‍TORONTO (December 4, 2023) – The Canada Basketball Foundation™ announced Monday the return of the UNIFIED Assist Program to support non-profit community programs and initiatives across Canada focused on providing inclusive and equitable opportunities for youth through basketball.

The UNIFIED Assist Program increases access to basketball by providing financial and development support to remove barriers to access for underserved, under-represented or marginalized youth across Canada.

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Launched in January 2023, the UNIFIED Assist Program received over 100 applications across Canada and awarded $85,000 in grants to ten non-profit community program recipients this past year.

Interested eligible organizations are encouraged to submit an expression of interest application before the February 5th, 2024 deadline at 11:59 p.m. ET.

To be eligible to receive support through the UNIFIED Assist Program, organizations must be registered charity, nonprofit or not-for-profit organizations and/or Metis, Inuit or First Nation community/band with a program or initiative taking place in 2024.

All eligible programs must align with one of the following Canada Basketball Foundation development pathways:

Youth Coaching and Officiating Development

The Canada Basketball Foundation supports the guardians of our game; the coaches, officials and community leaders are demonstrating and teaching the positive values of sport to youth across the nation.  

The Canada Basketball Foundation collaborates with our provincial/territorial basketball organizations and grassroots programs to grow the sport of basketball at all levels. It provides support to programs for development, such as continued education and training for coaches and officials, through:  

- NCCP/NOCP training and certification

- Safe Sport Training

- Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Training

Youth Sport Leadership Development

The Canada Basketball Foundation acknowledges that the world of sport is wide-reaching, far beyond the lines of the courts, playgrounds, and gymnasiums where games are played.  

The Canada Basketball Foundation aims to support programs and initiatives which attempt to pave new pathways for our youth to engage with sport off the court through social participation, culture, and the business of sport, including, but not limited to:

- Creative design

- Photography and Videography

- Sport Management

- Youth Mentorship

- Music

- Fashion

- Technology

- Social Justice

- Entrepreneurship

Youth Basketball Skill Development

The Canada Basketball Foundation supports programs and initiatives that are helping to instill a #madlove for the game in tomorrow’s starting line-ups.   

The Canada Basketball Foundation seeks to invest and support those who empower the next generation by delivering high-quality, sustainable, inclusive basketball programming and basketball-centered experiences for youth.  Specifically, the organization prioritizes supporting programs in underserved regions across Canada, aiming to welcome, serve, and empower more girls and women in basketball through:

- House league programs

- Skill development clinics

- Jr. NBA Youth Basketball Programs

- Summer camps

All eligible organizations who submit an expression of interest application will automatically enter the UNIFIED Assist Program development pool, where they will have access to ongoing Canada Basketball development support and unique experiences.

Top applicants must complete a Full Application to be considered for financial support through a UNIFIED Assist Program grant.

All expressions of interest and full applications are reviewed and scored by a diverse Canada Basketball Foundation selection team using a scorecard created to assess organization structure, program information, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to address barriers to sport for equity-deserving youth.

Canada Basketball Foundation staff will contact expression of interest applicants advancing in the process to complete a detailed full application by March 31st, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET.  UNIFIED Assist Program decisions will be issued confidentially by April 30th, 2024, before a public announcement of recipients in May 2024.

Those organizations selected as UNIFIED Assist Program grant recipients must commit to completing safe sport training, register for the Canada Basketball Verification Program (if applicable) and submit a grant impact summary report upon program completion.

For more information on the Canada Basketball Foundation™ and to donate to help support the organization’s mission to foster safe, diverse, equitable and inclusive basketball opportunities for coaches across Canada, click here.

ABOUT CANADA BASKETBALL FOUNDATION™

The Canada Basketball Foundation™ is a registered charitable organization dedicated to unifying Canada as a basketball nation by supporting safe, equitable, and inclusive basketball programming. Working directly with Canada Basketball, the Canada Basketball Foundation aims to remove access barriers for equity deserving youth by supporting community organizations focused on delivering programs related to youth coaching and officiating development, sport leadership and basketball skill development.