Key Takeaways
- The bill authorizes annual funding equal to 50 percent of federal excise tax collections on sports wagering, with no new taxes created
- National organizations could receive grants up to $5 million, with local providers eligible for subgrants between $10,000 and $50,000
- Backers include YMCA of the USA, NRPA, LeagueApps, TeamSnap, Under Armour, Players Health, and Triple Crown Sports
- FundPlay Foundation says the coalition behind the bill has already helped unlock more than $60 million in state and local youth sports funding since 2020
Full STRONG Kids Act bill text: HERE
U.S. Representatives Mike Carey (R-Ohio-15) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-California-44) introduced the bipartisan STRONG Kids Act on July 22, 2026, a bill that would create a federal grant program for youth sports access funded by sports betting tax revenue. The Sports Training, Recreation, and Opportunities for the Next Generation Act directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants of up to $5 million to national nonprofits and government organizations that run youth sports programs, which would then distribute subgrants of $10,000 to $50,000 to local providers.
How the STRONG Kids Act Grant Program Would Work
The bill establishes a two-tier structure. HHS, working with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, would make competitive grants to national organizations (up to $5 million each) and regional or state-based organizations (up to $2.5 million each). Those grantees would then run their own competitive subgrant processes for local nonprofits and government entities with experience organizing youth sports, and provide technical assistance to the groups they fund.
Eligible uses under the bill text include reducing or waiving participation fees, expanding adaptive sports programming, coach training and voluntary certification, covering background check costs, and implementing SafeSport-aligned abuse prevention protocols. Subgrantees would be required to prioritize youth with limited resources. The bill sets a one-year deadline for HHS to make its first grant after enactment and requires a report to Congress on program outcomes every three years.
Where the Money Comes From
The funding mechanism is the bill’s most distinctive feature. Rather than a standard appropriation, the legislation authorizes annual funding equal to 50 percent of what the Treasury collects under the federal excise tax on sports wagering, starting in fiscal year 2027 with an amount pegged to 2025 calendar year collections and adjusted for inflation through 2037. According to FundPlay Foundation’s announcement, the program would be funded entirely through existing tax revenue at no new cost to taxpayers.
“States across the country, and countries around the world, have already proven the model of directing sports gaming proceeds to fund youth sports,” said Jeremy Goldberg, President and Co-Founder of LeagueApps and Executive Board Co-Chair of FundPlay Foundation, in the announcement. “The STRONG Kids Act rightly aligns federal policy to build on an approach we know works.”
A Coalition Six Years in the Making
The bill arrives with unusually broad industry alignment. Endorsers include YMCA of the USA, the National Recreation and Park Association, the Afterschool Alliance, and FundPlay coalition partners LeagueApps, TeamSnap, Under Armour, Players Health, and Triple Crown Sports. Kristine Stratton, President and CEO of NRPA, said park and recreation agencies reached more than 50 million young people through affordable programs in 2025.
FundPlay Foundation, which helped develop the legislation, describes the introduction as the culmination of a six-year effort dating to the founding of the PLAY Sports Coalition in April 2020. Per FundPlay, that state-by-state advocacy work has helped unlock more than $60 million in state and local youth sports funding across six-plus states, while the coalition’s federal track produced a 2020 bill from former Representative Max Rose and the PLAYS Act led by former Representative Colin Allred last Congress.
Third Federal Try, First With a Funding Source Attached
The STRONG Kids Act is the coalition’s third federal legislative effort, and the first to pair the grant framework with a dedicated revenue formula and a bipartisan sponsor team. Both prior attempts stalled without floor action. What the new bill adds is a self-contained funding answer for appropriators and a Republican lead sponsor in the House majority.
The authorization runs through fiscal year 2037, but nothing moves until Congress acts on the bill itself. The first test is committee referral and whether the coalition’s nonprofit and industry breadth translates into cosponsors. If enacted, HHS would be required to put the first dollars out the door within 12 months.
Source: Office of Rep. Mike Carey, July 22, 2026, https://carey.house.gov/2026/07/22/carey-barragan-introduce-bipartisan-strong-kids-act-to-expand-access-to-youth-sports-nationwide/
Source: PR Newswire, FundPlay Foundation, July 22, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fundplay-foundation-champions-bipartisan-strong-kids-act-to-expand-youth-sports-access-nationwide-302832631.html
Source: STRONG Kids Act bill text, https://carey.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/STRONG-Kids-Act.pdf
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
