New Balance Foundation and Beyond Sport Launch New International Youth Development Program

Today, New Balance Foundation in collaboration with Beyond Sport announced the launch of Futures in Motion, a new multi-year, international initiative to drive positive youth development and inspire bright futures. The program launches with purposeful timing, recognizing the upcoming International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6 as a moment to highlight its mission. Beginning in Australia, Japan, and Poland, with plans to expand to four additional countries over the next three years, Futures in Motion is designed to meet the specific cultural and community needs of each region. It will focus on leveraging sport to promote the physical and overall wellbeing of underserved youth, support the community organizations serving them and position young people (up to age 25) for long-term success.

Through a combination of grant funding, capacity-building tools, and community engagement activities, Futures in Motion seeks to empower youth while addressing their unique challenges. Following months of research into these challenges in collaboration with subject matter experts in each country, the program will address the specific barriers to youth physical activity through a regional and international lens. These efforts aim to enhance wellbeing, teach essential life skills, and foster leadership and career readiness, and inclusion.

“The launch of Futures in Motion is a milestone moment for the New Balance Foundation.  It’s an honor to collaborate with Beyond Sport and this initiative allows us to expand our philanthropic investments into new regions, as well as deepen our existing connections in Europe,” said Megan Bloch, Director of Corporate Philanthropy at the New Balance Foundation. “As part of our strategic plan to double our giving outside the United States year over year, we are excited to tackle some of the complex issues surrounding positive youth development in these countries, as well as help scale the NGOs that are making a difference for young people. We look forward to seeing the positive impact we can make together”.

The program will award hyperlocal multi-year grants to sport-based, youth-focused initiatives that promote health, education, career opportunities, and leadership development. It will also provide collaborative learning platforms and training in addition to tools to strengthen community organizations, ensuring long-term sustainability and equipping young leaders to drive change.

“We are excited to grow our existing partnership with New Balance Foundation in pursuit of a shared goal to promote youth wellbeing, education, employability, and inclusion through sport. Futures in Motion will invest in locally driven solutions that ensure that young people are active participants in their own development while also advancing equitable access and inclusive physical activity programming. Beyond Sport will provide capacity-building opportunities and learning tools to help strengthen community organizations, foster international learning, and develop young leaders, putting us all on the path to lasting sustainable impact,” said Fred Fikouhi-Turner, Executive Director of Beyond Sport.

Community engagement activities will also play a vital role in connecting youth with opportunities for mentorship, training, and sports-based development. In addition, New Balance Athletics will have the opportunity to provide footwear and apparel donations, as well as coordinate associate volunteers at local events to support the efforts of the grantees selected.

By the end of the third year of funding, Futures in Motion will have made a multi-million-dollar investment in addressing rising sedentary behaviors and building transformative pathways for young people. Community organizations with initiatives that align with the program’s focus areas will have the opportunity to apply for funding, helping to broaden its reach and ensure a lasting, positive impact.

Visit https://beyondsport.org/futures-in-motion to learn more about the program. Grants will be announced beginning August 2025.

New Balance Foundation and Beyond Sport encourage the public to follow their social media accounts for updates:

Beyond Sport: IG @beyondsport | LI: @beyond-sport | FB: @BYSInt
New Balance Foundation: IG: @nbgivesback

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About New Balance Foundation

Since 1981, New Balance Foundation has invested in proven pathways to help young people achieve their goals. Grantmaking focuses on community-led, outcomes-driven initiatives that promote access to sport, educational support, career readiness and overall well-being. They have granted over $150 million to date to trailblazing non-profits across the globe. This includes more than $12 million in donations to 90 non-profits in 2024 alone. www.newbalancefoundation.org

About Beyond Sport

Beyond Sport is a global foundation that uses sport’s unique power to address the most critical social issues of our time. By championing people, programs and communities that are leveraging physical activity to build opportunity and equity, they are working to create a more inclusive and progressive world. Since 2008, Beyond Sport has raised over $24 million to promote social change through sport. To date, the foundation has granted over $13.3 million to organizations across 79 countries and 58 sports in addition to capacity-building support to create sustainable, long-term impact. beyondsport.org