Leveling the Playing Field (LPF) provides free sports equipment to Title I schools and youth programs so that kids in under-resourced communities can access the mental and physical benefits of youth sports participation.
We do so by gathering new and used sporting equipment from the community and stocking a well-organized warehouse with head-to-toe needs for local coaches to “shop” for their teams at no cost. Our free equipment allows programs to pass on savings to families who need it most: lowering registration fees, expanding scholarship programs and otherwise enhancing or expanding their athletic and programmatic offerings. Our ‘food bank for sports equipment’ model was founded in 2013 out of Washington, DC, and has since grown to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Columbus, Buffalo, and Detroit. We have seen our fastest growth and highest demand in Philadelphia out of all our chapters.
Since launching in 2021, LPF Philadelphia has provided $2.6M worth of sports equipment to 462 unique schools and programs. Through our partnerships with local school districts, parks and recreation departments, and countless local community organizations, LPF is well equipped to help increase access to sports and recreation for local kids. Our priorities include both expanding our reach beyond Philadelphia and continuing to reach more sports programs, donors, and volunteers within the city.
In 2024, LPF provided over $83k worth of sports equipment to 18 schools and programs in the Kensington area. Some programs that have used our resources include Safe-Hub Philadelphia, Fab Youth Philly, and Hon. Luis Muñoz Marín School, among others.
Our primary costs are program staff salaries who collect, organize, and distribute gear. In addition, staff reaches out to funders, schedules volunteer activities, and recruits beneficiaries. Two other big costs include rent/utilities of the warehouse and travel to the Kensington area for site visits. We will use these funds to support these primary costs, allowing us to allocate staff time to expand outreach and distribution efforts in the Kensington area.
