Every year since 1999, to kick off each new season of UEFA club competitions, the European governing body donates a cheque worth €1m to a worthy cause that uses the power of sport to bring about positive change. The long list of previous recipients includes the International Committee of the Red Cross, the FARE network, the European Leukodystrophy Association, the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace, and the Cruyff Foundation. This UEFA funding has made many humanitarian projects possible, all of them aimed at improving the health and cohesion of society as a whole.

In 2015 UEFA turned responsibility for this annual award over to the UEFA Foundation for Children.

To be eligible for what is now known as the UEFA Foundation for Children Award, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• be legally recognised as a non-governmental organisation in the country where they are based;
• have a charitable or philanthropic purpose;
• be religiously and politically neutral;
• be active on a European or international scale;
• show no discrimination on account of race, gender identification, disability, sexual orientation or any other grounds;
• put forward a project that is in line with the principles and objectives of the foundation;
• respect the international conventions in place, in particular those that protect children’s rights.

Applications must be submitted to the foundation by 31 December each year. The Board of Trustees then decides in the first quarter of the following year who will receive the next award.

If you would like more information about how to apply, please write to us at:
project@uefafoundation.org.