New Round of Play for Equity Grants Advancing Gender and Disability Justice through Sport in the Pacific
Investing in community solutions for gender and disability justice through sport.
Grantees from across the Pacific have been selected to receive funding in the fourth round of the Play for Equity Fund, supporting innovative community programs that advance gender and disability justice and help create safer, more inclusive sporting spaces.
The Play for Equity Fund, delivered through a partnership between the Australian Government’s Team Up program and International Olympic Committee through Olympism365 contributes to the objectives of the Oceania Impact Network.
Grant recipients from Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands and Kiribati were selected by an independent committee comprising Pacific-based experts in women’s rights, feminist activism, disability inclusion and sport.
The grants will support diverse initiatives that work with people with disabilities, Pacific Islanders of Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expressions, and Sex Characteristics (PIDSOGIESC) and women and girls using sports such as rugby union, netball, volleyball, athletics, basketball, modified games and traditional games to drive inclusion and participation.
Team Up Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Safeguarding Advisor Roshika Deo highlighted the importance of accessible funding mechanisms for organisations working at community level.
“It has been great to see the grants increasingly being accessed by disability people’s organisations where they have become system designers instead of service recipients. They design and decide on the activities and its delivery; directly serving their constituents. Furthermore, creative collaborations have emerged between women-led activities and sporting organisations, especially in reviving traditional sports and expanding access to girls and Pacific Islanders of Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristic,” said Ms Deo.
The International Olympic Committee’s Olympism365 initiative emphasised the importance of investing in locally driven sport programs that advance equity, inclusion and community wellbeing.
“In the Pacific, change lasts when communities develop solutions that fit their own realities. With the Play for Equity Fund, the IOC is proud to support local organisations in leading that transformation, breaking down barriers and establishing safe sporting spaces for everyone. Our partnership with the Australian Government’s Team Up program under the Oceania Impact network enables us to scale this impact – reaching more women and girls, people with disabilities, and diverse communities,” said Auvita Rapilla, IOC Member from Papua New Guinea and Chair of the IOC Olympism365 Commission.
Since 2022, the Australian Government’s Team Up program has supported individuals and organisations across the Pacific to deliver small, community-led projects that promote gender and disability justice through sport. With the International Olympic Committee joining as a partner through the Oceania Impact Network, the impact of the Play for Equity Fund has expanded significantly. With this latest intake, Play for Equity now supports 87 grant recipients across 13 Pacific Island countries, contributing to safer, more inclusive spaces for people to participate, connect and thrive through sport and play.
In addition to this, the second round of Play for Equity Tuvalu fund made possible through the Falepili Union between Tuvalu and Australia was confirmed with four new grantees provided with funding to support their activities.
