Access to sport and recreation is more than just an opportunity to play. It’s a pathway to wellness, social connection, and community growth. For Indigenous communities across Ontario, ISWO's Community Sport Fund (CSF) is making this pathway more accessible than ever.

What is the Community Sport Fund?

The Community Sport Fund (CSF) is a key initiative of ISWO’s Well Nation program, designed to increase opportunities for participation in sport, recreation, and physical activity. But the CSF goes beyond just games and exercise. The CSF is about building community capacity, supporting wellness, and reducing behaviours that can have long-term negative consequences.

Supported by the Government of Canada under STREAM 1 of the Sport for Social Development in Indigenous Communities (SSDIC) initiative, the CSF helps fund projects that use sport as a positive force for social change.

The goal? To achieve meaningful social development outcomes in Indigenous communities, with a focus on culturally grounded activities that support overall wellness.

Why Access to Sport Matters

Sport and recreation are powerful tools for community development. They bring people together, foster leadership, and create safe spaces for youth and adults alike. For remote and rural communities, where opportunities for organized sport may be limited, and for large urban Indigenous populations facing barriers to participation, the CSF is a lifeline.

By making sport and physical activity more accessible to people of all ages and abilities, the CSF helps communities:

• Increase participation in organized sports and recreation
• Build local capacity to deliver more and better programs
• Promote wellness through culturally relevant activities
• Encourage positive social behaviours and outcomes

What Programs Are Eligible?

The CSF takes a broad view of “sport.” Any activity that includes a physical component and is chosen and supported by the community can be eligible. This means recreation and physical activity programs, when designed to meet community needs, are just as important as traditional sports.

To qualify, projects must show how they will:

• Lead to new or continued sport participation opportunities
• Increase the number of people involved in organized sports
• Build the community’s ability to deliver more or better programs
• (For Stream 2) Encourage and enhance the participation of Indigenous women and girls in sport at all stages of life

Who Can Apply?

The CSF is open to:

• First Nation, Métis, or Inuit community associations in Ontario
• Established Indigenous youth groups in Ontario
• Indigenous not-for-profit organizations in Ontario
• Indigenous governing bodies or authorities in Ontario
• Not-for-profit organizations, clubs, and associations in Ontario that work directly with Indigenous communities

All activities and programs must take place in Ontario, and ISWO reviews each application for eligibility.

Two Streams of Funding

• Stream 1: For broad community sport and recreation programming, aiming to build capacity, enhance safety and wellbeing, and reduce negative behaviours.
• Stream 2: Specifically supports initiatives that encourage the participation and retention of Indigenous women and girls in sport, building on the goals of Stream 1.

Looking Ahead

While the application period for the 2025 fund closed on April 1, 2025, communities can look forward to the next round of funding, with dates for the 2026 fund to be announced in spring 2026.

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