Monumental Sports & Entertainment is among the first to sign on in support of a new endowment announced today by The Trump administration as part of a national youth sports strategy that will reach beyond in-school physical education and into community-based programs. The initiative will be funded by a legacy endowment with a goal of raising $100M to provide grants intended to drive increased participation. Developed by the Department of Health & Human Services and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, the strategy largely will mirror a draft report issued in June. That report echoed many of the recommendations of those who previously studied participation declines, including the Aspen Institute’s Project Play.

Among the focus areas: Recruiting and training of coaches and volunteers, creation of safe places to play, provision of quality equipment and strategies to increase participation among girls. It also sets up a funding mechanism for those recommendations, the National Endowment for Youth Sports, which will be managed by the non-profit National Fitness Foundation. The NEYS will award grants in support of the strategy, targeting increased participation among youth in underserved U.S. communities and by girls, along with expanding sports opportunities for children with disabilities. The NFF also will lobby for similarly structured endowments set up in all 50 states.

Additional supporters of the endowment include: NBC Sports Group’s Sports Engine — a leading software provider for youth sports organizations — which will offer a Premier League Fan Fest trip and other prizes in a sweepstakes to raise funds for the NEYS. The Chargers also will announce their support of the NEYS today. Other founding supporters include the NHL, MiLB, UFC, the AAU, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and Boston Scientific.

For more information, read the full article in today’s edition of the Sports Business Daily.