Common Goal announces Football For Good Capacity Grants, supported by adidas
- Common Goal
- May 26
- 2 min read
To mark World Football Giving Day, Common Goal is announcing the organisations selected to receive Football for Good Capacity Grants, first unveiled in April as part of adidas’s financial commitment to help bring Common Goals’ global initiative to life.
The grants will support 25 football for good organisations across 18 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Europe, with a focus on strengthening the long-term resilience and sustainability of community-based organisations working a
t the heart of their communities.
Rather than funding one-off programme delivery, the initiative invests in the systems, structures, and leadership that enable local community organisations to create lasting impact.
The initiative responds to a growing challenge across the football for good sector, where many grassroots organisations are facing increasing community needs alongside ongoing funding pressures. By strengthening organisational capacity behind the scenes, the grants aim to help community organisations grow more sustainably, build safer and more inclusive environments, and continue supporting young people over the long term.
The selected organisations represent a broad range of communities and contexts, including work with girls and young women, displaced and refugee communities, Indigenous communities, children with disabilities, and young people affected by conflict or crisis.
The largest group of grants focuses on coach education, including structured training pathways, mentoring, safeguarding in practice, inclusive coaching approaches, and support for local youth and women coaches. Another major focus area is programme design, monitoring, evaluation and learning, with organisations strengthening MEL frameworks, curricula, data systems, feedback loops, and impact measurement practices.
Other grants focus on strengthening safeguarding systems, improving governance structures, creating safer and more inclusive spaces to play, and building stronger partnership and fundraising capacity to support long-term sustainability.
Organisations receiving the grants include: Centre des Jeunes pour la Paix - Grands Lacs (DR Congo), APIC Utopía (Mexico), Fundación Juventud Líder (Colombia), El Rio Foundation (Colombia), FundLife International (Philippines), Football for WorldWide Unity (Germany), Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative (Nigeria), Sinkumunchis Soccer Peru Foundation Inc. (Peru), Girl Power (Denmark), Asociación Civil La Nuestra Fútbol Femenino (Argentina), Sudhaar Society (Pakistan), Play Soccer Ghana (Ghana), Football United (Australia), Fair Play Point (Czech Republic), Umuri Foundation (Rwanda), Society Empowerment Project (Kenya), Enabling Leadership (India), Karishma Ali Foundation (Pakistan), League of Tolerance (Ukraine), S.C.P. Japan (Japan), Rumah Cemara (Indonesia), Fútbol Más (Kenya), The WE united Project (Nepal), Atoot (Nepal) and The Goal (South Africa).
World Football Giving Day, created by Common Goal, is a shared global moment that brings together players, clubs, organisations, brands, fans, and communities around solidarity, generosity, and giving back. Taking place annually on 26 May, the initiative aims to mobilise football’s reach, culture, and collective influence to support grassroots organisations and expand opportunities for young people worldwide.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the initiative also reflects a growing belief that football’s biggest moments can help strengthen the communities that sustain the game every day.
Because when football shows its heart, the world can feel it.
At Sudhaar Society, we believe that football is more than just a game—it is a powerful tool for education, inclusion, leadership, and social change. Through our programs, we create safe and supportive spaces where children and young people can learn, grow, develop life skills, and build brighter futures.
From Pakistan, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Common Goal and adidas for selecting Sudhaar Society as a recipient of the Football for Good Capacity Grant.
This recognition is a significant milestone for our organization and a testament to the shared vision of using football to create lasting positive impact in communities. The support provided through this grant will strengthen our capacity to reach more children and young people, enhance our programs,…
At The Goal, we exist to create safe spaces where children can play football freely, nurture and educate good character, and inspire a passion for reading in our generation.
Today, from South Africa, we send our heartfelt gratitude to Common Goal and adidas for selecting The Goal as a recipient of the Football For Good Capacity Grant.
This opportunity strengthens our belief that football can do more than grow talent — it can shape lives, build communities, and create hope for young people. Your support will help us continue creating environments where children are safe, inspired, valued, and empowered to dream beyond their circumstances.
Thank you for believing in our mission and for investing in organisations that are using the…