Our Mission
Go further.
Helping student-athletes access the equipment, opportunities, and support they need for the long run.
The Distance Project exists to support and empower student-athletes through access to training opportunities, equipment, scholarships, mentorship, and community support that help young people go further both in sport and in life.
Why we exist
There’s a gap between athletic talent and the resources to develop it — and the gap is wider for the kids who can least afford it.
From the coaching side, the pattern is hard to miss: a kid who could compete at a higher level, kept out of the sport by costs their family can’t absorb. Meet entry fees. Spike replacements every spring. Camp tuition. A bus ride to a championship meet.
These aren’t catastrophic expenses. They’re small line items — the kind that quietly decide who continues in the sport and who doesn’t.
The Distance Project closes those gaps directly. We fund the specific items an individual athlete needs to keep going.
What an athlete needs
- Competition spikes $80–$150
- Practice shoes $75–$120
- Summer training camp $200–$600
- Meet travel $100–$400
- Meet entry fees $15–$40
What we believe
Four principles that shape every decision we make.
Every athlete deserves access
Talent and effort matter. Family income should not be the thing that decides who gets to compete.
Names matter
We don’t fund “programs.” We fund a specific athlete, by name, for a specific need. Every award is tied to a real person and a real season.
Every dollar accountable
Donors get tax receipts immediately and annual statements in January. Our books are open. Our 990 will be public the day we have one.
Low overhead, direct support
We built our own platform so nearly every donated dollar reaches an athlete instead of a vendor. We do not run paid fundraising campaigns.
How we operate
The mechanics behind the mission.
Apply
An athlete or parent fills out a short application describing the need.
Review
We review applications based on need, mission fit, and available funds — typically within one to two weeks.
Fund
Approved support is delivered directly: shoes shipped, fees paid, travel arranged. No reimbursement maze.
Report
Donors hear back. Every gift is tracked to the athlete or program it funded.
Help us go further.
Three ways to be part of the work.
