Grassroots365 Innovation Incubation: Meet the Innovators
The Olympism365 Innovation Hub – a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Beyond Sport and Women Win – has gathered another cohort of Grassroots365 innovators reimagining how sport can be leveraged for social impact, this time as part of its Innovation Incubation model.Â
This is the first time that the Olympism365 Innovation Hub will utilise the Innovation Incubation model, leveraging the diversified knowledge and skill sets of the full consortia. Innovators will learn about and share knowledge on design thinking, theory of change creation, impact measurement, storytelling and resource mobilisation.Â
Fifteen grassroots groups and individuals have joined this 6-month journey to further develop their innovations. Participants will engage with experts and peers to refine their ideas into concrete proposals and innovations ready to create impact. At the end of the incubation, they will have an opportunity to apply for a USD 15,000 grant to pilot their innovations, with five being selected for funding.
Responding to Grassroots Learnings: The Innovation Incubation ModelÂ
That initial Grassroots365 open call highlighted both the energy and the challenges of reaching grassroots innovators: an overwhelming number of applications relative to available funding, ongoing debates about how innovation should be defined in diverse grassroots contexts, and open questions around the best ways to nurture emerging ideas.Â
The Innovation Incubation model addresses those pain points by focusing less on fully-formed solutions and more on promising ideas in development. Entry to the programme has been managed through a closed nomination process, drawing on the existing Grassroots365 community and a select group of partners with strong networks in underrepresented regions. By bringing innovators into a structured incubation process, the Innovation Hub can now expand access to more participants while providing the dedicated support they need to strengthen their ideas.Â
A key feature of the model is the peer-review panel. Rather than relying solely on external expertise, the Innovation Hub invited five current innovators to review and score applications. With representation from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, and expertise ranging from gender-based violence and migration to climate justice, the panel reflected the diversity of the grassroots sector itself. This approach recognises that grassroots leaders are best placed to judge which ideas have the potential to succeed in their contexts and which innovations would most benefit from the incubation process. Their lived experience and first-hand knowledge ensure that funding and support flow to initiatives that are relevant, responsive, and locally grounded.
Building on Early Grassroots365 Impact
The incubation model builds on the achievements of the first Grassroots365 cycle, which invested USD 170,000 across 12 grassroots projects worldwide. Already, participants from that cohort have demonstrated how support can catalyse long-term impact.
In Brazil, the Associacao Esportiva Femenina d’Amazonia emerged from the efforts of an individual innovator who, thanks to Innovation Hub support, successfully registered an organisation now running events in cycling, volleyball, and duathlon. In Italy, Gerald Mballe transformed his initiative into Dream Big for Inclusion and Antiracism, organising a cross-community football tournament in Cyprus that fostered dialogue around mental health and wellbeing.
These stories illustrate the transformative ripple effects that can emerge when grassroots leaders are equipped with the right tools, networks, and resources. The Innovation Incubation model is poised to multiply such outcomes, supporting innovators not only in strengthening their own projects but in shaping the future of sport as a platform for social change.
Grassroots365 Innovation Incubation MembersÂ
Youth and Women for Opportunities Uganda
Youth and Women for Opportunities Uganda (Uganda) blend football with environmental education to create lasting change through their Green Goal initiative, by transforming local football fields into Green Play Zones – spaces where sport and sustainability meet.Â
Aquability
Aquability (Egypt) is Egypt’s first safe, professional swimming academy with programs for people with disabilities, promoting health, confidence and inclusion.Â
Somali Relief & Development Organization
Somali Relief & Development Organization (Somalia) harness the power of sport to advance environmental sustainability, youth leadership and social inclusion. Their Youth Eco-Sports Innovation Initiative envisions transforming underutilised community spaces into Eco-Sports Green Hubs equipped with recycling systems and embedded with sport-based environmental learning.Â
Sports Initiative for Girls with Disabilities Rwanda
Sports Initiative for Girls with Disabilities Rwanda (Rwanda) aim to promote inclusive sports, disability rights and support 150 out-of-school indigenous girls and young women with disabilities, through their Sitting Volleyball for Change sport-based innovation.Â
Sense the Game
Sense the Game (Algeria) leverages football to drive inclusive development by training female coaches to deliver adaptive sports programmes for visually or auditory impaired children.Â
Young Achievement Sports for Development
Young Achievement Sports for Development (Zimbabwe) are developing a youth-centred initiative, Drug Resistance Education and Mentorship through Sports (DREAMS), that integrates life skills and drug prevention education into community through counselling, football, and skill and vocational trainings.Â
Hend Eldamaty
Hend Eldamaty (Germany) is developing a culturally sensitive, AI-powered chatbot designed to support Arabic-speaking migrant women in Germany.Â
Gastro Forestry Project
Gastro Forestry Project (Indonesia) organise outdoor activities in an agroforestry area, integrated with renewable technology, to address the lack of access to healthy and meaningful sports spaces in rural areas, while raising awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship.Â
SheFighter
SheFighter (Jordan) provide the Training of Trainers programme for women in rural areas, equipping them with essential self-defence skills and leadership tools.Â
Free Movement Skateboarding
Free Movement Skateboarding (Greece) create inclusive opportunities for youth with disabilities through Skate-Able, an adaptive skateboarding and therapeutic arts programme.Â
AirVitalize
AirVitalize (United States) aim to deploy their filterless, mobile air purification systems on and around athletic fields in Los Angeles. The systems provide clean outdoor air for athletes by capturing harmful air pollution in real time—on the sidelines, in community parks and around stadiums.Â
Leanda Taitt
Leanda Taitt (Trinidad and Tobago) is developing a series of sports-based programmes, with a dedicated wellness website and community, geared to help people 50 years and over, including people with disabilities, keep active, connect, increase or prolong mobility and balance, and build or maintain strength and physical conditioning.Â
Join for Joy Zambia
Join for Joy Zambia (Zambia) are scaling up their playful learning programme, specifically enhancing participation for children with disabilities.Â
Become a Seed InvestorÂ
Join us to turn the Olympic spirit into the world’s most inclusive innovation platform—where podium-level visibility meets playground-level impact.Â
Partner with ​Olympism365 Innovation Hub to build out our portfolio and help us grow from 60+ innovations to 150+ across the existing innovation streams.Â
To connect and find out more about investment opportunities, contact us at development@beyondsport.orgÂ
Free Movement Skateboarding by Aidan Frere-Smith
