The Best Running Charities | Where Runners Should Donate – runnersworld.com
The Best Running Charities | Where Runners Should Donate runnersworld.com
Your donations will fund work to fight harassment, empower athletes, and provide gear to a new generation of girls in the sport.
By Cindy Kuzma
Courtesy of Black Girls Run!
According to a recent Runner’s World survey, 84% of women have been harassed while running. It’s a stat that makes it pretty easy to feel discouraged about the state of our sport—and especially the place of girls and women within it. But around the country and the world, nonprofits are working to increase participation, remove physical and psychological barriers, and transform lives through the sport. Here are eight organizations that use your donations to support and empower female runners.
Girls on the Run
Sure, the 8- to 15-year-old girls who sign up for this running-based program get a good workout—the organization’s own research shows that girls who were the least active at the start of the season increased their physical activity by 40 percent—but they also learn critical life skills, such as making good decisions and resolving conflicts. Participants meet regularly with a trained coach, who guides them in preparing for a non-competitive 5K while teaching a curriculum that builds competence and confidence not just in running, but in life.
261 Fearless
For years, the number 261 has stood for women’s ability to break barriers in running—it’s the bib number Kathrine Switzer wore when she became the first registered woman to run the Boston Marathon, in 1967. More than five decades later, Switzer serves as founder and board chair for this organization that connects female runners around the globe. Programs include non-competitive running events; a coaching certification that focuses on teaching healthy, sustainable running habits to women; and local clubs that meet for runs, of which there are now 23 and counting, in locations from Albania to Kansas City to Zambia.
Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation
When she wasn’t logging miles, runner Vanessa Marcotte spent most of the rest of her free time volunteering. After she was killed near her family’s home in Princeton, Massachusetts, her cousin Caroline Tocci and best friend Ashley McNiff joined forces to form an organization that supports female safety and gender equality. So far, they’ve held self-defense workshops, funded safety awareness and similar programs through non-profit Girls Inc., and hosted two 5Ks, where athletes have gathered in person and virtually to #RunforVanessa.
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Running Start
This Colorado-based organization, launched by former pro triathlete and Skirt Sports founder Nicole DeBoom, takes the fear out of starting a new running program. Women who have always wanted to try the sport but faced barriers, whether it be weight, lack of knowledge, or insufficient financial resources, are paired with their own Personal Motivator—a more experienced runner who will teach them the basics. New runners begin in March, and by June, they’re crossing the finish line of their first 5K. Funds support gear, training plans, and education on topics such as nutrition and cross-training.
Girls Gotta Run Foundation
Nearly one in five school-aged girls in Ethiopia don’t attend classes, due to factors that range from early marriage and pregnancy to child labor. But GGRF believes running, the country’s national sport, can provide a pathway to education and empowerment. Students in the program are known as Athletic Scholars; they not only train as a team and compete in local races, they receive full financial support to attend school as well as additional instruction in life skills, savings, and entrepreneurship.
The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project
In September 2018, Wendy Martinez was killed in a random attack during a run in Washington, D.C. A group of her family and friends, including fiancé and fellow marathoner Daniel Hincapie, started the The Wendy Martinez Legacy Project not long afterward. The group’s aim is to raise funds for running, community, and technology projects—all causes about which Martinez cared deeply. Grants have gone to organizations that support running, such as Girls on the Run, as well as those working to end homelessness, including A1:8 Missions Ministry and Back on My Feet.
The Sports Bra Project
Other than shoes, a sports bra is one of the most critical pieces of equipment female runners need—but not every community around the world has a sporting goods store nearby, and many would-be athletes lack the resources to buy a sports bra even if they could find one. The Sports Bra Project closes the gap by collecting and distributing this crucial gear to women and girls in various sports in 16 different countries. You can donate new bras directly, or provide funds that cover operating expenses and allow the purchase of more bras when necessary.
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