Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund

Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund is sponsored by Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). The RRCA's Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund provides financial support to running clubs, schools, and community-based nonprofits that are launching or currently offering inclusive youth running programs. Programs should involve kids running regularly, more than once a week for multiple weeks, and may culminate in a fun run or organized running event.

Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund - Road Runners Club of America Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund The RRCA’s Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund provides financial support to running clubs, schools, and community-based nonprofits that are launching or currently offering inclusive youth running programs—welcoming children of all genders and abilities. Grants are awarded annually through a competitive application and review process.

Learn more about the impact of the RRCA’s Kids Run the Nation Fund.

Since 2007, the RRCA has proudly: Awarded over $418,500 in grants to 540+ youth running programs across the U.S. Helped more than 200,000 kids get moving and embrace running as part of a healthy lifestyle Donated over 98,000+ copies of the Running Guide for Kids to support youth programs nationwide Grant Application Criteria Small grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 will be awarded to youth running programs throughout the U.S. Running clubs, events, or other organizations with the IRS 501(c)(3) designation are eligible to apply Elementary, middle, and high schools that provide an organized running program (before school, during school, or after school) are eligible as well All applicants must be an official 501(c)(3), school, parent booster club, PTA, or a similar entity No grants will be given to individuals under any circumstances Review the following criteria before submitting your grant application below: Your program should have kids running regularly, more than once each week for multiple weeks , as opposed to participating in a one-time event.

The program may culminate in a goal fun run or other organized running event. Your program should be a structured running program incorporating educational topics and running activities, ideally utilizing the RRCA’s Kids Run the Nation curriculum. Your program may be a startup program or an established program.

Your program must be gender-inclusive , encouraging and welcoming participation by children of all genders. The program may not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnic origin, or economic status. The program may outline age groups and may indicate a minimum and maximum age for participation.

Your program must meet federal SafeSport Act requirements, including completion of sexual abuse awareness and reporting training and ideally requiring criminal background checks on all adult program staff and volunteers.

Marketing materials, brochures, posters, fliers, and other printed or digital materials informing grown-ups about the program Advertising the program in a community newspaper or website Hosting a program website Permit or usage fees to use a local park or running track Hydration supplies, including water bottles, cups, or coolers Snacks and meals for program participants Shoes, apparel, and accessories for program participants Incentives and awards such as Toe Tokens ® , ribbons, shirts, water bottles, backpack tags, patches, etc. Mileage logs, worksheets, and other written and digital materials for program participants Agility, training, and timing equipment such as cones, hurdles, stopwatches, etc. Other items that the RRCA Grant Selection Committee sees fit to fund Sports drinks or other high-sugar, high-sodium beverages Sponsorship for individual runners Travel to competitive events Race entry fees for individual participants Social events for program staff or volunteers Salaries or travel costs for paid program staff Competitive Track and Cross Country teams that are governed by a statewide school athletic federation Youth sports programs in which the primary focus is not the sport of running Other items the RRCA ​Grant ​Selection ​Committee determines to be ineligible for funding 2026 Kids Run the Nation Grant Application The 2026 grant application period has been extended, and will close at 11:59 PM EDT on August 14, 2026.

" * " indicates required fields This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This is the person we will contact with any questions, and who we will notify if their program is selected to receive a Kids Run the Nation grant. Is this a new or existing youth running program?

* This is an existing program Is your youth running program a 501(c)3 nonprofit or a program of a 501(c)3 organization? * Yes, a program of a 501(c)3 organization If you answered "No 501(c)3 designation" to the question above, is your program school-based? * If your program is school-based, is the school designated as Title I?

* Is your program part of an RRCA member running club or event? * If you answered "Yes" to the question above, please indicate which RRCA member club or event your program is part of. If you answered "No" to the question above, please enter N/A.

* Is your program gender-inclusive? For the RRCA's purposes, a gender-inclusive program welcomes children of all genders to participate in the youth running program together. * Yes, my program serves children of all genders No, my program serves children of one gender What grade range(s) does your program serve?

Select all that apply. * Select the most applicable grade range(s). You may select more than one option.

Over how many weeks does your program take place? * 0-2 weeks 3-4 weeks 5-6 weeks 7-9 weeks 10-12 weeks Our program is ongoing on a weekly basis throughout the school year Our program is ongoing on a weekly basis throughout the calendar year How many children do you expect your program to serve over the 12-month period of September 2026-August 2027? * Please provide a brief narrative describing your program in paragraph form.

Outline how it meets our selection criteria, and include a description of the youth population served by your program. Include whether your program is new or established. If your program is established, indicate how many years the program has taken place.

* Outline the educational component of your youth running program, if any, including specific topics covered and method(s) used to communicate these topics to participants. If you use a particular youth running curriculum or program, indicate that here. * If your program is new or did not operate during the pandemic, please enter "N/A."

Briefly outline the demographics of the children served by your program, if available. Demographics might include age, race, physical ability, developmental ability, socioeconomic status, and other factors that contribute to the diversity of your program. For each factor, indicate a percentage for each category represented.

* Financing, Funding, and Insurance Are your program activities insured? * Yes, through another organization Do you charge a fee for participation in your program? * No, the program is free for participants If you charge a fee for participation, please indicate the fee charged per participant.

* $0-$5 $6-$15 $16-$25 $26-$35 $36-$50 $51+ This is a free program If you do not charge a fee for participation, please choose "This is a free program." If you charge a fee for participation, please provide a list of program costs covered by the fee.

These costs might include running race entries, shoes and apparel, facility rental fees, equipment, snacks, hydration supplies, participation incentives, etc. Do you provide scholarships or other financial assistance for young runners? If so, what percentage of participants receive financial assistance? Please list current funding sources for your program, including other grants, sponsor support, and program fees.

Include specific dollar amounts for each funding source. * If awarded, do you plan to use grant funds to purchase shoes, apparel, and/or running accessories for all or some runners in your program?

Running tops (t-shirts, singlets, sweatshirts, jackets) Running bottoms (shorts, pants) Running technology (pedometers, GPS watches) Running hydration (handheld water bottles, hydration packs/vests) We do not plan to use grant funds to purchase shoes, apparel, or running accessories Select all that apply.

If you do not plan to use grant funds to purchase these items, please select "We do not plan to use grant funds to purchase shoes, apparel, and/or running accessories." Explain in detail how you propose to use the grant funds, if awarded, considering what a Kids Run the Nation grant will and will not fund as listed on our website (https://www. rrca.

org/programs/kids-run-the-nation/grant-fund/). Outline specific program costs, e.g. Incentives: $5 per participant, Snacks: $3 per participant, marketing costs, facility usage fees, supplies and equipment, etc. Include expected shoe, apparel, and accessory costs from the question above. Please add up all per-participant costs and list the total as well.

* How do you plan to support this program financially in the future? Briefly outline opportunities for long-term financial support including other grants, donations, sponsorships, in-kind donations, volunteer contributions, etc. * How will your program be staffed? Select all that apply.

* Commonly referred to as the SafeSport Act, Congress enacted the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 on February 14, 2018. This act requires the following: Any adult (mandated reporter) who is authorized to interact with youth athletes is required to report suspicions of abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies within 24 hours.

All adults working with youth are required to go through abuse prevention training of some sort that is pro-active rather than re-active. The abuse prevention training must include educational material about the process of sexual grooming, how to recognize it, and how to prevent it.

Organizations working with youth should have a criminal background check policy in place that addresses obtaining background checks for those that will have direct contact and oversight of children during a youth program or race. Do you require all adults working with children in your program to complete sexual abuse awareness and reporting training? The RRCA's free training resource is compliant with these federal requirements.

* Does your program or organization perform comprehensive background checks on all adults working with children in your program? * Please provide brief biographies of the program director and other key individuals involved in administration of your program. For each person, indicate whether they are a volunteer or receive compensation for their time.

* Has your program previously applied for a Kids Run the Nation grant? * If you have previously applied for a Kids Run the Nation grant, were you awarded funds? If your program was awarded funds in the past, please indicate the year(s) you received funds.

If awarded a grant, who should the grant check be made out to? The RRCA will only make a check payable to a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, PTA, or school. Under no circumstances will a check be written to an individual.

If awarded a grant, to whom should the check be mailed?

* State / Province / Region Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, the United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye US Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands What email address should we send the grant decision to?

We anticipate notifying all grant applicants of their status on or about September 1, 2026. * How did you learn about the Kids Run the Nation grant opportunity? RRCA.

org Facebook Twitter Healthy Kids Running Series GrantStation Endurance Sportswire Word of mouth Other Application Certification * I certify that the information provided in this application is accurate and agree to the requirements below. If awarded an RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Grant, I agree: 1. That the funds will only be used for the purposes outlined in this application or in accordance with the grant fund guidelines; 2.

To promote that our program is a recipient of an RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Grant, and we may use the Kids Run the Nation® brand and RRCA logo for promotional efforts; 3. To allow the RRCA to promote our program nationally through print and electronic media and to use our program as an example for fundraising and awareness efforts for the Kids Run the Nation Fund and grants; 4.

To expend the grant funds within 12 months of receipt or provide an explanation of when the funds will be expensed beyond 12 months; 5. To complete an online survey near the end of the 12-month grant period detailing how granted funds have assisted your program. If for any reason the program is cancelled before the funds are expended, I agree to return all unused funds to the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Fund.

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