Changing the Game Grant: $20,000 Grant

Q: What happens after submission?

Applications enter the grant selection process, reviewed by a panel of judges from BWP and Nikon. Finalists are contacted directly.

What Is the Changing the Game Grant? (Quick Answer)

The Changing the Game Grant is a $100,000 grant initiative launched by Stanley 1913 and TOGETHXR that awards five $20,000 grants to U.S.-based entrepreneurs building community-centered food and beverage spaces dedicated to women’s sports. Open to both established businesses and early-stage founders, with no minimum time in business required. Applications close July 31, 2026.

This guide covers everything you need to know about the Changing the Game Grant:

New Era for Sports Communities Growth

Women’s sports is no longer a niche, it’s a cultural movement. Attendance records are shattering. Broadcast deals are multiplying. Merchandise lines are selling out. Yet despite this explosive growth, one gap persists: the physical spaces where fans come together to watch, celebrate, and build community around women’s sports remain few and far between.

For female founders and hospitality entrepreneurs who see that gap as an opportunity, securing startup capital has been one of the most persistent barriers to entry. Traditional lenders are slow. Investor capital often flows toward proven models. And grant funding for sports-adjacent hospitality concepts has historically been almost nonexistent.

That’s what makes the Changing the Game Grant Program a genuine game-changer. Backed by the Stanley brand and TOGETHXR media platform, this five founders grant program puts real capital ($20,000 per winner), directly into the hands of entrepreneurs building the next generation of women’s sports community spaces. For

This is one of the most targeted and meaningful small business funding opportunities available in 2026.

What Is the Changing the Game Grant?

The Changing the Game Grant is a brand-backed grant program that funds entrepreneurs creating elevated, community-driven food and beverage spaces where women’s sports are the main event, not an afterthought.

Administered through Honeycomb Credit, the Changing the Game Grant Program awards five $20,000 grants to founders building or reimagining what a sports bar, café, restaurant, or community venue can look like when women’s sports fandom is centered by design. The program operates as a direct grant, no repayment required.

Each winner also receives expert mentorship, a national spotlight through Stanley 1913 and TOGETHXR’s media channels, and an invitation to a winner reveal event in New York City alongside executives, athletes, and media figures. For early-stage entrepreneurs, the visibility alone can be transformational.

The Stanley Changing the Game Grant reflects a broader shift in how major consumer brands are approaching women’s sports investment, moving beyond athlete endorsements and toward infrastructure that serves fans and founders alike.

About the Stanley and TOGETHXR Partnership

The Changing the Game Grant by Stanley emerged from a strategic partnership between two brands that share a genuine commitment to women’s sports.

Stanley 1913 is a global lifestyle brand synonymous with premium hydration and food and beverage innovation. The Stanley brand grant initiative launched alongside the exclusive Stanley 1913 x TOGETHXR Everyone Watches Women’s Sports™ collection in March 2026, with a portion of proceeds from the collection directly funding the grant program. Stanley’s recent collaborations, including partnerships with athletes like Caitlin Clark and Nelly Korda, had already signaled its commitment to women’s sports, but this partnership introduced something different: collective investment in community infrastructure.

TOGETHXR is the fastest-growing women’s sports media company in the U.S., co-founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird alongside sports media veteran Jessica Robertson. The TOGETHXR media platform sits at the intersection of sports, culture, and community, and its partnership with Stanley makes the TOGETHXR Changing the Game Grant one of the most credible corporate-backed women’s initiatives in the current market.

This corporate grant initiative is multi-year in scope, pairing future product drops with ongoing athlete and artist collaborations to sustain long-term investment in women’s sports culture. It’s a social impact grant program built on brand values, not just marketing dollars.

Why the Changing the Game Grant Matters

Gender equity in sports funding has lagged far behind the cultural momentum of women’s athletics. Women’s sports advocacy funding at the grassroots and community level has been particularly thin, most women’s sports business innovation grant programs focus on media, content, or high-level sponsorships, leaving hospitality entrepreneurs without a clear path to capital.

The Changing the Game Grant fills that gap. By targeting inclusive sports fandom spaces, the bars, cafés, and community gathering spots where women’s sports become a shared experience, this athlete empowerment grant addresses something few corporate-backed grant programs have tackled: the physical ecosystem of fandom.

Women’s sports visibility funding matters not just for athletes but for the entrepreneurs, creators, and community organizers who build the culture around those athletes. The Changing the Game Grant Program recognizes that the stadium and the sports bar are equally important, and that funding for female athletes and creators shouldn’t stop at the court.

What the Grant Supports

The Changing the Game Grant supports businesses that reimagine community-centered food and beverage spaces as dedicated destinations for women’s sports. Funded concepts include:

Sports cafés and coffee shops that screen women's games and create intentional fan environments
Sports bars and restaurants built around women's sports fandom as a primary identity
Community sports viewing spaces and event venues centered on inclusivity and wellness
Fan experience innovation that goes beyond passive viewing to create elevated hospitality
Women-focused sports business concepts at any stage of development
Athlete-led media and content spaces that blend sports storytelling with community gathering
Food and beverage businesses that center women's sports as a cultural anchor

The program is explicitly designed to move beyond the traditional sports bar model, prioritizing wellness, inclusivity, and elevated food and beverage experiences alongside sports fandom.

Funding Amounts and Grant Structure

Funding Item	Details
Total Program Funding	$100,000
Number of Winners	5
Grant Amount Per Winner	$20,000
Funding Type	Grant (not a loan)
Repayment Required	No
Additional Benefits	Expert mentorship + national media spotlight
Winner Announcement	In-person event in New York City
Application Deadline	July 31, 2026

What Can Grant Funds Be Used For?

Winners have significant flexibility in how they apply their $20,000 grant, as long as usage aligns with the plan submitted in the application. Common and eligible uses include:

Business Buildout

Renovation, construction, and design costs to transform a space into an elevated women’s sports destination. Business buildout funding is one of the most common uses for hospitality startup funding at this stage.

Equipment Purchases

Display screens, kitchen equipment, bar setup, audio-visual systems, and other hardware. Equipment purchase funding can cover the core infrastructure a new sports café or bar requires to operate.

Programming

Game-day events, community activations, watch parties, and women’s sports viewing experiences. Business programming funding helps founders create recurring events that drive loyalty and community.

Marketing

Launch campaigns, social media, local outreach, and brand development. Sports marketing funding through this grant can help a new concept reach its target audience quickly.

Operational Expenses

Staffing, inventory, permits, and the general business expenses that early-stage businesses routinely underestimate. Operational costs funding grant recipients can use for day-to-day costs keeps a new business stable through its launch period.

Community Events

Women’s sports community building activations, athlete appearances, watch parties, and wellness programming that create the culture around your space.

Application Process: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Confirm Eligibility

Review all grant eligibility requirements before investing time in your application. Confirm your business type, residency, and alignment with the program’s women’s sports focus.

Step 2: Develop Your Concept

If you’re still in the planning stage, clarify your business model, target audience, and the specific role women’s sports will play in your space. Concrete details matter more than aspirational language.

Step 3: Build Your Application Materials

Prepare your community impact statement, funding use breakdown, founder narrative, and business concept description. Every section of the funding application process rewards specificity. You may also benefit from Grant Resource Guidance Services to better understand what supporting documents and details are typically expected in strong funding applications.

Step 4: Submit Through the Online Portal

The grant application is submitted through the Honeycomb Credit online portal. One application per business; duplicate submissions default to the most recent complete version.

Step 5: Await Review and Selection

After the grant application deadline passes, Honeycomb Credit screens submissions for eligibility and mission alignment. Qualified applications advance to finalist evaluation by a selection committee. Five grant recipients are announced at an in-person event in New York City.

How American Grant Experts Can Help

Applying for the Changing the Game Grant or any competitive grant program, is more nuanced than filling out a form. The difference between an application that advances to the finalist round and one that stalls at eligibility screening often comes down to how well the narrative is constructed, how clearly the funding use is articulated, and how strongly the business concept aligns with the program’s stated mission.

At American Grant Association, we work directly with founders to surface the most relevant small business funding opportunities for their specific business type, stage, and goals. Our grant research process goes beyond the most visible programs. Our grant expert’s team looks for funding that genuinely fits each founder’s situation, including corporate-backed grant programs like the Changing the Game Grant that many entrepreneurs don’t discover until the deadline is weeks away.

For founders preparing a Changing the Game Grant application, the American Grant Association provides guidance on structuring community impact statements, developing funding use narratives, and positioning the business concept in a way that genuinely resonates with selection committees.

The path from concept to funded business is rarely a straight line. We help founders navigate it with more clarity and less guesswork.

Who Is Eligible for the Changing the Game Grant?

The Changing the Game Grant Program is notably inclusive in its eligibility framework. Unlike many grant programs that favor established businesses, this five founders grant program explicitly welcomes founders who are still conceptualizing their idea.

Eligibility Checklist:

You own or represent a for-profit business registered and in good standing in the U.S.
Your business operates a food and beverage space: bar, café, restaurant, event venue, or community gathering space
Women's sports is the primary focus of your space or concept, not a secondary broadcast
You are 18+ years of age (19+ in Alabama and Nebraska) and a legal U.S. resident
Your concept centers wellness, inclusivity, and community impact
You have a specific plan for how the $20,000 will move your business forward

Key eligibility notes:

Grant Application Requirements

A strong application to the Changing the Game Grant addresses several key areas:

Application Checklist:

Business overview: What is your concept, and where is it in development?
Women's sports connection: How does your space genuinely center women's sports?
Community impact statement: Who does your business serve, and how does it build community?
Funding use plan: Specific breakdown of how the $20,000 will be deployed
Vision for inclusivity and wellness: How does your concept go beyond a traditional sports bar?
Founder background: Your story, your connection to women's sports, your qualifications
Growth and scalability narrative: Where does this business go after launch?

To build a stronger foundation for future applications, see our guide on Grant Requirements, where we explain the key elements reviewers consistently look for.

Application Timeline

Phase	Dates
Application Window	March 31 – July 31, 2026
Application Deadline	July 31, 2026
Eligibility Screening	August 2026
Finalist Evaluation	September 2026
Winners Announced	October 2026

The application deadline July 31, 2026, is firm. Do not wait until the final days to prepare, strong applications take time to develop.

Our Experience With Sports Business Grant Applications

After working through dozens of grant applications across the sports business, hospitality, and women’s entrepreneurship space, a few patterns emerge clearly, and they matter more for a competitive program like the Changing the Game Grant than for almost any other type of funding.

The credibility gap kills more applications than bad ideas do

We’ve reviewed concepts that were genuinely strong, the market was real, the founder was passionate, the vision was clear. But the application couldn’t prove the founder was ready. No evidence of operational experience, no demonstration of industry knowledge, no signals that they understood what running a food and beverage business actually requires. Reviewers stop reading. Close the gap before you submit.

Budget sections are where applications quietly collapse

Most founders treat the budget as a formality. Reviewers treat it as a test. A vague breakdown signals that the applicant hasn’t actually thought through execution. We recommend building your budget from the bottom up: specific line items, real quotes where possible, and a brief explanation of why each expense moves the business forward.

Reviewers look for proof of momentum

Even early-stage applicants can demonstrate traction: a signed lease, a social following, a catering license in process, a letter of support from a local women’s sports league. These aren’t requirements, but they change how an application reads. Momentum signals commitment. Without it, even a strong concept can feel hypothetical.

Specificity beats passion every time

We see this consistently. The founder who says “I want to create a space where women’s sports fans feel seen” is not wrong, but the founder who says “I’m opening a 1,200-square-foot café in South Nashville near Geodis Park, targeting the NWSL fan base that currently has no dedicated viewing space in the neighborhood” is vastly more compelling. Passion is common. Specificity is rare.

Winning applications are built to be scanned

Reviewers read dozens of submissions. Clear headers, short paragraphs, a budget presented in a table rather than a paragraph, these choices signal professionalism and make the reviewer’s job easier. An application that’s hard to read is easy to pass on.

At the American Grant Association, these are the lenses we bring to every application we support. The idea is rarely the problem. The presentation almost always is.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

To learn how to avoid these pitfalls and improve your success rate, explore our guide on Common Mistakes in Grant Applications and How to Prevent Them.

How to Improve Your Chances of Winning

Business That Fit the Changing the Game Grant

These business align well with what the program funds:

Alternative Grants for Women Entrepreneurs and Sports Businesses

The Changing the Game Grant isn’t the only funding for female athletes and creators building businesses. Consider these alternatives:

Grant	Focus	Amount
Breva Thrive Grant	Women entrepreneurs and founders	$5,000
Allstate Main Street Grants	Small business community impact	Up to $25,000
Chasm $50K Business Grant	Early-stage startup founders	$50,000
Amber Grant	Women-led businesses (monthly)	$10,000+
SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant	Black women founders	Varies
Her Rise Micro Grant	Women entrepreneurs, early stage	Micro grants
Atomic Grants	Small businesses, diverse founders	$1,500

Pursuing multiple funding sources simultaneously is a sound strategy. A grant writing consultant can help identify which programs align best with your business model and application stage.

Conclusion

The Changing the Game Grant represents something larger than a single funding opportunity. It’s evidence that the women’s sports business ecosystem is maturing, that brands with real resources are willing to invest not just in athletes, but in the communities and spaces that make fandom sustainable.

For women entrepreneurs, hospitality founders, and sports business visionaries, the timing has never been better. The cultural momentum behind women’s sports is extraordinary. The demand for inclusive sports fandom spaces is growing. And the Changing the Game Grant Program is putting $100,000 directly toward the founders willing to build what comes next.

If your vision is a place where women’s sports is always the main event, where the food is great, the community is intentional, and the game is always on, this grant was designed for you. Apply before July 31, 2026.

And if you want to support developing the strongest possible application, American Grant Experts are here to help you bring that vision to life on paper, and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Changing the Game Grant?

The Changing the Game Grant is a $100,000 grant initiative by Stanley 1913 and TOGETHXR that awards five $20,000 grants to U.S.-based entrepreneurs building community-centered food and beverage spaces dedicated to women’s sports.

Who funds the Changing the Game Grant?

The Stanley Changing the Game Grant is funded by Stanley 1913, in partnership with TOGETHXR, with proceeds from the Everyone Watches Women’s Sports™ product collection contributing directly to the grant pool. Honeycomb Credit administers the program.

Who is eligible to apply?

U.S.-based for-profit businesses, including bars, cafés, restaurants, event venues, and community spaces, that center women’s sports, inclusivity, and wellness. No minimum time in business is required. Founders in the planning stages are welcome to apply.

What can grant funds be used for?

Business buildout, equipment purchases, programming, marketing, operational costs, community events, and food and beverage expenses, as long as use is consistent with the application plan.

When is the application deadline?

The grant application deadline is July 31, 2026. Winners are announced at an in-person event in October 2026.

How competitive is the Changing the Game Grant?

Extremely competitive. Five grants are awarded nationally. Meeting the grant eligibility requirements does not guarantee selection. Selection is based on narrative strength, community impact, innovation, and mission alignment.

Is the Changing the Game Grant a loan?

No. It is a grant. No repayment is required, though Stanley 1913 may request documentation showing funds were used as described in the application.

Does my business have to be a sports bar?

No. The program welcomes any food and beverage space, including cafés, coffee shops, restaurants, and event venues, as long as women’s sports is genuinely central to the concept.

Can I apply if my business isn't open yet?

Yes. The Changing the Game Grant Program is open to founders still in the conceptualization stage. A clear vision and a specific funding plan are what matter most.

What happens after submission?

Applications enter the grant selection process, reviewed by a panel of judges from BWP and Nikon. Finalists are contacted directly.

Note: This guide is for informational purposes only. Grant details, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and funding availability may change at any time. Always verify the most current program information through official sources before making any business or funding decisions.

Changing the Game Grant: Complete Guide to Eligibility, Application Process, and Funding Opportunities 2026