The Ben Harrington Youth Sports Fund is designed to support Youth Athletics in the Mattoon Community.
Donor Name: Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/06/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Ben Harrington Youth Sports Fund honors the life and legacy of Ben Harrington by supporting youth athletic organizations that help young people develop teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, confidence, perseverance, and a lifelong love of sports. The Fund seeks to strengthen youth athletic programs by providing financial assistance for projects that improve the quality, accessibility, and safety of youth sports opportunities within the Mattoon community.
Funding Information
Grant awards range from $250 to $3,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, school districts, park districts, and recognized youth sports organizations serving youth ages 5–18 within the Mattoon community. Applicants must demonstrate sound financial management and may submit only one application during the grant cycle.
- Funding may be requested for equipment (including safety, training, and adaptive sports equipment), uniforms, facility improvements, registration scholarships, coaching education, program expansion initiatives, and qualifying tournament participation. Competitive applications will clearly demonstrate a need, provide a realistic timeline and budget, identify the number of athletes impacted, and explain how the project will improve the quality, accessibility, or safety of youth sports in the community.
- The Fund does not support requests from individual athletes or families, debt repayment, general operating expenses unrelated to the proposed project, political or religious activities, fundraising events, or projects that fall outside the Fund’s mission or geographic service area.
For more information, visit SICF.
