CrossFit is expanding its fitness missions into more schools. The company announced plans to offer 50 $10,000 CrossFit Foundation School Fund Grants in the first half of 2024.
The CrossFit Foundation, CrossFit, LLC’s charitable arm, will facilitate the grants. Domestic and international schools will use the grants to form nonprofit CrossFit affiliates for students. CrossFit has already awarded 57 grants to K-12 schools since 2019 and has a total of 407 school affiliates currently operating.
“Change happens at a local level, and these grants are helping schools introduce the concept of fitness for a lifetime to one child at a time,” Don Faul, CEO of CrossFit, said in a statement. “As a result, kids across the world are developing a lifelong love of fitness, gaining confidence, and becoming part of a supportive community at a critical age.”
Athletic directors and educators run the CrossFit school affiliates. Some of them are already avid CrossFit members who want to share their zeal with the younger generation. The program has proved popular; some schools have long waiting lists for kids who want to swing kettlebells, jump on boxes, and spring into a few dozen burpees.
The CrossFit Foundation works with public school districts, individual schools, and teachers. It provides both training and equipment grants to set up gyms, plus ongoing support for teachers and administrators.
“We live in a contradictory moment where people are obsessed with health, but almost everything on tap from the mainstream is detrimental to health, in turn creating disease, disempowerment, and disconnection,” Nicole Carroll, CrossFit’s chief brand officer, said in a statement. “At a time when the world is in a physical, mental, and social health crisis, we want to empower the next generation to take on anything that comes their way, whether adversity or adventure.”
Interested in a CrossFit grant for a school near you? You can find more information about the CrossFit Foundation here.