Key Takeaways
- Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day runs Sept. 1 to 15, 2026, offering more than $2 million in matching and incentive funds for youth sports nonprofits.
- The first $1 million donated online on Sept. 1 will be matched dollar for dollar, per campaign organizers.
- The campaign raised nearly $9 million across its first two years, reaching over 500,000 young people through 240-plus nonprofits.
- A new $250,000 America250 Fund will match gifts made through donor-advised funds, IRA rollovers, or wire transfers.
Third Annual Campaign Launches at Coors Field
The Daniels Fund and the Aspen Institute’s Project Play Colorado are leading the third annual Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day, set for Sept. 1 through Sept. 15. The event kicks off with a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field at 6 p.m. on Sept. 1, with $5 from each ticket sold through the campaign’s promotional offer directed to the incentive fund.
Nonprofits providing access to youth sports must register by Aug. 28 and maintain an active ColoradoGives.org profile, or work with an eligible fiscal sponsor, to participate. Donations can be made at YouthSportsGivingDay.org.
“Through Youth Sports Giving Day, we’re inviting all Coloradans to help ensure that cost is never the reason a child has to sit on the sidelines,” said Hanna Skandera Grady, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund.
Participation Gaps Persist Across Income and Demographics
Colorado’s youth sports participation rate stands at 64.5%, according to the 2023-24 National Survey of Children’s Health. Participation splits at 61.2% for girls and 67.5% for boys, while roughly 55% of youth of color participated compared with 72% of white youth. Income shows the widest gap: 46.5% of children in the lowest-income households participated in sports, versus 76.8% in the highest-income households.
Campaign sponsors for 2026 include Alpine Bank, The Anschutz Foundation, Bank of Colorado, Boettcher Foundation, Colorado Rockies, El Pomar Foundation, Gary Community Ventures, Suncor, UC Health, The Weld Trust, and Rose Community Foundation, among others.
Source: ColoradoBiz, ColoradoBiz Staff, August 19, 2026, https://coloradobiz.com/colorado-youth-sports-giving-day-two-million-matching-funds/
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About Youth Sports Business Report
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.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
Youth Sports Business Report resources
- Newsletter: Subscribe to Youth Sports HQ, the most-read newsletter on the business of youth sports, delivering curated youth sports industry news and analysis to thousands of industry leaders every week.
- Research: Read the Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, an exclusive YSBR and Kinetica Group analysis of market size, parent spending, and marketplace opportunities.
- Jobs: Browse the YSBR Youth Sports Job Board, the most comprehensive destination for careers in youth sports, with hundreds of active listings across facility management, league operations, coaching, sports technology, and marketing.
- Services: Find vetted partners and solutions for your organization in the YSBR Services Hub, connecting youth sports operators, brands, and investors with verified providers across the industry.
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Check out Jr. Sports Marketing on YouTube or Spotify
Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
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.
