Canadian Women & Sport invites sport, physical activity and recreation organizations across Ontario to apply for The Next Play, a grant program aimed at creating sport and active recreation opportunities for girls and gender-diverse youth. This project is made possible by the Government of Ontario.

Recent information from the Rally Report show that girls and women face many barriers to fully participating in active recreation. Meanwhile, there is immense pressure on sport leaders and organizations to better engage girls and gender-diverse participants.

The Next Play aims to address these challenges by empowering sport leaders from 50 Ontario-based organizations with the tools and resources they need to design sport opportunities with girls and gender-diverse youth in mind.

As part of The Next Play:

• Sport leaders will receive training on how to better design sport and active recreation experiences for girls and gender-diverse participants. Participating organizations will receive a $1,000 honorarium to support with this training.
• Participating organizations will develop and submit a project proposal outlining their plans for better engaging and retaining girls and gender-diverse youth in active recreation in their communities. Proposals should reflect the unique needs of their communities and organizations, and learnings from the program design training. Organizations with successful completed proposals will receive a $4,500 grant to support their initiatives.
• Participating organizations will start active recreation initiatives in May 2024 and complete final reporting by August 31, 2024.

Who is The Next Play for?   

The Next Play is for Ontario-based active recreation organizations that are eager and ready to engage more girls and gender-diverse participants from diverse backgrounds. Active recreation includes sport and physical activity programs as well as cultural and game-based programming.

When do applications open?  

Applications open on Friday, March 8, 2024, and close on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Is the Next Play also offered in French? 

No. The Next Play is only offered in English.

How do I learn more and where do I apply? 

To learn more, please review our application guide for important information and additional eligibility requirements.

Download the Application Guide

Ready to apply?

Apply Here

If you have any questions related to the program or application process, please email us at nextplay@womenandsport.ca.

This project is made possible by the Government of Ontario.