2025 Grant Program Recipients Announced

Purpose of the Grant Program

Guided by the philosophy “Sound Mind, Sound Body - Aiming to realize a world where all people are physically and mentally healthy through exercise and sport,” ASICS Foundation addresses social issues related to sports through its grant activities. We support individuals facing economic and social hardship in overcoming challenges and finding hope. We recognize that access to safe, inclusive, and continued physical activity and sports remains limited, particularly for those facing economic and social hardships. Therefore, this grant provides funding to organizations strengthen and expand their programs which support such individuals through sports and physical activity.

Grant Overview

Support will be provided for sports activities tailored to the specific challenges and contexts of each region, targeting youth (India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia), Individuals with disabilities (Japan), and women (India) facing economic and social hardships.

1. Target Beneficiaries and Region

2. Grant Period and Funding Amount

※Please refer to the application guidelines for further details.
Application Period: May 16 -June 12, 2025
First Screening: Document review
Second Screening: Site visits (interviews) and presentations
Total Applications: 74
Number of Selected Projects: 6

Selected Organizations

India

1. Maitrayana Charity Foundation

Organization Overview：
Operating in urban slums of India, this organization implements a “Sports for Development” model, delivering netball-centered programs targeting adolescent girls and young women. Integrating sports with life skills education, it aims to build confidence, leadership, and mental resilience among socially marginalized girls facing gender inequality, while improving their physical and mental health.
Program Overview：
In migrant communities in southeast Delhi, girls face movement restrictions and pressure for early marriage due to patriarchy. Lack of safe play spaces and sports coaching undermines their physical and mental health and self-esteem. This program aims to enhance girls' physical and mental health through ongoing netball and life skills sessions, develop leadership and life skills in a safe and inclusive space, and empower them to advocate for their rights in public forums.

2. Mrida Education and Welfare Society

Organization Overview：
The organization provides residential schooling and sports programs to first-generation learners in tribal communities (Gond, Baiga, Ahir, and others). It operates one of the region’s largest community football leagues across 70+ villages, offering mixed-gender teams fostering discipline, resilience, and leadership. The goal is to nurture the first generation of local leaders from the first-generation learners and reduce poverty by expanding access to education and sports.
Program Overview：
In the tribal areas of eastern Madhya Pradesh, chronic poverty and educational disparities limit children’s opportunities for play and learning, while girls face movement restrictions that hinder participation in sports.
This program will run a four-month gender-inclusive football league, conduct menstrual hygiene workshops, and develop local community coaches. Expected outcomes include improved physical fitness, cognitive focus, and emotional stability among youth; creation of gender-inclusive environments; and community-led development through local coach training.

Cambodia

3. Hearts of Gold (NPO)

Organization Overview：
Hearts of Gold supports the self-reliance of children in developing countries, disaster-affected regions and conflict-affected regions. Since 2006, the organization has partnered with the Cambodian Ministry of Education to promote physical education that teaches “knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” Efforts include curriculum development, teacher training, and support for national institutes, now reaching 1,358 schools. The long-term goal is to establish inclusive physical education for all youth regardless of gender, disability, or ethnicity, and to build a sustainable nationwide system.
Program Overview：
Prior to 2006, physical education in Cambodia consisted mainly of simple Khmer exercises. While physical education is now spreading, challenges remain regarding gender sensitivity, disability inclusion, ethnic diversity, and conducting classes implementation in remote areas.
This program aims to develop national guidelines and policies for inclusive physical education classes, conduct teacher training, create teaching materials, and implement dissemination plans for nationwide expansion.

Japan

4. NO EXCUSE (General Incorporated Association)

Organization Overview：
An organization aiming for a society where individuals can make their own decisions and choices through wheelchair basketball. Its top team has achieved strong results in competitions and produced outstanding players. In recent years, it has focused on developing junior players and coaches, implementing diverse initiatives through collaboration with external experts and mentoring/program cooperation from overseas coaches.
Program Overview：
The organization have been conducting pilot programs since 2022, including physical assessments, diet surveys, and parent meetings to identify challenges. To address the lack of continuous sports environments for children with disabilities, particularly the scarcity of opportunities to compete with peers and access self-care information, it offers monthly NExt sessions (junior wheelchair basketball) and training camps for 5th graders through high school students. It also provides care guidance in collaboration with specialists, aiming to develop the next generation of players and facilitate their future advancement to the top team.

5. Ryukyu Sports Support (General Incorporated Association)

Organization Overview：
The organization operates a community-based sports club centered on Individuals with disabilities in Okinawa. Approximately 80 members participate across 12 clubs, with more than 10 years of activities in table tennis, athletics etc. By collaborating with external sport governing bodies and universities, the organization secures qualified coaches and has established an instructional model tailored to disability levels integrated with welfare services.
Program Overview：
Okinawa lacks consistent sports venues and instructors for people with disabilities, failing to meet the demand for frequent activities.
This program aims to create a sense of belonging, improve quality of life, and foster mutual understanding. It will establish a foundation for registration and continued participation in local clubs by hosting disability sports experience sessions (table tennis, track and field, badminton, boccia, floorball) and mixed sports classes, providing accessible exercise programs for everyone.

Indonesia

6. Perkumpulan Rumah Cemara

Organization Overview：
For more than 20 years, Rumah Cemara has supported socially vulnerable populations in Indonesia, including people living with HIV and those using drugs. Utilizing sports as a tool to reduce prejudice from 2007, and serving as the operating body for the national Homeless World Cup since 2011. In Bandung, the organization trains youth as community coaches and provides comprehensive support to children through street soccer, aiming to build an equitable society free from prejudice and discrimination.
Program Overview：
Approximately 25% of Bandung’s population lives in informal settlements, where children tend to face poverty, violence, and exposure to drugs. Youth unemployment is the highest in the country, with more than 70% of young people unable to participate in sports.
The program aims to train vulnerable youth as community coaches through street soccer, providing safe play areas and life skills. This enables youth to participate in sports continuously and builds a model where the community can sustain activities independently.