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4 AUGUST 2020
COMIC RELIEF, Z ZURICH FOUNDATION & CHIVAS JOIN SPORT FOR GOOD REPONSE FUND, INJECTING AN ADDITIONAL £385,000 IN FUNDING & CAPACITY-BUILDING SUPPORT
Organisations are part of collaborative effort to support and empower sport for social impact organizations to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of COVID-19
When the pandemic started earlier this year stopping people from being able to engage in group sport and exercise programs, thousands of sport for development organisations around the world were forced to halt operations, unable to provide the therapeutic, educational and/or social service programming or support that many communities have come to rely on.
To galvanise financial and in-kind strategic resources to support the sport for development sector during and coming out of the pandemic, the Beyond Sport Foundation, Comic Relief US, Hong Kong Rugby Union Community Foundation, LA84 Foundation and Laureus Sport for Good joined together to form the Sport for Good Response Fund in May 2020.
In addition to Laureus Sport for Good reallocating hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Fund, shortly thereafter, Comic Relief UK, Chivas and the Z Zurich Foundation joined the initiative in order to increase funding to help organisations through the immediate crisis and help strengthen their capacity to continue afterwards.
Just over two months later, the Fund has reported that 38 organisations that use sport as a tool to address some of the world’s most complex social issues have received – or are in the process of receiving – funding that is helping to support programs across 18 countries that are using a wide array of sports to continue to make an impact in their communities.
Beyond Sport Founder and President, Nick Keller said:
“We are extremely thankful to have Comic Relief UK, Z Zurich Foundation and Chivas as part of the Sport for Good Response Fund. Their generous contributions will help ensure that Fund recipients are able to meet the essential needs of their communities. When the world eventually emerges from this crisis, the use of sport as a tool to bring people together, to heal communities through emotional and physical support and connect them to educational, health and employment opportunities will be greater than ever.”
Z Zurich Foundation Global Head of Engagement, Mark Heasman said:
“Never has good health and wellbeing been such a significant focus right across the world, and never has there been a bigger opportunity to catalyse this momentum to create social change. As a Foundation that collaborates with grassroots sports organisations to deliver programming under our wellbeing pillar, we can see that catastrophic impact COVID-19 is having. But we also see the amazing resilience displayed by those involved in sport, and their desire to improve the lives of vulnerable people. We are delighted to partner with the Sport for Good Response Fund to ensure financial support remains available to those that need it in this uncertain environment”.
Chivas Marketing Director, Nick Blacknell said:
“Driving positive impact is in Chivas’s DNA and through our global partnership with Manchester United and ongoing partnership with Beyond Sport, we are committed to demonstrating the power sport has to enrich the lives of others. Chivas and Beyond Sport share similar values of community, collaboration and generosity and this Fund will help empower sport and social impact organisations within local communities at a testing time for people across the globe”.
Ruth Davison, Chief Executive of Comic Relief (UK), said:
“Comic Relief is delighted to join forces on the Sport for Good Response Fund. Organisations using sport for social change will have access to vital funds during this challenging time and support for their long term strategic goals”.
The Fund unites the support of a diverse range of partners to aid organisations and young people as part of sport’s role in ending violence, discrimination and disadvantage around the world. On 5 August, Beyond Sport’s consultancy arm, thinkBeyond, will hold a roundtable workshop for recipients to help them adapt or create new initiatives and to strengthen their businesses resilience to the shifting environment and set them up for long-term success in the new social context.
The workshop will tap into subject matter expertise from the global sport for social change network to support solutions designed to address areas such as: e-learning and digital tools, redesigning and scaling programming, diversifying revenue streams, monitoring and evaluation and preparing for the return to play. The next week all applicants will also have the opportunity to take part in a session focused on fundraising.
Collectively the Sport for Good Response Fund partners are providing direct short- and long-term funding, in-depth subject matter expertise and/or in-kind resources to bolster the sport for development sector in response to the effects of the coronavirus. Outcomes and recommendations of this extensive consultancy support will be made available to the sector through an open-source report, in an effort to further strengthen the sector for the future.
ENDS
For more information and interview opportunities, please contact Karen Asare, [email protected].
Notes for Editors:
1. Current Sport for Good Response Fund partners include the Beyond Sport Foundation, Chivas, Comic Relief, Comic Relief US, Hong Kong Rugby Union Community Foundation, LA84 Foundation, Laureus Sport for Good and the Z Zurich Foundation.
2 ABOUT THE Z ZURICH FOUNDATION
The Z Zurich Foundation is a charitable foundation with registered office in Zurich established by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd and Zurich Life Insurance Company Ltd in accordance with Swiss law. It is the main vehicle by which the Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) delivers on its global community investment strategy.
The Z Zurich Foundation aims to support a fairer, more open and sustainable society by empowering vulnerable people within its communities to better protect themselves from risk, and to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
It focuses its efforts on two powerful and relevant topics of today’s societal challenges: climate resilience and wellbeing/inclusion, by funding grant programs in collaboration with Zurich’s business units and charities worldwide and by developing Zurich employee engagement initiatives.
3. ABOUT CHIVAS
Chivas believes that blended is better, in life and in Scotch.
Leading blended Scotch whisky Chivas’ belief in blending was instilled by founding brothers, James and John Chivas, who pioneered the art of blending in 19th century Scotland. Since then, Chivas has been integral to the growth of the Scotch whisky category worldwide – by bringing together the best malt and grain whiskies to create something extraordinary.
Chivas champions the power of blending in life, as well as in Scotch. In bringing people together to create greater success – which is why Chivas is proud to be the global spirits partner of Manchester United, the world’s biggest football club; and in blending profit with purpose to enrich the lives of others – which is why the Chivas Venture supports social startups with $1m in annual funding.
From its home in Speyside, Scotland, Chivas now reaches more than 100 countries across the globe, who together have made Chivas the global success it is today, selling more than 4.2 million 9L cases every year.
The Chivas range blends timeless classics with modern innovation, including: Chivas 12, Chivas Extra 13, Chivas XV, Chivas Mizunara, Chivas 18, Chivas Ultis, Chivas 25, Chivas Regal The Icon, and the Global Travel Retail exclusive Chivas Brothers Blend.
Chivas. Success is a blend. www.Chivas.com
Comic Relief raises money to support people living incredibly tough lives. Through humour and stories of hope, we’ve shown that people can make a massive difference. We fund hundreds of amazing organisations who are working on the ground to support the most vulnerable people and communities in society including many of those hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis. This includes vulnerable children and young people, people who are homeless or living in extreme poverty, women and families at risk of domestic abuse and those struggling with existing or new mental health problems. For more info visit www.comicrelief.com
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
5. ABOUT THE BEYOND SPORT FOUNDATION
The Beyond Sport Foundation celebrates, supports, raises awareness and provides funding for organizations using sport to help make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality. Together with expert partners, we support inspirational people and projects that are using sport to make life-changing impact in some of the most disadvantaged and excluded populations around the world. Since 2009, the Beyond Sport Foundation has provided more than $2.1M in funds and distributed more than $8.5M in long-term strategic support to more than 300 organizations addressing social issues around the world. beyondsport.org/foundation
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