High Impact Athletes
High Impact Athletes is a registered 501(c)(3) charity that connects professional athletes and donors to rigorously vetted, evidence-based charitable causes, passing 100% of donations through to vetted organizations and operating sub-brands in climate, gender-based violence prevention, and mass-participation fundraising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSalisbury, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What High Impact Athletes does
High Impact Athletes (HIA) is a registered 501(c)(3) charity in the United States (EIN 87-3955308) and a registered charity in New Zealand (NZBN 9429051241278), founded in 2020 by New Zealand Olympians Marcus Daniell and Hugo Inglis. The organization operates a web-based donation platform that connects professional athletes to a curated set of rigorously vetted charitable causes, with donors able to give into the Maximum Good Portfolio (which auto-splits across all five cause areas: global health and poverty, animal welfare, climate, gender-based violence, and mental health) or into specific portfolios. Professional athletes run performance-based pledging campaigns (e.g., $1 per centimeter cleared in high jump, $20 per vault cleared) through the platform, and the Race for Impact partnership with HYROX extends mass-participation fundraising to everyday athletes competing in fitness events. All donations pass through 100% to vetted charities evaluated by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and Founders Pledge, with HIA's own operations funded entirely by external grant-makers rather than fees on donations.
The business model is a pass-through donation platform with no fees retained on donor contributions; operating revenue comes from external grants and from co-branded campaigns for sports organizations and corporate partners that generate earned media (cited at $5M+ earned media value and 215M+ people reached). Distribution is digital-direct: HIA's website, athlete-owned social channels, a fortnightly newsletter, HYROX event activations, and earned media in outlets including Forbes. The technology stack is built on Squarespace for web, Raisely for fundraising infrastructure, Customer.io for email lifecycle, and Strava for activity tracking, with sub-brands Sport One Carbon Zero (climate) and the 1in3 Fund (gender-based violence prevention) extending the product surface.
Customer segments split across three primary groups: professional athletes (430+ across 36 countries and 51 sports), corporate and sports-organization partners running co-branded campaigns, and the general public donating directly or via Race for Impact events. The leadership team is distributed across Auckland, London, Bali, and Brisbane with approximately 14 staff, supplemented by an advisory board that includes philosopher Peter Singer and effective-altruism-aligned experts across the five cause areas. Since founding, HIA has raised over $6M for vetted causes and reported impact estimates of 483,916+ human lives improved, 7,155,349+ animal lives improved, and 872,784+ tonnes of CO2e mitigated as of 2025.
High Impact Athletes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- High Impact Athletes
- Legal name
- High Impact Athletes
- Website
- https://highimpactathletes.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- High Impact Athletes is a registered 501(c)(3) charity that connects professional athletes and donors to rigorously vetted, evidence-based charitable causes, passing 100% of donations through to vetted organizations and operating sub-brands in climate, gender-based violence prevention, and mass-participation fundraising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
High Impact Athletes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Athlete Philanthropy Services
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ)
Keywords
Where High Impact Athletes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salisbury
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
High Impact Athletes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations & Charitable Giving: HIA receives donations from the public which are passed through entirely to vetted cause organizations. 100% of donor contributions go to nonprofit partners. HIA is fully funded through external grant-makers who believe in the HIA mission, ensuring zero fees are taken from donations.
- Branded Campaigns for Organizations: Partner organizations co-brand campaigns with HIA athletes, generating earned media while directing donations to verified high-impact causes. These campaigns reach 215M+ people globally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Maximum Good Portfolio — split evenly across all five cause areas |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
High Impact Athletes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
High Impact Athletes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects professional athletes with rigorously vetted, evidence-based charitable causes. Athletes run performance-based fundraising campaigns (e.g., pledging per centimeter cleared or per game won), and donors give through the Maximum Good Portfolio or to specific cause area portfolios spanning global health, animal welfare, climate, gender-based violence, and mental health. The Race for Impact program extends this to mass-participation fundraising through HYROX events. 100% of donations pass through to vetted nonprofit partners.
Product overview
High Impact Athletes is a philanthropic platform connecting athletes with evidence-based charitable causes. The core offering includes the Maximum Good Portfolio for diversified giving, individual athlete pledging campaigns with performance-based fundraising mechanics, and five specialized cause area portfolios. The platform's main branded initiatives are Sport One Carbon Zero (climate), the 1in3 Fund (gender-based violence prevention), and Race for Impact (mass participation events with HYROX). All donations are directed to vetted organizations evaluated by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and Founders Pledge, with 100% of donations reaching the causes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sport One Carbon Zero (SOCZ): Sport's most impactful climate initiative that unites athletes behind cutting carbon at the source across aviation, energy, and materials that build sport.
- 1in3
- Race for Impact
- Maximum Good Portfolio
Quantifiable outcome
- 483,916+ human lives improved; 7,155,349+ animal lives improved; 872,784+ tonnes of CO2e mitigated (as of 2025 estimates)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use High Impact Athletes
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
High Impact Athletes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature1 record
High Impact Athletes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HYROXcoreHIA's Race for Impact is a partnership with HYROX — the world's largest fitness race format. HYROX racers can fundraise for HIA's vetted causes as they train and compete, creating a mass-participation fundraising channel that engages everyday athletes globally.
- Sport One Carbon Zero (SOCZ)coreSport One Carbon Zero is sport's most impactful climate initiative, uniting athletes behind cutting carbon at the source. SOCZ funds proven climate solutions across aviation, energy, and materials. HIA athletes run SOCZ campaigns pledging per performance metrics (cm cleared, runs scored, digs, etc.) with funds directed to SOCZ's vetted climate organizations including Opportunity Green, Clean Air Task Force, Future Clean Tech Architects, and Project Innerspace.
- GreysuitsminorGreysuits matches every dollar contributed by Gaby Dabrowski in her Games for Good campaign, doubling the impact of her pledges to prevent violence against women and girls via the 1in3 fund.
- 1in3core1in3 is a global athlete movement to end gender-based violence — 1 in 3 women worldwide face violence in their lifetime. HIA partnered with expert researchers to create The 1in3 Fund, supporting the most impactful organizations worldwide working to prevent gender-based violence. Organizations funded include CEDOVIP, Breakthrough Trust, Kenya Land Alliance, and others.
- GiveWellcoreGiveWell identifies charities that can save or improve lives the most per dollar, spending 40,000+ hours annually on research. HIA relies on GiveWell's rigorous evaluation to identify top-tier organizations in global health and poverty. HIA only recommends a very small number of organizations vetted by GiveWell.
- The Life You Can SavecoreFounded by philosopher Peter Singer, The Life You Can Save curates nonprofits that save or improve the most lives per dollar. HIA uses their research to recommend impactful organizations, particularly in mental health and global health.
- Founders PledgecoreFounders Pledge provides evidence-led research showing the very best giving opportunities are orders of magnitude better at producing results. HIA uses their research for animal welfare recommendations and to ensure athletes support true champions of the for-purpose world.
- Sanku — Project Healthy ChildrencoreSanku provides community-based malnutrition treatment and prevention. HIA athlete Olivia McTaggart runs a campaign pledging $20 per vault cleared in competition, with funds directed to Sanku. Every $1 protects 10 children from malnutrition for a year.
- GiveDirectlycoreGiveDirectly is a GiveWell-recommended organization in HIA's Global Health & Poverty portfolio, providing direct cash transfers to people in poverty.
- Evidence ActioncoreEvidence Action's Safe Water Now program installs chlorine dispensers next to untreated water sources. At less than $1.50 per person per year, it is one of the most cost-effective approaches to unsafe water. Included in HIA's Global Health & Poverty portfolio.
- Against Malaria FoundationcoreAMF distributes long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets to protect children from malaria. At $2.77 per child protected for up to 5 years, it is GiveWell-recommended and included in HIA's Global Health & Poverty portfolio.
- Helen Keller InternationalcoreHKI's Vitamin A Supplementation Program provides critical nutrition to children at risk for vitamin A deficiency at an average cost of $1.23 per child. GiveWell-recommended and part of HIA's Global Health & Poverty portfolio.
- New IncentivescoreNew Incentives educates caregivers about vaccinating children and disburses cash incentives conditional on infants receiving life-saving vaccines through government clinics. GiveWell-recommended and part of HIA's Global Health & Poverty portfolio.
- The Humane LeaguecoreThe Humane League wins corporate commitments to phase out cages and crates in factory farming through targeted campaigns. Has secured over 300 major cage-free policies. Animal Charity Evaluators Top Charity. Included in HIA's Animal Welfare portfolio.
- Good Food InstitutecoreGFI accelerates the development of plant-based and cell-cultured meat alternatives. Helped secure $390M in government funding for sustainable protein innovation in 2022 alone. Included in HIA's Animal Welfare portfolio.
- StrongMindscoreStrongMinds improves mental health of women in poverty in Africa by training local therapists to deliver group talk therapy. Included in HIA's Mental Health portfolio. Recommended by Giving What We Can.
- Opportunity GreencoreOpportunity Green is a UK-based nonprofit using legal, policy, and economic tools to cut aviation and maritime shipping emissions — sectors that make up ~65% of sport's carbon footprint. Part of Sport One Carbon Zero.
- Clean Air Task ForcecoreCATF advances technologies and policies to cut emissions across entire economies, focusing on clean firm power, zero-carbon fuels, geothermal, grid decarbonization, aviation, and shipping. Part of Sport One Carbon Zero.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
High Impact Athletes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Athletes for Hope: US-based nonprofit mobilizing professional athletes to engage in philanthropy and community service. Directly comparable to HIA in mission (athlete-led giving) and operating model, though HIA differentiates on evidence-based charity vetting and performance-based pledge mechanics.
- Pledge 1%: Corporate philanthropy movement encouraging companies and employees to pledge 1% of equity, profit, time, and product. Comparable as a pledge-based philanthropy platform with similar 'remove friction' positioning.
- Athlete Ally: Athlete-driven LGBTQ+ advocacy organization mobilizing closeted and ally athletes for social impact. Comparable as a movement-style athlete philanthropy platform with thematic causes, though narrower in cause focus.
- Giving What We Can: Effective-giving pledge community directing members to top-rated charities and research organizations. Comparable in mission (effective giving) and shares pledger overlap with HIA's athlete base (Marcus Daniell is a GWWC pledger).
- One for the World: Workplace giving organization directing pledgers to GiveWell-recommended charities. Comparable to HIA's effective-giving engine and shares leadership overlap (Jack Lewars, HIA Board Chair, was previously OFTW Executive Director).
Broad incumbents
- Laureus Sport for Good: Global sports-for-development foundation supporting programs using sport to address social issues. Comparable as an established athlete-aligned philanthropy platform, though Laureus funds sport-based interventions rather than routing athletes to external high-impact charities.
- Right To Play: International nonprofit using sport to educate and empower children in disadvantaged communities. Comparable as a sport-and-social-impact operator and a frequent partner/peer of sport-philanthropy initiatives globally.
- Charity Navigator: Largest US charity evaluator and donor-information platform. Comparable as a charity-evaluation infrastructure layer, though a much larger incumbent serving general donors rather than the athlete segment.
- Beyond Sport: Global sport-for-social-impact network and fund supporting organizations using sport as a development tool. Comparable as a sport-and-social-impact aggregator, though it focuses on sport as intervention rather than sport as a fundraising channel.
Others
- The Life You Can Save: Effective-altruism nonprofit founded by philosopher Peter Singer curating top-rated charities. Sits as a research/evaluation partner to HIA but overlaps in mission of directing donors to high-impact organizations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
High Impact Athletes social profiles
Digital presenceHigh Impact Athletes compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
High Impact Athletes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
High Impact Athletes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
High Impact Athletes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
High Impact Athletes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about High Impact Athletes
What does High Impact Athletes do?
High Impact Athletes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects professional athletes with rigorously vetted, evidence-based charitable causes. Athletes run performance-based fundraising campaigns (e.g., pledging per centimeter cleared or per game won), and donors give through the Maximum Good Portfolio or to specific cause area portfolios spanning global health, animal welfare, climate, gender-based violence, and mental health. The Race for Impact program extends this to mass-participation fundraising through HYROX events. 100% of donations pass through to vetted nonprofit partners.
Is High Impact Athletes a public or private company?
High Impact Athletes is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was High Impact Athletes founded?
High Impact Athletes was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is High Impact Athletes based?
High Impact Athletes is headquartered in Salisbury, United States, in the North America region.
How does High Impact Athletes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations & Charitable Giving is the primary driver. The others are branded Campaigns for Organizations.
Who are High Impact Athletes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Athletes for Hope, Pledge 1%, Athlete Ally, Giving What We Can and One for the World. Broad incumbents are Laureus Sport for Good, Right To Play, Charity Navigator and Beyond Sport. The Life You Can Save is listed as an others.
Does High Impact Athletes have an API?
No public API is recorded for High Impact Athletes.
What industry is High Impact Athletes in?
High Impact Athletes's product category is Athlete Philanthropy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support), with a secondary code of MPAKALAJ, Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs). Its NAICS code is 813212.