Paces

What Paces does

PACES (Palestine Association for Children's Encouragement of Sports) is a UK-registered charity founded in 2006 that delivers structured after-school sports programs for Palestinian girls and boys ages 6-16 living in refugee camps and marginalized areas across Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. The core offering is a 9-month annual program cycle (March through November) providing football, basketball, and volleyball training twice weekly, integrated with life skills development, behavioral change education, gender equity programming, and community engagement. The organization operates a Sports for Development (SFD) model delivered through a network of 260+ local sports clubs and community centers, with 2,600+ coaches and assistant coaches trained since inception and 37,000+ cumulative child beneficiaries reached. PACES is governed by a Board of Trustees led by founder and Chairman Hani Qattan, with regional offices in Ramallah, Beirut, and Amman and a UK head office responsible for fundraising and governance.

The revenue model is entirely donation-based, drawing from three streams: individual donations via the JustGiving platform and the King Baudouin Foundation for US tax-deductible giving; institutional partnerships and grants from UN agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women), governments (UK, Germany/GIZ, Netherlands, Qatar, Turkey/TIKA), multilaterals (FIFA, OPEC Fund), and corporates (Nike, Coca-Cola, Boeing, HSBC, Manchester City FC, Arab Bank); and special humanitarian appeals, exemplified by the March 2024 Gaza Relief Program ($180,000 over one year) supporting children evacuated from SOS Children's Villages in Rafah. The organization imposes a partnership policy capping individual partner donations at $5,000–$10,000 USD per year, structurally limiting donor concentration. There are no commercial products or services; all funding supports direct program costs and organizational sustainability.

Name

Paces

Legal name

Palestine Association for Children's Encouragement of Sports

Website

https://pacescharity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

PACES is a UK-registered charity that delivers structured after-school sports programs (football, basketball, volleyball) for Palestinian children ages 6-16 in refugee camps and marginalized areas across Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, supported by a network of 260+ local clubs and 2,600+ trained coaches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports-for-Development Charity Programs

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Recreational & Intramural Sports Programs (MPAKACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA)

Keywords

• Youth sports programs
• Sports for development
• After-school sports
• Community sports charity
• Child welfare programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: PACES raises funds from individual supporters through its JustGiving platform and direct giving. Individual donations contribute to both direct program costs and organizational sustainability.
2. Institutional Partnerships and Grants: PACES partners with institutional donors including government agencies, foundations, corporations, and UN agencies who provide grants and programmatic funding. The organization maintains a partnership policy with annual donation floors of $5,000 USD minimum and $10,000 USD maximum per year.
3. Gaza Relief Emergency Response: PACES conducts emergency relief efforts including the evacuation and support of children from Gaza, funded through special appeals and partnerships with organizations like SOS Children's Villages and Yaffa Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PACES delivers structured, free after-school sports programs for Palestinian girls and boys aged 6–16 living in refugee camps and marginalized communities across Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. The annual 9-month cycle (March–November) combines football, basketball, and volleyball training with life-skills and psychosocial support, complemented by coach capacity-building and community tournaments.

Product overview

PACES (Palestine Association for Children's Encouragement of Sports) operates a single unified sports-for-development program rather than a platform-with-modules architecture. The core offering is a 9-month after-school sports program providing structured football, basketball, and volleyball training for children ages 6-16 in refugee camps and marginalized areas across Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. This core program is complemented by: (1) mini-tournaments and external championship participation, (2) capacity building for coaches/assistant coaches through technical and life skills training, (3) partner capacity building for local sports clubs and community organizations, (4) the Gaza Relief Program for humanitarian support, and (5) fun days and community volunteer activities. The program addresses five social goals: health, education, gender equity, employability, and community development. Re-registration of children continues until age 16, with graduate children invited to join as assistant coaches and potentially promoted to head coaches upon meeting qualifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PACES After-School Sports Program Free structured after-school sports training in football, basketball, and volleyball delivered to Palestinian girls and boys aged 6–16 in refugee camps and marginalized communities across Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, running annually from March to November.
• Sports for Development Social Goals Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of coaches noticed an improvement in children's self-confidence
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• SOS Children's Villages PalestinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey humanitarian partner in PACES Gaza Relief Program. In March 2024, PACES supported the evacuation of 68 children from the SOS village in Rafah, Gaza to Bethlehem. 46 of these children were PACES program participants. PACES committed $180,000 over one year for educational support and alternative care services.
• FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIFA supports PACES through football development programs, including participation in international football tournaments and youth development initiatives.
• Manchester City Football ClubnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball club partnership supporting PACES programs through sporting and community development initiatives.
• King Baudouin Foundation (KBFUS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerUS-based foundation partner enabling tax-deductible donations for American donors supporting PACES. Donations can be made through KBFUS for US tax purposes.
• Save the ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational child welfare organization with whom PACES collaborates on child-focused development programs.
• OxfammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development organization collaborating with PACES on humanitarian and development programs.
• Mercy CorpsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational humanitarian organization partnering with PACES on development initiatives.
• International Relief and Development (IRD / Chemonics)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS international development organization partnering on development programs with PACES.
• AneranotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization partnering with PACES on development and humanitarian programs.
• War ChildnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization supporting children affected by war, partnering with PACES on child welfare programs.
• UN Office on Sport for Development and PeacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency focused on sport for development, providing strategic alignment and support to PACES programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Right To Play: Global sports-for-development NGO operating structured sport and play programs for children in marginalized communities. Most direct peer to PACES in mission, methodology, and beneficiary profile.
• War Child: International NGO supporting children affected by war through education, protection, and psychosocial support, including sport-based programming. Listed as an active PACES partner and a direct peer in conflict-affected child welfare.
• PeacePlayers International: Sport-for-development organization using basketball to bridge divides in conflict-affected communities. Comparable to PACES in its use of team sport as a vehicle for child development in fragile contexts.
• streetfootballworld: International network of 130+ sport-for-development organizations using football for social change. PACES is a credible network member and direct peer in the global SFD ecosystem.
• SOS Children's Villages: Global NGO providing alternative care and family strengthening for children without parental care. Direct peer in child-welfare delivery and an active PACES partner on Gaza evacuation programming.
• Coaches Across Continents: US-based NGO partnering with local community organizations to deliver sport-based social impact programs across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Closely comparable to PACES' coach-capacity-building and community-club partnership model.

Regional players

• Anera: US-based NGO operating humanitarian and development programs in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan. Direct regional peer to PACES with overlapping donor base and overlapping beneficiary geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation funding and convening sport-for-development programs worldwide. Operates as a funder/network rather than direct implementer but is a key peer in shaping PACES' competitive funding landscape.
• Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian NGO with active programming in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. Listed as a PACES partner and a broad-incumbent peer competing for the same institutional aid and grant funding.
• Beyond Sport: Global organization that supports and convenes sport-for-development initiatives, providing funding, accelerator programs, and a global summit. Functions as a peer in the broader SFD support ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pacescharity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/PACESCharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/PACESCharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacescharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/pacescharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paces