Our Stories Topics Podcast Articles & Guides About Beyond Our Stories Be Part of the Story
Subscribe on YouTube Join Our Newsletter Sponsor a Story

Challenged Athletes Foundation

San Diego, California

Challenged Athletes Foundation supporters holding oversized cheques at a fundraising event, with the CAF logo on the backdrop behind them

The Challenged Athletes Foundation gives grants that pay for adaptive sports equipment, training, coaching, competition and travel. It awarded 4,033 grants representing more than seven million dollars in funding, covering sport chairs, handcycles and sports prostheses. It began in 1994 and its address is in San Diego, California.

Mission: To provide opportunity, access, and belonging for athletes with physical disabilities, because sport transforms lives.

The Challenged Athletes Foundation supports athletes with physical disabilities, funding equipment and, in its own words, fueling confidence, independence, and lifelong community. An accident left the athlete Jim MacLaren paralyzed, three friends rallied to support his comeback, and what began as a single act of love became the Challenged Athletes Foundation in 1994. Bob Babbitt, Jeffrey Essakow and Rick Kozlowski are its co-founders.

It runs Operation Rebound, launched in 2005 for veterans, the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, youth and regional programs, and adaptive sports clinics and events. Its grants support equipment, training, coaching and competition, and the adaptive sports equipment named includes sport chairs, handcycles and sports prostheses, as well as travel expenses. It awarded 4,033 grants representing more than seven million dollars in funding. Recipients come from households earning under fifty thousand dollars a year, and nearly one in four received a grant for the first time. Its address is in San Diego, California, and it says it has surpassed two hundred million dollars in funds raised.

Why OGSP Recommends It

Sports prosthetics is a separate cost from everyday prosthetics not usually covered by insurance, and this is the organisation that helps pay when athletes may not be able to afford. Challenged Athletes Foundation awarded 4,033 grants representing more than seven million dollars in funding, to people from households earning under fifty thousand dollars a year. Challenged Athletes Foundation definitely moves the needle which is why we are sharing them to our audience.

Visit Website

Ways To Get Involved

Apply for a grant at challengedathletes.org, or support the San Diego Triathlon Challenge and the clinics and events it runs.

Key Takeaways

  • Grants support equipment, training, coaching, competition and travel expenses.
  • 4,033 grants awarded, representing more than seven million dollars in funding.
  • Recipients come from households earning under fifty thousand dollars a year.
  • Operation Rebound, launched in 2005, is its program for veterans.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Challenged Athletes Foundation pay for?

Its grants support equipment, training, coaching and competition. The adaptive sports equipment named includes sport chairs, handcycles and sports prostheses, as well as travel expenses.

How many grants has the Challenged Athletes Foundation awarded?

4,033 grants, representing more than seven million dollars in funding.

Who receives Challenged Athletes Foundation grants?

Athletes with physical disabilities. Recipients come from households earning under fifty thousand dollars a year, and nearly one in four received a grant for the first time.

Does the Challenged Athletes Foundation help veterans?

Yes. It runs Operation Rebound, launched in 2005 for veterans.

Get the inside scoop and be the first to know when we add new films and content!