing sports at a significantly lower rate than wealthier, white youth [Project Play, 2023]
44% of families reported their community-based program closed, merged or returned with limited capacity [Project Play, 2021]
Black and Brown kids have less access to safe, affordable play spaces that don’t require transportation [Project Play, 2021]
Children are participating in team sports less frequently, resulting in 1.2 million fewer youth consistently engaging in team sports [Project Play, 2022]
Lower-income kids are 6x more likely to quit youth sports than their more well-off peers [Aspen Institute, 2020]
HOW IT WORKS
The Return to Play Fund addressed community needs to create equitable opportunities for play and sports across education, health and community landscapes.
Grants supported sport-based youth development organizations that were getting young people of color moving again as well as making sure they get guidance and opportunities to grow, succeed and be confident in their abilities.
With our partners, the RTPF supported community groups and revitalized spaces in Black and Brown communities into accessible and enjoyable places for youth and their families to play while also supporting research and efforts to ensure play equity.
Operations & Strategic Guidance
The Return to Play Fund provided grants to help organizations maintain operations and build capacity. Beneficiaries are diverse in scale, approach, location and sport. However, all use sport to positively impact Black and Brown communities in the U.S.
Regionally, we supported grassroots nonprofits embedded in local communities. Nationally, we assisted nonprofits that can dramatically amplify the impact of these efforts. The RTPF also provided tools and resources to upskill community sport leaders.
National nonprofits, including organizations like RISE, led targeted programming on the RTPF revitalized spaces. They educate and empower community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. Workshops and training sessions engaged local leaders in frank conversations about race, perceptions, and stereotypes including discussions on implicit bias, perspective-taking and diversity concepts.
Advocacy
To raise awareness about the critical importance of youth sports, in 2023 we partnered with ESPN on a powerful Public Service Announcement (PSA) calling for equal access to sports resources for all kids, especially in underserved communities.
Watch the ESPN PSA featuring SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris and youth from a Bronx, New York Boys & Girls Club.
Building on a 2021 mapping survey by Beyond Sport and the Play Equity Fund (PEF), RTPF helped fund PEF’s work to scale impactful programs. This includes school-based sports, coaching education, infrastructure development and juvenile justice initiatives. PEF also invests in research, data collection and information sharing to advance play equity solutions.
Established by the LA84 Foundation, PEF uses a public awareness approach to educate public leaders to prioritize youth sports and play opportunities in schools, districts and parks using a public awareness approach.
Check out RTPF resources for youth, coaches and parents, available in English and Spanish!
Infrastructure
Historically, communities of color and low-income areas lack access to safe recreational facilities. Led by global nonprofit, love.fútbol, the RTPF built and refurbished safe, sustainable play spaces in underserved Black and Brown communities.
RTPF builds were fully collaborative, ensuring that community members were active partners in the process, and included a strong focus on sustainability.
The RTPF transformed eight spaces overall, supported by ESPN and the Pincus Family Foundation, and rolled out educational programming on the spaces in partnership with leading sport for development organizations.