Fall 2025 Grant Cycle

Applications open in October 2025

Grant Opportunities

Access Grant

For adaptive athletes under 18 years old that want to get into adaptive sports. This grant could cover the cost of:
Basic Equipment, Programs, Camps or Clinics

Ambassador

Running Blade
Recipient

Running Chair
Recipient

For adaptive athletes with competition aspirations. This program supports athletes with:
Competition fees, branded apparel, and training support

Adaptive Equipment Grant

For competitive adaptive athletes of all ages who could benefit from upgrading their equipment. This grant could cover the cost of:
Para/Adaptive Sports Equipment

For lower-extremity amputees who would benefit from an activity prosthetic. These donations are geographic-specific to our Unified 5k locations.

Adaptive Fitness
Facility Grant

For fitness facilities that support adaptive athletes. This grant could cover the cost of:
Adaptive Fitness Equipment

For duo teams (Team Hoyt, Ainsley’s Angels, My Team Triumph, etc.) who would benefit from their own racing chair and have a demonstrated track record of participating in races.

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Timeline

10/6/2025 - Applications Open

11/2/2025 - Applications Close

Week of 12/8/2025 - Interviews Conducted with Finalists

12/22/2025 - Award Announcements

Meet the Review Committee

  • A headshot of Jack, with short brown hair parted in the middle, wearing glasses with transparent rims. He's in a navy blue suit with a white button up shirt

    Jack O'Neil, PLY

    Jack was 9 years old when he decided to have his leg amputated after many surgeries attempting to correct the birth defect complications in his left leg. He grew up playing youth sports alongside non-disabled competitors, as he qualified for the Colorado State Swimming Championships under the non-disabled time standards. He was also the first triathlete with a disability to compete at youth, high-school, and adult nationals…

    Read Jack's Bio

  • Owen Anketell

    Owen is an all-season adaptive athlete. Since the age of 3 he has been skiing adaptively through New England Disabled Sports at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, where he is an adaptive ski coach now. During high school, Owen founded a non-profit to help raise awareness for adaptive sports and hand cycled from Calais, ME to Key West, FL to support his organization’s mission. They covered a total of 2,365 miles and educated…

    Read Owen's Bio

  • Eavan O'Neill

    Eavan is a Development Officer at Mass General Brigham and a Brand Ambassador for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Diagnosed with Stargardt disease in 2020, she transformed a deeply personal challenge into a source of advocacy and empowerment. She founded Brightside, a support community for blind and low-vision individuals, and uses her platform, through storytelling and running, to raise awareness and support for vision loss research….

    Read Eavan's Bio

  • Michael Palmer

    Mike Palmer is 30 years old and on the autism spectrum. He grew up in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and fell in love with the Boston Marathon. Living in Hopkinton about 1.5 miles from the start line, Mike could be seen cheering runners on as they started their 26.2 mile journey into Boston. In 2018, he became serious about running and set his goal on running in the infamous Boston Marathon. In 2019, his dream of running the marathon came true…

    Read Michael's Bio

  • Maria Velat

    Maria Velat is a senior at the University of Michigan studying Movement Science, an elite adaptive track and field and wheelchair tennis athlete, and the CEO and co-founder of I Am An Athlete Too (IAAAT). After being paralyzed by transverse myelitis in high school, Maria refused to let her disability define her. She channeled her experience into advocacy, co-founding IAAAT to create permanent adaptive sports categories in Michigan…

    Read Maria's Bio

  • Tyler Garner

    Dr. Tyler Garner is a distinguished educator and leader in kinesiology, currently serving as the Director of Undergraduate Student Services and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). With over a decade of experience in academic advising and teaching, Tyler has made a lasting impact on students, recognized multiple times by UTA Student Affairs and Military and Veteran Services for positively influencing…

    Read Tyler's Bio
  • A woman with black hair, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, sits in a wheelchair with her legs crossed and her hand on her chin, smiling in front of a colorful mural.

    Dianne Vitkus

    Dianne Vitkus is the Resource Program Manager at the Spaulding Travis Roy Center for Enhanced Independence, where she serves as a primary point of contact for individuals and families navigating life with spinal cord injuries. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, Dianne helps patients access adaptive technologies, connect with resources, and build strategies for independence both in the hospital and beyond…

    Read Diane's Bio

Additional Funding Opportunities

Victoria’s Victory Foundation

Victoria’s Victory Foundation is a 501(c)3 dedicated to providing support and resources to people living with mobility disabilities caused by spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, MS, cerebral palsy, and other rare diseases.

Stronger Than You Think Foundation

Stronger Than You Think supports women and girls with limb loss by funding prosthetics, promotes water safety to prevent drownings, and empowers Paralympic athletes with resources to compete. Our mission focuses on these three pillars to drive meaningful change.

Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF)

Through the Active Fund, grants are provided for individuals with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury to purchase adaptive sports equipment. KBF believes in the power of sport and recreation to foster inclusion and overcome the barriers of paralysis and has helped over 1,900 people from 50 states purchase handcycles, monoskis, sport chairs, racing chairs, hockey sleds, and much more.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No - we do ask applicants to list their diagnosis, but we do not require medical proof of disability.

  • We do ask applicants to share about their financial situation but do not require applicants to submit tax documents or other proof of income. Our goal is to make sure that this grant program has the largest impact possible, so we would prefer to support individuals who otherwise would not be able to access these opportunities due to socioeconomic barriers.

  • We will start with 1-year contracts and will mutually agree upon ongoing support.

  • If you have questions as to which grant application is correct for you, email brendan@adaptx.org.

  • We ask that recipients utilize the funding within the following calendar year. If you are selected during this Fall 2025 cycle, we ask that you use the funds before the end of 2026.

  • We will provide you with AdaptX-branded apparel that we would love for you to wear in your community and in competition. Our marketing team will also work with recipients on strategies to communicate the impact of our grant program and if you’re comfortable doing so, share your story.