In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared youth mental health to be a national emergency in the United States. Together with Beyond Sport, the Z Zurich Foundation and Zurich North America are launching Head in the Game (HITG), a program focusing on the prevention, promotion and attitude changing of youth mental wellbeing.
While mental wellbeing challenges exist for all youth demographics, we will primarily focus our efforts on two of the most vulnerable populations: youth who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and youth who identify as LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and others along the spectrum). The recent CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey also highlighted girls as a group with higher incidence of mental wellbeing challenges. We ask organizations to be intentional in engaging girls as a subgroup within these two target audiences. HITG will launch in California, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. In addition to the high incidence of mental wellbeing challenges, U.S. Census data shows that the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ populations have grown markedly in specific cities in these states over the past 10 years, yet mental wellbeing resources are not being developed to scale to meet the needs of these communities.
HITG will level the playing field of mental wellbeing through sport-based initiatives by providing non-profits with:
Capacity building support to train coaches in coaching through a youth mental wellbeing-lens. Coaches will receive training from the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport (CHJS) and Doc Wayne, both having demonstrated expertise in mental health and proven sports-based therapeutic methodologies. At the conclusion of the training, coaches will be able to:
Recognize signs of mental wellbeing challenges in the youth they serve
Hold more mental health-related conversations with youth
Adopt tools to support mental wellbeing in youth
Grants to implement protective and preventative mental wellbeing programming using resources developed by the Z Zurich Foundation, UNICEF, and expert trainers. These grants are unrestricted (i.e., we will not dictate how organizations implement their projects, though we do provide guidance). The HITG approach acknowledges the multitude of challenges faced by non-profits. Organizations are invited to tell us what is most needed within their communities to deliver impact.
A learning community that includes expert providers, non-profits, elite organizations, professional sports teams, collegiate athletic teams, Z Zurich Foundation, Zurich North America, and Beyond Sport to connect, inspire action, share, and celebrate program impact.
As a result, your organization will be appropriately trained and resourced to deliver sustained impact in mental wellbeing outcomes, attitudes, and behaviors for youth who need it the most.
| Expectations for Grant Recipients | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
| Grant Amount | Approx. $25,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue | Approx. $45,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue | Approx. $75,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue | Approx. $90,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue |
| Capacity Building | Engage 1-19 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 | Engage 20-29 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 | Engage 30-49 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 | Engage at least 50 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 |
| Grant | Implement programming for at least 75 young people aged 13 to 19 per participating coach January 2024 through December 2025. Administer pre- and post-surveys to assess impact. Collect observational feedback on qualitative impact through interviews as needed. Help us tell the story of your program by periodically sharing photos, videos and testimonials/quotes of your participants and coaches in action. | |||
| Learning Community | Actively and regularly engage in the learning community to connect, inspire action, share, and celebrate program impact | |||
How to submit an application:
- To begin, click on the "Apply" button on the right.
- Register a profile on the site.
- Check your inbox for an email to verify your information. Be sure to check our junk or spam folder in case it does not appear right away.
- Answer the questions asked, upload any additional documents, and submit when ready.
Please note that after getting started, you can save and return to your application as many times as you like before submitting.
Please go here to review the scoring rubric.
Please see here for an FAQ one-pager.
If you encounter issues with the application system or have any questions, please contact the Beyond Sport Programs team at programs@beyondsport.org.
2023 Head in the Game Partnership Grant
In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared youth mental health to be a national emergency in the United States. Together with Beyond Sport, the Z Zurich Foundation and Zurich North America are launching Head in the Game (HITG), a program focusing on the prevention, promotion and attitude changing of youth mental wellbeing.
While mental wellbeing challenges exist for all youth demographics, we will primarily focus our efforts on two of the most vulnerable populations: youth who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and youth who identify as LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and others along the spectrum). The recent CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey also highlighted girls as a group with higher incidence of mental wellbeing challenges. We ask organizations to be intentional in engaging girls as a subgroup within these two target audiences. HITG will launch in California, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. In addition to the high incidence of mental wellbeing challenges, U.S. Census data shows that the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ populations have grown markedly in specific cities in these states over the past 10 years, yet mental wellbeing resources are not being developed to scale to meet the needs of these communities.
HITG will level the playing field of mental wellbeing through sport-based initiatives by providing non-profits with:
Capacity building support to train coaches in coaching through a youth mental wellbeing-lens. Coaches will receive training from the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport (CHJS) and Doc Wayne, both having demonstrated expertise in mental health and proven sports-based therapeutic methodologies. At the conclusion of the training, coaches will be able to:
Recognize signs of mental wellbeing challenges in the youth they serve
Hold more mental health-related conversations with youth
Adopt tools to support mental wellbeing in youth
Grants to implement protective and preventative mental wellbeing programming using resources developed by the Z Zurich Foundation, UNICEF, and expert trainers. These grants are unrestricted (i.e., we will not dictate how organizations implement their projects, though we do provide guidance). The HITG approach acknowledges the multitude of challenges faced by non-profits. Organizations are invited to tell us what is most needed within their communities to deliver impact.
A learning community that includes expert providers, non-profits, elite organizations, professional sports teams, collegiate athletic teams, Z Zurich Foundation, Zurich North America, and Beyond Sport to connect, inspire action, share, and celebrate program impact.
As a result, your organization will be appropriately trained and resourced to deliver sustained impact in mental wellbeing outcomes, attitudes, and behaviors for youth who need it the most.
| Expectations for Grant Recipients | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
| Grant Amount | Approx. $25,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue | Approx. $45,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue | Approx. $75,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue | Approx. $90,000 Cannot exceed 50% of annual revenue |
| Capacity Building | Engage 1-19 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 | Engage 20-29 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 | Engage 30-49 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 | Engage at least 50 coaches in provided training September-December 2023 |
| Grant | Implement programming for at least 75 young people aged 13 to 19 per participating coach January 2024 through December 2025. Administer pre- and post-surveys to assess impact. Collect observational feedback on qualitative impact through interviews as needed. Help us tell the story of your program by periodically sharing photos, videos and testimonials/quotes of your participants and coaches in action. | |||
| Learning Community | Actively and regularly engage in the learning community to connect, inspire action, share, and celebrate program impact | |||
How to submit an application:
- To begin, click on the "Apply" button on the right.
- Register a profile on the site.
- Check your inbox for an email to verify your information. Be sure to check our junk or spam folder in case it does not appear right away.
- Answer the questions asked, upload any additional documents, and submit when ready.
Please note that after getting started, you can save and return to your application as many times as you like before submitting.
Please go here to review the scoring rubric.
Please see here for an FAQ one-pager.
If you encounter issues with the application system or have any questions, please contact the Beyond Sport Programs team at programs@beyondsport.org.