Team Funding Guide glossary — Team Funding Guide

501(c)(3): The IRS designation for a tax-exempt nonprofit. Many cash grants require the applicant to hold it — but several programs (Good Sports, PIFBS, the Awesome Foundation, and the family fee programs) do not.
990-N (e-Postcard): The short annual IRS filing a small tax-exempt organization (gross receipts under $50,000) must submit to keep its status. Chartered leagues must file their own; the national office cannot file it for them.
Automatic revocation: The IRS penalty for missing three consecutive annual filings: exempt status is revoked automatically. It doesn't affect a league's charter, but it kills grant eligibility until the slow, costly reinstatement is done.
Cash grant: Spendable money awarded to your organization, usable for fields, insurance, fees, or gear you buy yourself. Cash grants (Walmart Spark Good, JD Finish Line) are harder to win than in-kind gear and more often require 501(c)(3) status.
Certificate of insurance (COI): Proof of liability coverage, usually naming the field owner. Municipalities typically require one before issuing a field-use permit, and funders often ask for it too.
Directory vs. funder: A directory (Jersey Watch, GrantWatch, and similar) publishes lists of grants but doesn't give money; a funder is the organization that actually awards it. Use directories for leads, then verify every program on the funder's own current page.
EIN: Employer Identification Number — a free federal tax ID that most grants (and any bank account) require an organization to have.
Fiscal sponsor: An established nonprofit that receives grant funds on behalf of a team that lacks its own tax-exempt status, extending its 501(c)(3) for a fee — the fastest way to become grant-eligible for a season without forming your own nonprofit.
Group exemption (GEN): A structure that lets a chartered local organization be recognized as 501(c)(3) under a national parent's exemption instead of filing its own IRS application. Chartered Little Leagues get their status this way — but each league still has to file its own annual return.
In-kind donation (equipment grant): Support given as goods rather than cash — bats, balls, footwear, uniforms shipped to your organization. Programs like Good Sports and Pitch In For Baseball & Softball are in-kind: you get gear, not a check, which is why their applications are simpler and faster.
Matching funds / cost-share: Money the applicant must contribute to unlock a grant. Documented volunteer time can often count toward it — keep signed sign-in sheets.
Recreational vs. travel/elite: Recreational (community, parks & rec, school) programs qualify for most youth-sports aid; competitive travel and pay-to-play teams are commonly excluded. Read this line first — it's the most frequent disqualifier.
Registration-fee assistance: Money that pays a child's sign-up fee, applied for by the parent — not the league. The Every Kid Sports Pass and All Kids Play load funds that pay the league directly, so families should apply before paying out of pocket.
Rolling deadline: A program that accepts applications continuously rather than in a fixed window — Good Sports, All Kids Play, and the Awesome Foundation work this way, so you can apply the moment you're ready.

Grant and funding paperwork loves jargon. Here’s the plain-English version of the words you’ll actually run into looking for youth-sports money.

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