Power in Motion: Challenged Athletes Foundation’s 2026 Grant Distribution Expands Access to Sport Worldwide

CAF Delivers 4,033 Grants Totaling Over $7 Million to Athletes with Physical Disabilities

San Diego, CA, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fueled by the belief that movement creates momentum, purpose, and possibility, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) proudly announces its 2026 Grant Distribution, providing 4,033 grants totaling more than $7 million to athletes with physical disabilities worldwide. Through access to adaptive sports equipment, sports prosthetics, training, coaching, and competition travel expenses, CAF continues to empower individuals of all ages to pursue active, athletic lifestyles.

This year also marks a milestone for the organization: more than $200 million raised since its inception 33 years ago. Through funding for adaptive sports equipment, sports prosthetics, training, coaching, and competition travel, CAF continues to remove barriers and expand access to sport for athletes of all ages and abilities.

This year’s theme, Power in Motion, reflects how access creates progress. What begins with a grant - equipment, training, or a first opportunity - often leads to something more: confidence, independence, and connection to a broader community. Each grant represents forward movement, built over time through consistent support.

“Movement is more than action; it is momentum, purpose, and possibility coming to life,” said Kristine Entwistle, CAF Chief Executive Director. “Through sport, athletes discover strength they didn’t know they had, independence they once thought impossible, and a community that moves forward together. Our 2026 Grant Distribution is a powerful reminder that when we invest in access, we help unlock potential.”

For more than three decades, CAF has been committed to removing barriers between athletes with physical disabilities and their pursuit of sport and fitness. The global Grant Program provides financial support for resources that are often not covered by medical insurance, including adaptive sports equipment, sports prosthetics, and expenses related to training, coaching, and competition travel.

In 2026, CAF’s grant distribution reached athletes ranging in age from 4 to 86, in 50 states, Puerto Rico, and 36 countries, across 86 different sports and activities, including wheelchair basketball, sled hockey, beep baseball, track and field, cycling, surfing, triathlon, alpine skiing, adaptive climbing, swimming, sitting volleyball and more.

2026 Featured Grant Recipients:
• Elsie (Age 5), Brigham City, UT
Physical Disability: Spina Bifida
Personal Story: Elsie loves staying active and joining in with her peers, building confidence and belonging through movement. With her CAF grant for sports expenses, she can continue participating in activities like dance while supporting her physical and emotional growth.

• Aboubacar (Age 11), Bronx, NY
Physical Disability: Bilateral Above-Knee Amputation
Personal Story: Basketball gives Aboubacar confidence, community, and a place to compete. With his CAF grant for a Per4Max Thunder basketball chair, he can keep developing his skills and growing in the sport he loves.

• Haley (Age 13), Twin Falls, ID
Physical Disability: Cerebral Palsy
Personal Story: Haley discovered freedom and confidence through adaptive downhill skiing. With her CAF grant for sports expenses, she can keep building her skills and turn that first experience into something lasting.

• María (Age 22), Montebello, CA
Physical Disability: Paraplegia
Personal Story: Wheelchair basketball helped María rebuild confidence and rediscover her strength after a life-changing accident. With her CAF grant for a Top End Pro Basketball Chair, she can compete at her best and continue rising in the sport.

• Kyler (Age 23), Jamul, CA
Physical Disability: Single Below-Knee Amputation
Personal Story: Kyler has turned resilience and talent into a rising international sitting volleyball career. With his CAF grant for sports expenses, he can continue training, traveling, and helping elevate U.S. para-volleyball.

• Joshua (Age 45), San Francisco, CA
Physical Disability: Cerebral Palsy
Personal Story: Joshua has become a standout in para-climbing, consistently pushing himself against the best in the sport. With his CAF grant for sports expenses, he can travel to major competitions and keep advancing toward the international stage.

• Andrew (Age 60), Menifee, CA
Physical Disability: Quadriplegia
Personal Story: Adaptive surfing helped Andrew reconnect with freedom, competition, and community after a spinal cord injury. With his CAF grant for sports expenses, he can continue competing at a high level and mentoring others.

Operation Rebound® Grants
CAF’s Operation Rebound® program continues to uplift injured veterans, active-duty military, and first responders through sport. This year, 739 Operation Rebound grants totaling $812,118 were awarded. These grants support physical and emotional recovery, creating a sense of belonging and purpose through adaptive athletics.

CAF’s Grant Program is made possible through the generosity of partners committed to inclusion, innovation, and access in sport.

Össur – Global Prosthetic Partner
For more than 33 years, Össur, CAF’s exclusive global prosthetic partner, has helped athletes with limb loss and limb difference access advanced prosthetic technology that supports active living and sport. This year, 125 Össur grants were awarded, empowering recipients to pursue goals ranging from everyday movement to elite-level competition.

Toyota – Mobility Partner
As CAF’s official mobility partner, Toyota shares a commitment to expanding access, removing barriers, and helping people move through life with greater freedom. Together, CAF and Toyota supported grants for athletes using adaptive equipment across a variety of sports, from sled hockey to wheelchair basketball. Through its “Let’s Go Places” spirit and year-round support, Toyota continues to help fuel opportunity, independence, and possibility through sport.

J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation – CAF-Idaho Partner
The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation continues to play a vital role in expanding adaptive sports opportunities across Idaho. Its support powers both the CAF-Idaho initiative and the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse, an innovative Boise-based hub created to foster inclusive access to sport, fitness, and community. In 2025, CAF-Idaho supported 168 athletes statewide through grants, equipment, and programming that inspire movement, connection, and confidence.

EoS Fitness – Training Partner
EoS Fitness continues to advance inclusion and accessibility in fitness through its partnership with CAF. This year, the national fitness brand provided 157 top-tier memberships to eligible CAF athletes across the country. With year-round access to training facilities, athletes are able to build strength, confidence, and endurance while developing healthy habits that support both sport and everyday life.

Nike – Official Apparel Partner
Nike has been a proud supporter of CAF since the organization’s founding in 1994, beginning as one of the first sponsors of the San Diego Triathlon Challenge by donating shoes to athletes with physical disabilities. Over the past 33 years, Nike has continued to champion greater access and equity in sport through generous product donations and financial support. This year, Nike helped fund grants for adaptive equipment, training, and competition expenses, while empowering athletes to build strength, confidence, and community through sport.

2026 Grant Distribution Facts and Figures
86 sports
50 states
36 countries
Youngest grant recipient- Age 4
Oldest grant recipient- Age 86
24% are first-time grant recipients
36% female
62% male
1% non-binary/non-conforming
1% prefer not to indicate

Income Stats
38% of recipients’ households earn income under $20K/year
23% of recipients’ households earn income between $20K-$50K/year

Breakdown by Disability
16% Limb loss/Limb difference
8% Spinal Cord Injury
14% Spina Bifida
7% Paraplegia
11% Cerebral Palsy
56% Other

More About CAF’s Grant Program
CAF supports athletes of all ages across more than 105 sports and fitness activities, from recreation to elite competition. The Grant Program includes six support opportunities offered throughout the year: Annual Grants, Össur Grants, Operation Rebound Grants, EōS Fitness Grants, Idaho Grants, and Discretionary Grants designed to meet urgent or unexpected athlete needs outside the annual cycle.

Media Kit can be found here: Media Images & Video

Through the generosity of partners this past fiscal year, CAF was able to help more people than ever by providing support, products, and services to grant recipients. CAF grants are made possible by generous donors, global partners, sponsors, fundraisers, and endowment support. Global partners include Nike, Össur, 100%, EōS Fitness, Toyota, and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, among others.

About Challenged Athletes Foundation
The Challenged Athletes Foundation® (CAF) stands as a global leader in empowering individuals with physical disabilities to embrace vibrant, active lives. CAF firmly believes that engaging in physical activity fosters self-esteem, encourages independence, and enriches quality of life. For more than three transformative decades, CAF has been at the forefront of the adaptive sports movement, catalyzing change and redefining possibilities. Since its inception in 1994, CAF has raised over $200 million and fulfilled nearly 60,000 funding requests from people with physical disabilities across all 50 states and more than 70 countries, impacting another 60,000 individuals annually through its outreach efforts. From providing essential equipment like handcycles to offering mentorship and encouragement, CAF’s mission is clear: to provide opportunities and support to those who aspire to lead active, athletic lifestyles. To learn more, please visit www.challengedathletes.org.

Attachments

Christy Fritts
Challenged Athletes Foundation
858.442.9570
christy@challengedathletes.org

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