Up2Us Sports

Up2Us Sports
Name	Up2Us Sports
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2006
Headquarters	New York City
Area served	United States
Focus	Youth development, coaching
Key people	Eric Bell (CEO), Rory Sparrow (Founder)

Up2Us Sports is a United States nonprofit organization that places and trains coaches to work with youth in underserved communities through sport-based youth development. Founded in 2006, the organization operates across multiple metropolitan areas and rural regions, partnering with schools, community centers, and youth-serving agencies to deliver mentoring, physical activity, and social-emotional learning through athletic programming. Its model emphasizes coach recruitment, professional development, and data-driven impact evaluation.

History

Established in 2006 amid growing interest in sport-based youth development strategies, the organization emerged during a period when nonprofits such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, YMCA, Special Olympics, National Recreation and Park Association, and After-School All-Stars were expanding athletic programming. Early collaborations involved municipal agencies like the New York City Department of Education and philanthropic actors including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Nike Foundation. In its first decade, the group scaled from a single-city pilot to multi-city operations incorporating sport interventions that mirrored approaches used by Right To Play, Street Football World, and PeacePlayers International. Leadership transitions and strategic initiatives in the 2010s aligned the organization with national efforts by entities such as the Aspen Institute and the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group to professionalize coaching as a youth development tool.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission centers on recruiting, training, and supporting coaches to promote youth development outcomes through sport. Programmatic offerings include in-school coaching, after-school leagues, summer camps, and targeted interventions modeled after programs run by Teach For America, City Year, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Signature initiatives often pair sport curricula with social-emotional learning frameworks used by Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning and trauma-informed practices advocated by Child Mind Institute. Programs are delivered in partnership with local providers such as Public Education Partners, charter networks like KIPP, and community organizations including United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and faith-based groups like Catholic Charities USA. Specialized tracks address violence prevention, college access, and health promotion echoing priorities of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiatives.

Coaching and Training Model

Coaches are recruited from diverse backgrounds, including former professional athletes affiliated with leagues like National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, and National Football League retirement programs, as well as college graduates connected to NCAA programs. Training curricula integrate methods from Positive Coaching Alliance, National Alliance for Youth Sports, and evidence-based behavior management techniques similar to those promoted by Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Professional development includes certification pathways akin to those of Coaching Association of America and workshop series that mirror IDEA Public Schools staff development models. Ongoing coaching support leverages data tools and monitoring approaches used by AmeriCorps and Google for Nonprofits partners to track attendance, retention, and youth outcomes.

Partnerships and Funding

The organization sustains operations through a mix of foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, government contracts, and individual donors. Notable funders and partners have included foundations like The Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Wallace Foundation, and corporate backers similar to Adidas, Nike, Inc., and Under Armour. Government partnerships have involved collaborations with U.S. Department of Education, municipal parks departments such as New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and county human services agencies. Strategic alliances with research institutions like Columbia University and evaluation partners such as Mathematica Policy Research support program measurement. In-kind contributions and pro bono services come from law firms, accounting firms, and technology providers mirroring partnerships commonly seen with Deloitte, PwC, and Salesforce.org.

Impact and Evaluation

Impact assessments employ mixed-methods evaluations, combining quantitative tracking of metrics—attendance, academic indicators, and behavioral referrals—with qualitative case studies and youth surveys. Evaluation frameworks draw on methodologies used by What Works Clearinghouse, RAND Corporation, and Urban Institute to establish evidence of changes in school engagement, physical activity levels, and socio-emotional competencies. Independent evaluations commissioned by philanthropic partners have compared outcomes to benchmarks established by America's Promise Alliance and national after-school impact studies. Results reported by external evaluators have informed program refinements, coach training enhancements, and expansion strategies tied to measurable reductions in chronic absenteeism and improvements in pro-social behavior.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization is governed by a board of directors composed of leaders from the nonprofit, corporate, academic, and sports sectors, resembling boards of organizations such as Teach For America, New Profit, and City Year. Executive leadership has included professionals with backgrounds in youth development, sport management, and philanthropy; founders and early leaders worked with city agencies and advocacy groups connected to Center for Nonprofit Strategy-style networks. Regional directors manage city-based staff and local partnerships, while program teams coordinate coach recruitment, training, and evaluation in collaboration with funders and research partners like Public/Private Ventures and SRI International. The organization maintains volunteer advisory councils and alumni networks comparable to those of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps and national sport coalitions.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City