The Kyle Pease Foundation 2024 Grant Opportunities

The Kyle Pease Foundation provides annual and ongoing grant opportunities to continue our work and mission of improving the lives of people with disabilities through sports. Our Annual Grants are in honor and remembrance of beloved KPF Family members who is no longer with us, but whose spirit and legacy live on through The Kyle Pease Foundation.

GRANTS ELIGIBILITY

You are eligible to apply for The Jake Vinson Family Grant, The Luyce Caplan Broken Wheel Award or The Bethany Rutledge Courage Award if:

  • You’ve raced with us at a KPF-designated event

  • Provide documentation and proof of your disability

  • Will only spend grant funds on equipment and/or services to help improve accessibility and quality of living

  • Only one applicant per household

  • Only one winner per grant opportunity

  • Previous winners of any of the three grants cannot re-apply for the two cycles following their acceptance

GRANTS APPLICATION DEADLINES

  • Applications open June 2023

  • Applications close September 2023

  • Grantees selected in early November 2023

  • Grantees awarded at our Athlete and Volunteer Celebration in December 2023

Our universal grant application linked below helps streamline our process and provides all of our applicants the opportunity to receive one of the three grants listed below. Once an application has been submitted, our Grant Coordinator and committees will collect and review all applicants.

The Kyle Pease Foundation Grant Committee can only award one recipient per grant and no additional funds are to be requested and/or granted outside the allocated funds for that specific grant listed below.

Click here to download a copy of the application to review before beginning the process. Please note, that all applications must be submitted online. Once the application has been opened, it must be completed and one sitting. If you are in need of assistance to complete your application, please email grants@kylepeasefoundation.org and we will connect you with a volunteer who will help you complete your application.

2024 APPLICATIONS WILL OPEN SOON

THE JAKE VINSON FAMILY GRANT

$30,000 Grant

In 2015, The Kyle Pease Family Foundation Grant was renamed The Jake Vinson Family Grant in memory of our very dear friend, Jake Vinson. Jake, who passed away in 2013 year, was the very first KPF Athlete and will forever be remembered as a young man who embodies the spirit of our organization.

The Jake Vinson Family Grant committee selects one recipient per year in support of individuals and families who are experiencing disability and are looking to enhance their quality of life through resources that may not be readily available or unattainable.

LUCYE CAPLAN BROKEN WHEEL AWARD

$15,000 Grant

Lucye Caplan, a passionate supporter of The Kyle Pease Foundation championed and embodied the organization’s mission of improving the lives of people with disabilities through sports. Throughout her battle against cancer, Lucye found comfort and motivation through photos and videos as she witnessed KPF Athletes and Volunteers overcoming all odds to achieve their dreams beyond the finish line.

Throughout her life, Lucye, had a similar attitude of our KPF Athletes and Volunteers and truly lived the philosophy of 'find a way.' After her losing her fight to cancer, in honor Lucye's memory, and to celebrate her incredible will and spirit, Jeff, Will, and Danny Caplan created an ongoing award and grant in support of The Kyle Pease Foundation and the very same athletes that Lucye was so proud to celebrate across all finish lines she witnessed.

THE BETHANY RUTLEDGE COURAGE AWARD

$4,000 Grant

In 2019, former KPF Volunteer and beloved supporter, Bethany Rutledge, was unexpectedly passed away and was taken from her family and loved ones. Her husband, John, wanted to find a way to carry her legacy for years to come and help those that she loved so much across The Kyle Pease Foundation community. Bethany’s desire to encourage others to be brave and courageous led her family to establish The Bethany Rutledge Courage Award.

John and Bethany were very active at KPF events, recruited their friends to race, and consistently shared the message of Inclusion for so many to witness on race day. John is a former KPF Board Member, and perennial volunteer, and was part of KPF Athlete, Justin “Jdude” Knight’s IRONMAN Florida team 2015.

Ongoing Grant Opportunities

THE ATHLETE ASSISTANCE GRANT

In 2020 when the pandemic brought our world to a halt, The Kyle Pease Foundation sprung into action in support of any and all immediate needs of our In-Chair Athletes and their families.

Since then, The Athlete Assistance Grant has provided over $1,000 annually and is available to any KPF In-Chair Athlete who has participated in a KPF event. The purpose of this grant is to provide temporary financial assistance for groceries, rent relief and any other necessities for our In-Chair Athletes and their families.

Each application will be reviewed on an individual basis, and athletes are permitted to apply and receive this grant more than once.