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Lulwanda Rainwater Collection Court

Lulwanda Rainwater Collection Court

Grace International Children's Foundation

Uganda

Lulwanda Children's Home and Primary School is the home for 121 orphans in Ugnada. This year we will be building a boys hostel and will add 25 more children. The School serves the orphanage and the village. Currently, we have a rock infested concrete slab for a basketball court. The children play on the court most of the time with bare feet. The rocks are cutting into the feet and when they fall, you can guess. Upon discussing resurfacing the court, I mentioned to the board of directos the rainwater collection court that was built at Mahiga High School in Kenya. I want to see this project take place! I would love to provide a sheltered protected court to play, a clean water system collecting rainwater, be built at Lulwanda. I do not have any idea the cost. I am just beginning the process and have written Architecture for Humanity for cost and assistance. This project would be built this year if we receive the funds. Lulwanda Primary School would be able to have clean drinking water without it being hauled to the school. (www.uganaorphans.org is our website. Please consider this vision. Mary Thrasher

Harambee Athletic Center

Harambee Athletic Center

CTC International

Maai Mahiu, Rift Valley, Kenya

Maai Mahiu, Kenya is located on the “HIV” highway, so named for the commercial sex work industry fueled by transient truck drivers that has contributed to the spread of the virus. With families trying to eke out an existence on less than $2 per day, many youth turn to adverse activities such as theft, prostitution, and drugs. With a national youth unemployment rate of 64% and employment increasingly hard to come by due to an expanding population, opportunities are slim and outlook is bleak. In our time working in Maai Mahiu, we’ve seen powerful things happen when perspectives shift. We’ve witnessed mothers of special needs children journey from believing their children were cursed to seeing them as blessings. We’ve witnessed youth take charge of their own futures, tired of waiting on local government for opportunity and forging ahead to create their own. The Harambee Athletic Center (HAC) is a proposed athletic facility to allow our youth to go further than their current uneven and eroded dirt fields. We would begin by constructing a soccer field on land we have previously purchased. This facility will serve as a training center for young athletes of all abilities, including our 200 youth currently a part of our soccer league. We’d also put an emphasis on providing access to physical activity for the large population of individuals with special needs in Maai Mahiu. We see HAC as more than a soccer field or recreation facility. We see it as a home for community, for the realization of potential and even of dreams. We recognize sports brings people together and by taking extra steps to be fully inclusive, every young athlete will have the opportunity to identify themselves not by their perceived limitations but by their achievements as teammates, leaders and champions.

THE LAUNCH CREATIVE CENTER

THE LAUNCH CREATIVE CENTER

LAUNCH:Community Through Skateboarding

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Launch:Community Through Skateboarding seeks support for the Launch Creative Center. The goal of the Launch Creative Center is to preserve and promote a culture of creativity and self-expression through skateboarding. We believe in the power of skateboarding to change people's lives for the better. The requested funding will be used to support renovations, construction, and remodel of the proposed site. Upon completion, the Launch Creative Center will house... 1.) A communal mini ramp for after school and weekend use by local youth. 2.) A skateboard museum including over one hundred rare collectable skateboards displayed to help teach visitors about the true history and culture of skateboarding. 3.) A library/inspiration area of art books, skateboard magazines, locally made zines and skateboard videos. 4.) A studio/workshop room for teaching classes including obstacle-building, custom skateboard deck design, grip tape art, and for hosting guest artists and speakers from throughout the art and skateboarding industries. Skateboarding often attracts alternative adolescents with an interest in the creative aspects of this physical artform. It requires little money to get started, making it an ideal past time for youth from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The act of skateboarding teaches important life skills such as persistence, dedication, and creative problem solving. We seek to provide youth in our community with a safe, positive, inspiring environment in which to express themselves through active physical play. We also intend to use this space to encourage participation in experiences that engage one's creative mind. Ultimately, this facility will assist us in bringing skateboarding to more youth in need of a positive outlet in their lives

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With $500,000 On The Line, Are You Game?

BONUS ROUND

So. Here’s the sitch. We may have one more grant in us. And since sharing is caring, we are opening the Request for Proposals for one week…starting now.

If you’re new to the game, woo us. If you’ve already submitted, update your proposal. We’d love to see what you’ve been up to in 2011 and what you’d do in 2012 with additional support.

what we’re looking for

  • projects that, through sport, spur social change and/or economic development
  • project budgets under $25,000
  • project completion in less than six months

when we’re looking for it

  • anytime before December 14, 2011 at 6pm PST

where we’re looking for it

GAMECHANGERS | Sports Micro-Venture Fund Winners Announced

We received almost 250 diverse proposals from all corners of the globe, giving the jury the challenging task of identifying those projects and partners to whom the grants will be disbursed. Architecture for Humanity and Nike are excited to announce the final GAMECHANGERS grant recipients.

WINNER | Magic Bus

Location: New Delhi, India

Architecture for Humanity has partnered with Magic Bus to improve the infrastructure at 5 or 6 centers that will facilitate community oriented sports programs in under privileged neighborhoods of Delhi. The developed sports/play fields and supporting infrastructure will help inculcate a sporting culture among children and youth in the community and help Magic Bus use its unique Sports for Development (S4D) curriculum to provide access to sport and promote every child's right to: play; gender inclusion; education; health care.

WINNER | Manhattan Bridge Skatepark

Location: New York, New York

The Manhattan Bridge Skatepark is a neglected skate park located in the Lower East Side. Because of its location, and the recent closing of the Brooklyn Banks, it has become the most heavily permitted park in Manhattan.

With a GAMECHANGERS grant, the project team will rebuild the park from the ground up that will include:

  • A new concrete slab;
  • Reuse and/or replacement of the existing obstacles;
  • Simple, safe, and innovative obstacles for participants of all ages and skill levels;
  • Integrated multi-functional elements (ie skate-able furniture) that invite + encourage passive participation of non-skaters/ visitors to the park;
  • Enterprise opportunity for local vendors + community partners.

WINNER | Rural Sports Center

Location: San Pedro Apóstol, Oaxaca, Mexico

With a GAMECHANGERS grant, the design team + community will build a rural sports center that will be a foundation for the social, economic, sustainable and cultural development of the city and the community -- a hub for sport, recreation, entertainment, and commerce.

Through skills training and workshops, the center will be built with the help of the local community. The design team will train builders in indigenous building techniques, using local materials and resources, while also providing the technical guidance to learn from traditional methods in innovative ways.

WINNER | Vida Corrida

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Architecture for Humanity and Nike do Brasil are proud to partner with Associação de Moradores da Cohab Adventista 1 to design and construct a new community resource and recreation center in Capão Redondo, São Paulo, Brazil. The new center will house the neighborhood organization and Corredores do Parque Santo Dias who operate Vida Corrida - a program where women and children develop leadership through sport. Stay tuned for updates as we work throughout 2011, to design and build a new home for these gamechanging endorphin addicts.

WINNER | Games in Lost Heavens

Location: Ganhaizi village, China

This micro-grant will support Habitat for Humanity China's work in Ganhaizi -- a remote village in a mountainous region (know as "the Lost Heavens" -- a district with one of the largest Miao minority ethnic populations in China. They will build an exterior basketball court, and spectator seating -- providing a community hub for socializing, events, and the favorite activity of Ganhaizi's children and elderly alike - basketball.

Stay tuned for updates as the basketball court and games come to life in the coming months.

WINNER | Liga FOS - Fútbol para la Oportunidad Social

Location: Moreno, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

A little healthy competition is good no? We agree, which is why we launched the Copa Arquitectura where participants have 6 weeks to partner with a designer from a 2011 Copa America country to design a small youth football (soccer) facility for less than $45,000 USD for Liga FOS. Winners get $2000 + $2000 in design fees + to see their ideas built in Argentina later this year. Anyone can enter.

WINNER | Una Cancha Muchas Canchas

Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala

This micro-venture grant will fuel the spread of urban futsal interventions in Guatemala City. Buró de Intervenciones Públicas will work with the local municipality and community members to design and install 2 urban football (soccer) pitches -- innovative and low-cost interventions that will transform low-traffic city streets into sport + community centers.

Check out their proposal, and stay tuned for updates as these pitches take over in the next couple of months.

WINNER | My Game is Beautiful - Girls Football Hub to Combat Human Trafficking

Location: Jharkhand, India

YUWA uses girls football to level the playing field with every goal. With a sports micro-venture grant, they will work with a designer to build a secure football pitch, spectator seating, community room, and enterprise area -- did we mention these kick-startin’ girls also grow and sell mushrooms to the local community to help support their football habits?

Check out their proposal, and watch the project go from field to fruition this year.

GAMECHANGERS | On the Map


View GAMECHANGERS in a larger map

Where will we go next? Stay tuned for more great news next week, and the week after that, and the week after that. Don’t forget to enter the Copa Arquitectura.

For real time updates Follow afhgamechangers on Twitter.

GAMECHANGERS | Round 2

No social network voting contests, no virtual farms to tend to, no magic codes to tweet - just funding directed where it is needed most, in supporting projects on the ground. Welcome to the GAMECHANGERS Sports Micro-Venture Fund.

The Fund is a partnership between Architecture for Humanity and Nike Inc. In the past 18 months the program has funded innovative projects in Afghanistan (Skate), Brazil (Football/Soccer), Kenya (Basketball) and the United States (American Football).

We are seeking proposals for the final round of funding to support the construction of sports facilities offering programs that tackle social issues in the community. This Request for Proposal (RFP) process will award up to $500,000 in funds and is directed toward micro-interventions with a construction time line of 6 to 9 months. The majority of these grants will be $25,000 for building or upgrading facilities and completing existing projects. 10% of the funding will be earmarked for the professional design services and engineering.

At the discretion of the funding team a small number of selected proposals will be awarded additional funds based on need and scope of impact.

If you hate reading all that verbage, here is breakdown of available funds:

  • Africa - 2 x $25,000
  • the Americas - 2 x $25,000
  • Asia - 2 x $25,000
  • Europe - 2 x $25,000
  • Oceania - 2 x $25,000

plus up to $250,000 in additional funding.

If you're game, apply today.

The Deal

Who is eligible?

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is open to locally-based organizations that empower the community through sports as a mechanism to spur social change and/or economic development. Projects can be anywhere in the world. They may have singular goals or multiple functions. They should address one or more of the following key areas:

  • Improved access to opportunities to participate in sport
  • Removal of physical, economic, social and gender barriers to participation in sport
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Improved physical activity
  • Provides innovative alternatives to play spaces for communities that lack resources
  • Positively affects the environment or reduces negative environmental impact of sport-related initiatives
  • Generates opportunities for social and economic empowerment

How many projects will get chosen?

This is a global fund and we are looking to support a minimum of two projects from each of the five global regions: Africa; the Americas; Asia; Europe; and Oceania. Additionally we may award separate funds to additional projects or increase funds for selected projects that deem further investment. This fund will cap at $500,000

What are the ground rules?

To apply you must:

  • Tackle at least one of the key areas listed above.
  • Have a commitment from an architect or building professional involved or be willing to have one appointed to the project. Exactly 10% of the grant will be allocated for design and engineering services.
  • Own the land or have long term lease on the property in question.
  • Have operational funds for a minimum of five years or have developed economic models of support for the expansion of your facility.
  • Be nice. We believe in fair play and we will reward organizations that have gone out of their way to do the right thing. Meanies and cheaters never win.

The Jury
Check out our game changing jurors – a select group of stakeholders, existing grant recipients and former pro athletes.

The Time line
Submission Period August 4th - October 29th 2010
Grants Announced: December 2010
Funding distribution: January 2011
Project completion: July to September 2011

About

Architecture for Humanity and Nike Inc’s Social Innovations established a revolving grants program that has funded the design and construction of innovative, sustainable and safe places to play. The goal was to provide capital to implement these structures in communities that are typically overlooked.

Game on.

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