art4sport

What art4sport does

art4sport (legal name: ART4SPORT Ente del Terzo Settore) is an Italian nonprofit foundation founded in 2009 and headquartered in Mogliano Veneto (Treviso), Italy. It was established based on the story of Paralympic fencing champion Beatrice "Bebe" Vio Grandis to help children and young people with limb amputations return to physical activity through sport. The organization's core function is to study, design, and finance custom-built sports prostheses and adaptive equipment that enable beneficiaries to practice Paralympic sports; the high unit cost of these devices is the central barrier the foundation removes. The legal form is an Ente del Terzo Settore (ETS) under Italian D.Lgs. 117/2017, governed by a Consiglio Direttivo with Teresa Angela Grandis serving as President and legal representative.

The foundation supports a deliberately small cohort of beneficiaries — 51 young athletes, with 220 prostheses and sports aids provided cumulatively and 250 events and projects organized. Beyond direct equipment provision, the organization runs an integrated program portfolio: the WEmbrace event family (Games, Snow, Sport, Awards), the Bebe Vio Academy (free training facilities launched October 2021 at Pala Iseo, Milan), the wheelchair fencing program, recurring "fly2" Paralympic preparation campaigns (fly2tokyo, fly2paris), charity marathon participation, school outreach, and driving safety courses. The commercial product line consists of solidarity merchandise (greeting cards, T-shirts, books authored by Bebe Vio, Murano glassware by Componenti Donà S.r.l.) sold via email request rather than an online store.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropy and charitable mechanisms rather than commercial sales. Streams include individual and corporate donations via PayPal, Satispay, and IBAN bank transfer (CentroMarcaBanca), the Italian 5x1000 tax designation (historically €45K-€70K annually, with €45,617 received in 2024), charity product sales, and event-driven fundraising through marathons and charity dinners. Marketing and donor acquisition are conducted via owned social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, X) and recurring event activations. Corporate partnerships include Fondazione Cariplo (financial support), Nike (school programs and marathons), KoRo (co-branded initiative), and the Bebe Vio Academy.

Name

art4sport

Legal name

ART4SPORT Ente del Terzo Settore

Website

https://art4sport.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paralympic Sports Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adaptive & Para-Sport Event Organizers (MPAKADAM), Sports & Active Rehabilitation Devices (Adaptive Sports Mobility, Performance Prosthetics) (HLAHAMAJ), Adaptive & Para-Sport Coaching (HSADAEAM)

Keywords

• Paralympic sports prosthetics
• Youth amputee programs
• Adaptive sports equipment
• Nonprofit fundraising events
• Disability sports inclusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Mogliano Veneto

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual and corporate donations received through various channels including PayPal, Satispay, and bank transfer. Donors can contribute preset amounts (€10, €25, €50, €100, €250) or custom amounts.
2. 5x1000 Tax Designation: Italian tax mechanism allowing taxpayers to designate 0.5% of their income tax to eligible non-profit organizations. art4sport receives annual 5x1000 allocations, historically ranging from €45,000 to €70,000 per year.
3. Charity Products: Sale of solidarity products including greeting cards, T-shirts, books authored by Bebe Vio, and Murano glassware. Products feature designs created by Bebe Vio.
4. Fundraising Events: Organized fundraising events including charity marathons (Milan City Marathon, Venice Marathon, Rome Marathon), charity dinners, and awareness events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

art4sport is a non-profit foundation that studies, designs, and finances custom sports prostheses and adaptive equipment for children and young people with limb amputations, enabling their participation in Paralympic sports. Beyond prosthesis provision, the foundation delivers a portfolio of programs including the Bebe Vio Academy, WEmbrace Sport, WEmbrace Snow, WEmbrace Awards, and the WEmbrace Games inclusive sports event, alongside school inclusion initiatives and road-safety courses for new amputees.

Product overview

Fondazione art4sport ETS is a nonprofit organization (Ente del Terzo Settore) that helps children and young people with limb amputations return to sports through Paralympic activities. The organization studies, creates, and finances costly sports prostheses and equipment necessary for Paralympic sports practice. The core offering centers on providing sports prostheses and equipment to young athletes, supported by event programs including WEmbrace Games, WEmbrace Snow, WEmbrace Sport, and WEmbrace Awards. The Bebe Vio Academy provides free training programs. Additional programs include wheelchair fencing, fly2tokyo/fly2paris Paralympic preparation projects, charity marathons, and school outreach. The organization also sells charity products including greeting cards, T-shirts, books by Bebe Vio, and Murano glass items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WEmbrace: WEmbrace Games, WEmbrace Awards, WEmbrace Sport, WEmbrace Snow - events promoting integration between people with and without disabilities.
• Bebe Vio Academy
• fly2tokyo
• fly2paris

Products and services

• Custom Sports Prostheses

Quantifiable outcome

• 51 young athletes supported with sports prosthetics
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bebe Vio AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bebe Vio Academy offers free access to training, facilities, and sports programs for young people with disabilities. art4sport supports this initiative through fundraising.
• KoRominorGTM or Marketing PartnerKoRo collaborated with Bebe Vio Grandis to celebrate uniqueness, sport, and solidarity through a partnership announcement in September 2025.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNike has partnered with art4sport for school programs (A scuola con Nike) and marathon events (Milano City Marathon 2019 with Nike).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Move United: National US organization (formerly Disabled Sports USA) delivering adaptive sports programs across community chapters. Directly comparable mission of enabling participation in sports for people with physical disabilities.
• National Sports Center for the Disabled: Colorado-based nonprofit providing adaptive sports instruction and programs for individuals with disabilities. Comparable in delivering hands-on training, equipment access, and year-round program offerings.
• Challenged Athletes Foundation: US-based nonprofit that provides grants and funding for adaptive sports equipment, including prosthetic limbs, to athletes with physical disabilities. Closest international analogue to art4sport's funding-and-equipment model for Paralympic athletes.
• High Fives Foundation: US nonprofit providing grants and adaptive sports resources to injured and disabled athletes. Shares the equipment-financing and adaptive athlete development focus, with a US ski/winter sport emphasis.

Others

• Ottobock: Global leader in prosthetic manufacturing including sports-specific prosthetic components. Comparable as a supplier-side counterpart in the adaptive sports prosthetics value chain that art4sport ultimately depends on.
• Fondazione Telethon: Major Italian nonprofit raising funds for genetic disease research via media-driven telethon events. Comparable in Italian nonprofit fundraising scale, donor activation model, and media-event-driven GTM.
• Comitato Italiano Paralimpico (CIP): Official Italian Paralympic Committee governing Paralympic sport nationally. Operates at a higher federations/governance layer than art4sport but addresses the same ecosystem of Italian Paralympic athletes and events.

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics Italia: Italian affiliate of Special Olympics, a global disability-sport organization. Comparable in scale and brand, but focuses on athletes with intellectual disabilities rather than limb amputations, so only partial mission overlap.

Emerging players

• Dare2tri: US-based smaller nonprofit providing adaptive triathlon training and equipment grants. Comparable in niche focus on adaptive sports equipment financing for amputee/paralympic athletes, though narrower in sport scope.

Regional players

• Sportability UK: UK charity providing sport opportunities for people with acquired disabilities, particularly amputees. Highly comparable mission but operates in the UK rather than Italy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/art4sportONLUS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHWjwGkkC6gPnWYStb6w42Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/art4sport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art4sport
• Instagraminstagram.com/art4sportonlus
• TikToktiktok.com/@art4sportonlus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 art4sport