LISC/Foot Locker Foundation Community Empowerment Program

This application form captures preliminary information for organizations seeking grants and technical assistance to organizations that offer a range of services for young people, including health and wellness, education and life skills support, mentoring, and workforce development. The program offers two levels of funding: 1) Grants that will support current youth programming, create new programming, or extend existing programming. These grants will range from $25,000 to $75,000 over one year; or 2) Grants to support capital improvement projects that enhance the impact of youth programming. Funding will range from $25,000 to $100,000 over one year.

In addition to providing a brief description about your proposed program or project, please be prepared to respond to a few questions about your organization and its staff, current programs, and current funding on pages 3, 4, and 5 (all applicants may not see each page of the application) and upload attachments on page 6. To preview the questions, you'll have to accept the Terms and Conditions below and declare your organizational structure on the next page.

Responses are due no later than 11:59 PM (EDT) on September 30, 2025. There will be no exceptions to this deadline granted. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications well in advance of the deadline.

Terms and Conditions

Applicants may apply only once, and grants will be limited to one per organization; duplicate application submissions and funding requests will not be considered. Priority will be given to organizations that serve youth in low-moderate income areas within the following key Foot Locker markets: Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Newark, New Jersey; New York City; New York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Francisco, California; and Tampa, Florida, including areas of Pinellas County, Clearwater Florida, and St. Petersburg, Florida. Additionally, Washington, District of Columbia is also included.

Organizations must have a mission aligned with one of three Foot Locker Foundation social impact pillars: Community Outreach (health and wellness, including parks and recreation), Mentorship, and Career Development. Other eligibility criteria may apply.

To be eligible for the Program, organizations applying for grant funds must meet all the criteria listed below:

Be a community-based organization, serving a neighborhood consisting primarily of low to moderate-income households.
Have at least one full-time staff person (all volunteer organizations will not be considered).
Be in existence for at least three years.
Have an annual revenue of less than $5 million
Have a proven track record in programming, operations, or facilities management.
Have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
Located in one of the Program Target Markets (listed above).

If your organization is selected as a finalist, you will be notified via email. Being selected as a finalist does not guarantee a grant will be awarded. As a finalist, additional documentation will be required.

Privacy: Information provided through the application process is the responsibility of each applicant. Applications submitted to the portal remain confidential to the public and any fellow applicants. Applicants will not hold LISC, Foot Locker, or either of their respective affiliates, and/or their affiliates’ respective members, partners, directors, officers and employees, and agents liable for any losses, damage, costs, or expenses of any kind relating to the use or the adequacy, accuracy, or completeness of any information loaded in the form. For further information please see LISC’s privacy policy. Data entered on this secure form utilizes Form Assembly. More info.

Conflict of Interest: Current directors, officers, employees and contractors of LISC or Foot Locker and such individuals' family members (spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and spouses of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) may not be eligible to receive an award.

Monitoring: LISC will monitor and conduct evaluation activities funded by the grant. This will involve a review of quantitative or qualitative data needed to understand the impact of the fund.

Submission Guidance: Once application is submitted, you will not be able to make changes or add additional documentation. LISC cannot accept changes to your application once it has been submitted, so please review it carefully. Your work may not be saved if you leave the web page before submitting the application. You may also lose your work if your internet is disconnected, or because of other potential web browser issues. Chrome is the preferred browser.

You will see a confirmation page after successful completion of this application.

1. I acknowledge I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions stated above:

YesNo

Organizational Information

10.1 Applicant organization primary street address

Enter the street address where day-to-day operations take place (example: 1100 Wilson Street).
Do not use PO Box addresses.

10.2 Applicant organization city or town

10.3 Applicant organization state or territory

10.4 Applicant organization primary zip code

11. Is the address listed above the address where this project/program will be delivered?

YesNo

11.1 Street address of the project/program

Enter the street address where program delivery will occur (example: 1100 Wilson Street).
Do not use PO Box addresses.

11.2 Project/program city or town

11.3 Project/program state or territory

11.4 Project/program zip code

12.1 Organization's website

If the organization does not have a website, please enter N/A.

12.2 Organization's social media address (enter social media web address or handle)

If the organization does not have a social media presence, please enter N/A.

13. Briefly describe the applicant organization's mission, programs, and service area:

Max 1,000 characters

14. Has the applicant organization previously been awarded through the LISC/Foot Locker Community Empowerment Grant Program?

Yes, this organization has been previously awardedNo, this organization has applied in the past, but has not been awardedNo, this organization has never applied for this program

15. In what year was the applicant organization formed?

Organization's Point of Contact for this Grant Opportunity

16.1 First name:

Max 40 characters

16.2 Last name:

Max 80 characters

16.3 Job title / role with applicant organization:

Example: Executive Director, Board President, Grants Administrator
Max 80 characters

16.4 Primary Email for applicant point of contact:

This email will be used for all LISC communication during the application process. Please make sure the correct email address is provided.

16.5. Primary phone number for applicant point of contact (numbers only - no dashes)

Numerals only

Required Attachments

Important Note:
The total upload limit per application is 30 MBs. The combined size of all files below must remain below that limit.

37. Cover sheet:
- Name, address, web address, email address(es) and telephone numbers for organization
- Name/contact information for Executive Director and contact person (if different)
- Brief description of proposed project
- Amount of funding requested

38. Organizational Attachments:
Please combine each of the following documents into a single file and attach that file below:
- IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
- IRS W-9 form
- MOU with fiscal agent (if applicable)

39. Project Attachments:
Please combine the following documents into a single file and attach that file below:
- Project budget for programming or facility improvements
- (Optional) Any additional relevant information that will help us understand more about the project.

40. Additional Information:

This application is the first step in a multi-step process. I acknowledge that, should our organization be identified as a potential / prospective grantee, we will need to provide additional information to LISC, upon request. This information includes, but may not be limited to, the following: audited financial statements for at least two years (2022 & 2023), the organization's most recent Form-990 (2022 & 2023), any relevant Memoranda of Understanding (e.g., with fiscal agent, property owners, service providers, financial contributors, etc.), joint-use agreements with other community organizations, letters of support, and similar documentation. Should LISC select our organization to proceed to the next phase in the process, our organization is committed to providing this additional information.

I have read, acknowledge, and I agree to the statement above.

Thank you for your interest in the LISC/Foot Locker Foundation Community Empowerment Program.

Based on your responses, you are not able to proceed with this application. You have not agreed to the terms and conditions and/or you have selected answers about your organization that suggest your organization is not eligible for this grant opportunity.

If the responses on the previous page were incorrectly selected, please return to the previous page and update your responses.

Final Step: Please review the information below, e-sign and submit your preliminary application:

Thank you for completing your preliminary application. Please click 'Submit' below to complete your submission.

By signing your name and submitting the preliminary application below, you confirm that the information provided about your organization and its plans for this funding opportunity is true in all material respects.