Grants for Physical Education 2026: 45 Funders Named

PE source review, Grantsights, November 4, 2026: Grantsights checked the text of 20 U.S.C. 7118 (opens in a new tab), 20 U.S.C. 7116 (opens in a new tab) and the definitions in 20 U.S.C. 7801 (opens in a new tab), the 2010 Carol M. White Physical Education Program notice (opens in a new tab), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) page on physical education (opens in a new tab) against foundation filings that name PE. Where official sources stop: no federal page tells a school which foundation buys gym mats in its county or what a weight room rebuild costs. Those answers come from the filings below and your own vendor quotes.

Grants for Physical Education: What 990-PF Filings Show

Grantsights analysis of 990-PF education grants pulled November 4, 2026 found 45 foundations that made 136 grants to school PE programs, worth $1,529,209 in all. According to IRS guidance on Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab), private foundations file that return each year, and the grant lists inside it are where these gifts come from.

The average works out to about $11,240, and it's a poor guide to what your school should ask for. Three grants from the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation to Project Fit America, a charity that supplies PE gear and teacher training, add up to $595,694, or 39% of the national total. The typical gift is far smaller. In an earlier, slightly wider pull of 151 PE grants dated November 4, 2026 (before the sports club exclusions), the median was $1,000, a quarter were $500 or less, and three quarters (114 of the 151) came in at $5,000 or under. Ask for about $1,000 to $5,000 from a funder you haven't worked with, and save larger requests for funders whose past gifts show they go bigger.

Foundations aren't the main source of PE money, and it's worth saying so plainly. District general funds pay PE teachers and replace most equipment. Federal Title IV-A dollars can help (more on that below). PTAs and PTOs raise money from families, booster clubs pay for athletics, and teachers turn to crowdfunding sites for single classroom items. A foundation grant usually fills one gap the budget can't: a set of adaptive equipment, a fitness room, or a teacher position for one year.

The largest PE grants in the pull

Read the Oostburg and Upper Country rows with care. The Brotz gift split between a science lab and PE gear, and the Trust in Diversity gift paid for a counselor as well as a PE teacher. Neither is a pure PE grant, but both show that a family foundation will fund PE when it's bundled into a clear school need.

Who Gives PE Grants: 5 Kinds of Funders

Grantsights sorted the 45 funders in the November 4, 2026 pull into 5 rough groups, and each one reads a request a little differently. This table is illustrative, not data: some funders fit more than one group, and the gift ranges come from the filings named.

Health insurers stand out. According to the November 4, 2026 pull, the 3 Blue Cross and Wellmark foundations above account for more than $740,000 of the national total. A common mistake is pitching them a sports request. Their filings use words like wellness, fitness and equipment for PE classes, so frame the ask around every student moving, not around a team.

Pro team foundations spread small checks across many schools. The Green Bay Packers Foundation gave Wisconsin high schools $1,000 to $3,000 each in 2023 and 2024 for "physical education program expenses," including Tomah, West Salem, Mauston and Beloit Turner high schools and Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. The School District of Gilmanton got $3,000 for winter sports PE supplies. If your state has a pro team, check whether its foundation runs a school equipment program before you write anything long.

PE Grants by State

Idaho's 68 grants lead the November 4, 2026 pull, but 4 funders made them, and one program supplied most of the count. This table counts PE grants by the state where the recipient sits.

The Mississippi row is one more Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation gift to Project Fit America, filed in 2025 under a Mississippi address. The California row holds the 2023 and 2024 gifts to the same charity.

Seven states had 3 or more PE funders, according to the Grantsights PE data: Idaho, New York and Texas with 4 each, and California, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington with 3. Most other states had 1 or 2. That says more about how filings word their purposes than about who'd say yes, so read local education funders' school gifts too, not only the ones that spell out "physical education."

Idaho: one program drives the count

The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health gave 65 Idaho schools and districts a total of $46,500 under its Steps for Schools grants, filed as "used for equipment or physical education programming." Recipients in 2024 ranged from the Butte School District in Arco and Clark County School District in Dubois to Garfield Elementary in Boise and the Coeur d'Alene School District. That one program is nearly half of the 136 grants in the national count. Its filings don't say it takes unsolicited requests, so an Idaho school should look for how the program opens rather than mailing a letter.

State samples in the free preview

Six other states open with a PE funder at the top of the free preview on the Grantsights education funder list. In Washington it's the Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation, whose filings say it takes requests and list what to send, deadlines and a contact; it gave the Ephrata High School PE Department $72,000 in 2024. In Texas it's the Knapp Community Care Foundation, which gave Monte Alto ISD $20,000 in 2024 to add fitness equipment and benches along a school walking trail that the town can use.

Oregon's sample, the Reser Family Foundation, gave Powell Butte Community Charter School $5,000 in 2023 for PE gear that students and the community share. New York's, the Warwick Savings Foundation, gave Nora Cronin Presentation Academy in Newburgh $10,000 a year in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and its filings tie the gift to hiring staff at the girls' school. North Carolina's, the Miller Daffin Family Foundation, gave Bunn Elementary $9,000 in 2023 for math, science, art, PE, music and the library, a mixed gift.

California's 3 foundations made 5 PE grants worth $454,072, according to the November 4, 2026 pull. Most of that isn't California money for California schools. Project Fit America's address is in Boyes Hot Springs, California, but its own site says the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation funds its Mississippi PE conferences and the equipment donated there. That foundation is still the California sample, and it's a fair model of what a health funder buys: teacher training plus gear. Take those gifts out and California's PE total is about $46,200, nearly all of it 2 grants from the Antone and Marie Raymus Foundation to Ripona Elementary School in Ripon ($25,934 in 2023 and $20,000 in 2024) for arts and PE programs.

Why the Education List for PE

All 136 PE grants in this guide come from education giving, because the recipients are schools, districts and school nonprofits. The education list is the one that holds these funders, and its statewide numbers show how deep the pool is beyond the PE-specific gifts.

These rows count every education grant on 990-PF returns in each state, according to Grantsights analysis of filings pulled October 29, 2026, not just PE gifts. The typical education grant runs from $3,000 in Idaho to $6,647 in Oregon, higher than the roughly $1,000 PE median, and between 23% and 40% of these funders say they take requests. That's where a school should start. The education funder list comes as one purchase covering every state, and if it isn't useful you can ask for your money back within 30 days.

What the Federal Education Law Doesn't Tell You About PE

Federal school law under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) names physical education in 2 places that matter for Title IV-A, and many schools don't know it. Grantsights checked the statute text on govinfo.gov (opens in a new tab), and 5 points matter for a PE request.

1. PE is an allowed use. According to 20 U.S.C. 7118 (opens in a new tab), districts that get a Title IV-A allocation must spend a portion on safe and healthy students (small districts get an exception, see point 3), and the listed activities include supporting a healthy, active lifestyle through "regular, structured physical education activities and programs." The same section lists integrating health and safety practices into school or athletic programs.
2. PE counts as part of a well-rounded education. The definitions section, 20 U.S.C. 7801(52) (opens in a new tab), lists health and physical education among the subjects in a well-rounded education.
3. Bigger districts have spending floors. Under 20 U.S.C. 7116, a district must use at least 20% of its Title IV-A money on well-rounded education and at least 20% on safe and healthy students. A district receiving less than $30,000 only has to give one of those assurances, so a small district may put its whole share into just one of the three areas.
4. The amounts are often small. 20 U.S.C. 7115 (opens in a new tab) sets a $10,000 minimum district allocation, and even that can be cut proportionally when a state's pot runs short. A rural district's whole share may be smaller than one weight room.
5. Private schools have a door in. Section 7116 requires districts to follow the equitable participation rule for private school children and teachers. A Christian or Catholic school should ask its local district how Title IV-A services reach its students.

What the law doesn't say is whether your district will spend a dollar of it on PE. That's a local choice made in the district's plan, and the PE department has to ask for it.

The Department of Education was blunter about equipment in its 2010 notice (opens in a new tab) for the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP). It wrote that some PEP grantees had spent a large share of their money on PE equipment that wasn't tied to a quality PE program, that some gear wasn't used after the grant ended, and it proposed requiring equipment purchases to line up with the applicant's PE curriculum. Grantsights couldn't load the department's current PEP page on November 4, 2026, so treat PEP as a past program, not an open one. Its lesson still holds for any foundation request: tie every item to what students will do with it in class.

What CDC and the Activity Guidelines Say

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines summary (opens in a new tab) from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), youth ages 6 through 17 need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day, along with activities that build muscles and bones. That 60-minute figure is the most useful number in a PE request, because it's federal, simple, and tells a funder what the gear is for.

According to CDC guidance on its schools and physical activity page (opens in a new tab), schools can help students move more by offering high-quality physical education and adding activity before, during and after school. The CDC's physical education page describes PE as an academic subject with a planned, sequential PreK through 12 curriculum that builds motor skills, knowledge and behaviors for activity and fitness. Use that language. A request that calls PE a subject with a curriculum reads stronger than one that calls it gym time.

Neither page sets minutes of PE class per week or prices anything. State rules on PE time vary, and Grantsights didn't check them for this guide.

Adaptive PE: The Strongest Ask in the Filings

At least 5 grants in the November 4, 2026 pull paid for adaptive PE (PE adjusted for students with disabilities) or PE gear at a special education school, and they're among the clearest requests in the data. For example, the Dwayne Hawkins Family Foundation gave the Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center in Pinellas Park, Florida $31,000 in 2025 for PE equipment. The Brooks and Joan Fortune Family Foundation gave the Meyer Center for Special Children in Greenville, South Carolina $10,000 in 2025 for adaptive PE.

One organization in Washington, Parasport Spokane, received $5,000 from the Avista Foundation in 2023 for a project filed as Bridging the Gap, which bought gear for in-school PE classes. In Ohio, Akron Public Schools received $9,490 in 2023 for its adaptive PE program and Hudson City Schools received $4,830 for middle school adaptive PE, both from the GPD Group Employees Foundation, a company employees' foundation that makes its own grants.

Why do these work? The need is concrete, the students are easy to picture, and the gear (adapted balls, sport wheelchairs, sensory and balance equipment) is clearly out of reach for a normal PE budget. If your school serves students with disabilities, lead with them. The special education programs guide and adaptive sports programs guide cover more funders on that side.

What a PE Grant Request Should Price

Filings in the November 4, 2026 pull name specific items more often than general support, and the items are modest. The Mary K. Ashbrook Foundation for El Reno gave El Reno High School PE in Oklahoma $2,320 in 2023 for ping pong tables and equipment. The Wade H. and Doris Mildred Prather Charitable Trust's $10,000 to Harrisville Elementary in West Virginia in 2024 included an archery set for PE. The Charles R. Wood Foundation's $1,500 to a group called Saratoga Shredders bought helmets for the bikes in the PE program at Maple Avenue Middle School in New York, and the Dietz Foundation gave Neoga School District in Illinois $2,000 for PE equipment.

This table is illustrative, not data: costs vary by vendor, grade level and how many students share the gear.

It's easy to underestimate the training and measurement lines. Project Fit America's own site says teachers spend a day of lessons at its regional PE conferences and take home equipment. That's the model health funders paid for in the pull: gear plus the know-how to use it.

Common Mistakes in PE Grant Requests

These 6 mistakes are easy to fix, and each one matters more when the whole request is about $1,000.

• Writing it as a sports request. A red flag for an education funder is a letter about a team's season. Ask for PE that reaches every student, and send team asks to the booster club guide or the youth sports leagues guide.
• Applying in the teacher's own name. Foundations in the pull paid schools, districts, PE departments and school foundations. Have the principal or district sign, or route it through your PTA or PTO or school foundation.
• Buying gear with no lesson plan. The 2010 PEP notice found equipment that sometimes went unused. Tie each item to a unit and a grade.
• Ignoring the town. The Knapp gift to Monte Alto ISD and the Reser gift to Powell Butte both named community use. If your track or fitness stations are open after hours, say so.
• Asking a small funder for too much. The median gift was about $1,000. Read past gifts first with how to read a 990-PF, and match your ask to them.
• Skipping the district's own money. Ask whether Title IV-A, covered in the Title IV-A grants guide, can match a foundation gift. A funder likes to see the school paying part.

Who Applies: Schools, PTAs and Education Foundations

3 of the gifts named in this section went to a go-between foundation rather than straight to a school, and that's a useful route. Trust in Diversity's $105,500 went to the Upper Country Education Foundation in Cambridge, Idaho. The Provident Bank Foundation gave the Union County Educational Services Foundation in New Jersey $5,000 in both 2023 and 2024 for the health and PE program at Westlake School. The Buffalo Bills Foundation's $5,000 in 2023 went to the Independent Health Foundation, filed as Play 60 grants for PE gear.

Parent and community groups show up too. The Dubuque gift funded the Lincoln Outdoor Wellness Project, filed as a joint effort of the school's administration and its parent group. In Maine, the Barbara and J. Harrison Holman Charitable Trust gave the Harpswell Neck Physical Education Association $23,240 in 2024 for a public PE facility. A parent group or local education foundation can often apply faster than a district office and can hold money across school years.

Single schools apply on their own too. The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation gave The Ambrose School in Meridian, Idaho $20,000 in 2023 for PE equipment and teacher support, and the Markham Family Foundation gave Brown International Academy in Denver $20,000 in 2024 toward a PE teacher position. The private schools guide covers how faith-based and independent schools approach funders.

Related Guides for PE and School Wellness

Schools replacing playground structures or building outdoor fitness areas will find more capital funders in grants for playgrounds, and those planting a garden next to the track can compare notes in grants for school gardens. Programs that run activity after the last bell should read grants for after-school programs, since those funders often pay for movement and coaching outside class time. A parish or congregational day school that needs a new play structure for recess should read grants for church playgrounds.

Teachers who want the wider picture of how classroom money flows through their school should start with grants for teachers and schools. For open federal and state notices you can filter by state, use the Grantsights grant database.

FAQ: Common Questions

Are there grants for physical education equipment? Yes. 45 foundations made 136 school PE grants in the November 4, 2026 pull, most of them small.

Can a PE teacher apply for a grant directly? Rarely. The school, district, PTA or school foundation applies and receives the money.

How many foundations give grants for PE? 45, with Idaho, New York and Texas at 4 funders each.

How big is a typical PE grant? About $1,000, and 114 of 151 grants in the wider pull were $5,000 or less.

Can Title IV-A money pay for physical education? Yes. 20 U.S.C. 7118 names regular, structured PE activities and programs, but the district decides.

Is the Carol M. White Physical Education Program still open? Grantsights couldn't confirm a current competition, so treat it as a past program.

Sources

• 20 U.S.C. 7118, activities to support safe and healthy students (U.S. Code, 2024 edition) (opens in a new tab)
• 20 U.S.C. 7116, local educational agency applications and spending floors (opens in a new tab)
• 20 U.S.C. 7115, local allocations and the $10,000 minimum (opens in a new tab)
• 20 U.S.C. 7801, definitions, including well-rounded education (opens in a new tab)
• Federal Register, March 16, 2010: Carol M. White Physical Education Program proposed priorities and requirements (opens in a new tab)
• CDC: Physical Activity and Schools (opens in a new tab)
• CDC: Physical Education (opens in a new tab)
• ODPHP: the 10 main points of the Physical Activity Guidelines, second edition, including 60 minutes a day for ages 6 to 17 (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)
• Project Fit America: What We Do (opens in a new tab)