Byrne Pelofsky is proud to work alongside the Women’s Sports Foundation to expand advocacy efforts, sport access and programs for underserved girls and women.
The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) exists to ensure that all women and girls, no matter their race, ethnicity, ability, social or economic status, have access to the lifetime benefits of sport or physical activity. In 1974, sports icon and human rights activist Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation in pursuit of gender equity. Billie Jean King envisioned a women’s rights organization that would champion Title IX and be a voice for equality of women by protecting and promoting the importance of sports participation to society.
Since inception, to Title IX’s 50th anniversary in 2022, WSF has invested over $100 million in these impact efforts, helping to shape the lives of millions of youth, high school and collegiate student-athletes, elite athletes and coaches. WSF’s mission is driven by research, advocacy, and community impact. As the needs for WSF programming increases, Byrne Pelofsky has been called on to help expand program capacity in research, Sports 4 Life and We Play Interactive through comprehensive grant writing services.
In 2024, WSF will share findings from a comprehensive two-year research initiative focused on factors influencing sports access for girls. The study offers to delve into the economic impact and social benefits of girls and women’s sports participation in underserved communities. WSF’s evidence-based research will recommend tangible steps to ensure all girls in all communities can experience the benefits associated with sports participation. The study will help drive policy changes and urge greater investment in girls and women’s sports opportunities.
Sports 4 Life, a program cofounded by the WSF and espnW, addresses the exclusion of young girls of color in sports. Through community funding, leadership training, and capacity-building efforts, the program aims for sustainable improvements in the overall health and development of Black, African American, Hispanic, and Native American girls and women. With close to $300,000 in grants awarded to around 40 organizations, Sports 4 Life has diversified sports opportunities for nearly 6,000 girls across 40 traditional and non-traditional sports. WSF plans to expand program capacity to meet the evolving needs of the girls they serve.
We Play Interactive (WPI), a community outreach program launched in 2021, prioritizes the holistic development of girls of colors and others grappling with social and health challenges. Informed and pilot tested by its target audience, WPI has reached approximately 35,000 girls. This unique digital platform provides training modules for leaders, coaches, and mentors, emphasizing safe and inclusive spaces for play. WPI offers training modules, activity modules and a robust video library to encourage movement-based activities, promote social and emotional learning, positive mental health and academic achievement.
WSF continues to expand its reach and empower girls and women through sports and physical activity. The organization continues the fight for equity and seeks to open access to sports for girls and women at all levels – grassroots, K through 12, collegiate and professional.
