A Youth Innovation Project is a project that is designed, planned, and implemented by Youth Leaders to promote inclusion in their communities.

Special Olympics awards project-based grants to Youth Leaders around the world twice per year in amounts of 500, 1,000, 1,500, or 2,000 U.S. Dollars.

Youth Leaders must complete their projects in either 6 or 9 months.

Special Olympics Youth Leaders and Unified Pairs, which include one Youth Leader with ID and one without ID. All Youth Leaders must be:

• between 14 and 25 years of age at the time of their application
• supported by an accredited Special Olympics Program
  
  • If you are not already involved with Special Olympics, you must contact your local Special Olympics Program before submitting your application.

To apply, complete the application here. If you reside in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean, complete this application.

The application includes:

• Share a summary of your project 
• Outline how much money you will spend on your project 
• Attach a signed agreement from the Special Olympics Program staff member who will support your project  
• Upload a photo of each Youth Leader involved in the project
• Attach at least one Certificate of Completion for the Project Management e-Learning course for Youth Leaders. All Project Leaders must complete the course prior to receiving funding. Youth Leaders may complete the course individually or as a Unified Pair. You can complete the course by logging into the SO Learning Portal or registering for a new account at https://learn.specialolympics.org/.

A scaling for impact project is a project that has already been implemented in one Special Olympics Program and shows potential for success in other home communities around the world. There are a total of 7 scaling for impact projects.

Special Olympics developed a guide for how each scaling for impact project was planned and implemented. Youth Leaders can choose one scaling for impact project to implement in their own home communities.

Inclusion Documentary
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Advocating for an Inclusive Community
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Educating Future Generations
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Unified Sport Summer Camp
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Siblings Building Health, Wellness, and Inclusion
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Grow the Unified Generation
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Be Kind Mural
Toolkit • Highlight Video

Explore the Youth Innovation Projects Resources below for more information.

You can complete the final report online here or download it here, fill it out, and submit back to innovationgrants@specialolympics.org

You are required to:…

• Tell the story of your experience through writing, photos, video, or illustrations. 
• Provide Special Olympics with any photos and videos taken during the projects. 
• Show the impact of your project through metrics, which measure your results. 
• Outline how much money you spent from your Youth Innovation Grant. 

1 February – Applications for 2024 Open

1 November – Application for 2024 Closes

1 December – All Funding Materials must be submitted.

TBD – Meet & Greet Options. There will be 4 opportunities during the year to meet other Youth Leaders who have been accepted to lead a project

If you still have questions, please reach out to the Youth Innovation Projects team at innovationgrants@specialolympics.org.

Applicants will be notified whether or not they haven accepted 30 days from the date of application submission.