Hennepin County Youth Sports Equipment Grants Available

(The following release came from Hennepin County.)

Consider applying for the spring round of the Hennepin County Youth Sports capital equipment grants if your organization needs things like field maintenance equipment, nets or backboards.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Friday, March 9.

Hennepin County has operated the Hennepin Youth Sports Program since 2009, awarding up to $2 million annually in capital grants to build, repair, renovate or expand youth sports facilities in the county. Last year was the first time $250,000 was set aside out of the total $2 million available for capital equipment grants relating to youth and amateur sports activities in the county.

The equipment grants are awarded in two rounds ($125,000 in the fall and spring) and are based on the following criteria:

• Population and number of youth served by the organization.
• Local units of government may independently apply for these grants, but preference will be given to applications where there are one or more youth sports organization partners.
• Organizations should be in good standing with their communities and have a tradition of providing quality sports programming.
• To the extent possible, grants will be awarded to a mix of various sport activities and distributed to communities throughout the county.

A youth sports organization must have the endorsement of a local government unit, such as a city, school district or park district. The local government unit pledges to act as a fiscal agent for the grant and agrees to ensure the grant is used for its intended purpose.

Grants range from $1,000 - $10,000 for the following types of equipment:

• Field maintenance equipment
• Pitching machines
• Goals
• Backboards
• Nets
• Marking equipment
• Football docking and tackling
• Team training aids

Please note, grants will not be awarded for the purchase of uniforms, scrimmage vests, helmets or other personal equipment of participants. For more information, visit http://www.hennepin.us/youthsports or the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission’s grant program page.