Sports4Kids

What Sports4Kids does

Sports4Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Diego, California, founded in 2020 by then-11-year-old Arden Pala after he discovered that Perkins Elementary School had eliminated its athletics program due to budget cuts. The organization provides free sports clinics, volunteer opportunities, and direct aid (food, back-to-school backpacks, hygiene kits, care packages) to homeless and low-income youth, primarily in San Diego County. Its program portfolio comprises three core offerings: Bond & Play (weekly in-school sports clinics led by youth volunteer coaches at partner elementary schools), Community Connect (bimonthly and annual volunteer events such as Back2School and Bags of Hope at shelters and soup kitchens), and the GearUp Initiative (a nationwide campaign to collect and donate sports equipment to low-income communities, with a stated 100,000-piece goal). A Volunteer Portal provides event registration and hour tracking for participants.

The business model is a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit with no paid headcount; the organization is 100% volunteer-run. Revenue is sourced from individual donations processed through a tiered website portal ($25, $50, $100, $250), foundation and corporate grants (Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, Aspen Institute/Allstate Foundation, Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation, Lucky Duck Foundation), and in-kind corporate sponsorships (Starbucks, Target, Barnes & Noble, Cox, Albertsons, Hershey, ECCO Sports). All programs are free to participants. Sports4Kids operates as a fiscally sponsored project of Mission Edge San Diego, which provides administrative and fiduciary back-office support. The organization has cumulatively raised over $350,000, reached 7,500+ individuals, and assembled 7,000 hygiene kits and 25,000 pounds of food donations per its 2026 impact disclosures. Recognition includes Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year 2024, the President's Lifetime Volunteer Service Award (Gold), and a City of San Diego declaration of "Arden Pala Day" in 2025.

Name

Sports4Kids

Legal name

Sports4Kids

Website

https://sports4.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sports4Kids is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit in San Diego that provides free sports clinics, volunteer events, and direct aid (food, backpacks, care packages) to homeless and low-income youth, funded by individual donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Nonprofit Community Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management (MPAKAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), Youth & Amateur Sports Tournaments (MPAGAMAF), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Youth sports programs
• Nonprofit community services
• Volunteer engagement
• Sports equipment donations
• Youth mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations: Sports4Kids receives donations from individual donors through their website donation portal. The organization offers tiered donation options at $25, $50, $100, and $250 levels with specific impact descriptions for each.
2. Grants: Sports4Kids receives grants from foundations and corporate partners including Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, Aspen Institute, The Allstate Foundation, and Lucky Duck Foundation to support their programs.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial and in-kind support. Notable sponsors include Starbucks, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation, Barnes & Noble, Cox, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sports4Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free sports clinics and community service programs to homeless and low-income youth in San Diego County. Its Bond & Play program runs weekly sports and fitness clinics at low-income elementary schools, Community Connect organizes volunteer events and annual drives such as Back2School and Bags of Hope, and the GearUp Initiative collects and donates sports equipment nationwide. Programs are delivered free of charge and are funded by individual donations, corporate sponsors, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Sports4Kids is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of youth-focused community programs. Its core programs include Bond & Play (sports clinics in low-income schools), Community Connect (community volunteer events and annual drives), and the GearUp Initiative (sports equipment donation program). The organization also provides a Volunteer Portal as a technology platform for managing events and tracking volunteer hours. These programs work together to provide sports opportunities and community engagement for homeless and low-income youth in San Diego.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bond & Play Sports and fitness clinics delivered in elementary schools serving low-income communities, led by youthful volunteer coaches, focusing on games and sports to promote teamwork and inclusion for homeless and low-income youth.
• Community Connect Community volunteer events for kids of all ages, including bimonthly smaller group events (soup kitchen serving, shelter cooking, holiday decorating) and annual larger events (Back2School backpack drive and Bags of Hope holiday drive).
• GearUp Initiative Nationwide call to action for middle and high school students to collect and donate sports equipment to low-income communities, with a goal of 100,000 pieces of sports equipment collected and distributed.
• Sports4Kids Volunteer Portal Online platform for volunteers to browse and register for events including sports clinics and assembly initiatives, track volunteer hours, and receive news and updates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ homeless children introduced to team sports
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• StarbucksmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Strategic partnership to combat childhood hunger. Collection boxes for non-perishable food donations were set up in 20 local Starbucks stores in anticipation of Youth Service Day.
• Aspen Institute - Project PlaymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Service Learning Through Sports grant recipient. Program inspired by Aspen Institute's School Sports Equity Toolkit to expand youth-led after school sports clinics.
• Lucky Duck FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Major partner providing funding and support. Lucky Duck Foundation has donated $7,500 for Bags of Hope events and supports basketball programs with equipment including basketballs, jerseys, and water bottles. CEO Drew Moser serves as an advisor to the organization.
• Francis Parker SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Arden Pala's school which has provided support and where Sports4Kids programs originated. Serves as a hub for volunteer recruitment.
• Barnes & NoblemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Corporate sponsor that has donated books for holiday giveaways and supports literacy initiatives.
• Youth Service America (YSA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner organization that awarded Sodexo Youth Grant and organizes Global Youth Service Day.
• Harlem Globetrotters (Saul 'Flip' White)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Professional athlete visited Perkins Elementary to entertain kids during basketball program and serve as role model.
• CoxminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Corporate sponsor listed on partners page.
• AlbertsonsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Corporate sponsor/partner.
• ECCO SportsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Sports-related corporate partner.
• Young HeroesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Grantee partner organization.
• ICACminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner organization listed on website.
• Mission Edge San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Sports4Kids is a fiscally sponsored project of Mission Edge San Diego (EIN: 27-2938491), providing administrative and operational support.
• Interfaith Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Long-time partner where Arden started volunteering at age 4. Sports4Kids hosts dinner service events and Bag of Hope packing events at this shelter. CEO Greg Anglea serves as an advisor.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Right to Play: Global nonprofit using sport and play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Comparable as a sport-for-development nonprofit serving underserved youth, though Right to Play operates internationally and at significantly larger scale.
• Laureus Sport for Good USA: Foundation funding sport-for-development programs serving underserved youth in the U.S. and globally. Comparable mission (sport as a tool for youth development for disadvantaged communities) and shares the same funder universe that backs Sports4Kids (Aspen/Allstate ecosystem).
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest U.S. youth-development nonprofit providing sports, recreation, and education programs in underserved neighborhoods. Shares the youth-sports-for-low-income-families mission but operates a national facility network versus Sports4Kids' school-based, volunteer-led model.
• Police Athletic League (National PAL): National nonprofit network providing youth sports and recreation programs, often in underserved urban communities. Comparable as a multi-city sport-for-youth nonprofit but with a much older established model and infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Good Sports: Nonprofit that donates sports equipment to youth in need across the U.S., founded by a then-teenager. Highly comparable to Sports4Kids' GearUp Initiative — both are equipment-donation models serving low-income youth, and Good Sports has scaled nationally.
• Street Soccer USA: Nonprofit that creates soccer-based programming for people experiencing homelessness and poverty in U.S. cities. Directly comparable as a domestic nonprofit leveraging sport as a pathway out of homelessness for underserved youth and adults.
• Youth Service America: Nonpartner organization that has awarded Youth Grants (including Sodexo) to Sports4Kids. Youth-led service mobilization in U.S. schools — directly comparable peer and current active partner of Sports4Kids.
• Up2Us Sports: National nonprofit training coaches to deliver sports-based youth development in underserved communities. Directly comparable as a U.S. nonprofit using sport to drive outcomes for low-income youth, with overlapping funder base.

Others

• Aspen Institute Project Play: Aspen initiative focused on youth sport access and equity, including the Allstate-funded Service Learning through Sports grant that has funded Sports4Kids. Acts as both an ecosystem convener and a comparable youth-sport-access thought leader.
• National Recreation and Park Association: National network advancing park and recreation services for underserved communities. Adjacent ecosystem organization; not a direct competitor but a relevant peer in the youth sports access space that Sports4Kids operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@newcomersproduction-ardenp7969
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kids4SportsSD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports4kids-ca

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sports4Kids