Colorado Springs, Colo. (July 30, 2026) – USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States and member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, alongside The Ultimate Foundation, today announced the inaugural National Youth Ultimate Giving Week, taking place November 1-7, 2026. To enhance local impact during that week, donations made to participating USA Ultimate affiliate organizations in support of youth programs will be matched dollar-for-dollar by The Ultimate Foundation.
The National Youth Ultimate Giving Week is a collaborative campaign uniting local disc organizations across the country around a shared belief: that youth ultimate uniquely supports character development, social-emotional learning and a profound sense of belonging. This week creates a collective opportunity to invite the ultimate community to invest in the future of the sport.
On November 7, 1970, the first interscholastic high school ultimate game was held, marking the start of competitive youth ultimate. The first week of November has been chosen for the first Giving Week, in recognition of this milestone. Throughout this week, all donations made directly to participating USA Ultimate affiliate organizations in support of local youth programming will be matched. While only affiliates will be eligible for the donation matching, all nonprofit organizations focused on growing youth ultimate are encouraged to use this week to inspire and amplify the importance of giving to support youth program growth.
With nearly 20 USA Ultimate affiliate organizations already planning to participate, this campaign will empower local communities across the country to invest in the next generation of ultimate players.
“Every single ultimate community would benefit from additional funds to foster youth ultimate growth locally,” says Libby Cravens, Outreach Director for Altitude Youth Ultimate, “Funds can support paying for rising field costs, paying qualified coaches to work with youth and other essential expenses.”
The following USA Ultimate affiliate organizations have announced plans to participate:
- Albany Ultimate Disc Association
- Altitude Ultimate
- Bay Ultimate Youth Affiliate
- Bay Ultimate Youth Affiliate
- California Ultimate
- Center Grove Ultimate Club
- Connecticut Ultimate Club
- Delaware Valley Youth League
- Illinois Ultimate
- Neuqua Valley Ultimate
- Nickel City Ultimate
- Oak Park and River Forest Youth Ultimate Organization
- San Antonio Ultimate Community
- Southern California Youth Ultimate
- Triad Ultimate Frisbee
- Valley Ultimate
- Vermont Ultimate
- Wisconsin Ultimate
The National Youth Ultimate Giving Week campaign is made possible by the support of The Ultimate Foundation, with a leadership gift from the Michael and Laura Brader-Araje Foundation alongside The Ultimate Collective’s Gold Champion donors.
“Ultimate delivers something truly rare in youth sports: character development, social-emotional learning and an inclusive sense of belonging. We are anchoring National Youth Ultimate Giving Week to multiply the generosity of local donors, ensuring that local grassroots programs have the resources to change young lives right in their own backyards.” – Michael & Laura Brader-Araje
The 2026 Gold Champion donors include Adam Goff, David Raflo, Ferris Zhang, John Capozzi, John Epstein in honor of Don “Sauce” Cain, Keven Erlenbach, Matt “Stuff” Rodriguez, O’Mara Family Charitable Fund, Mike Edmonds, Randy Rogers, Ted Ko, The Biehn Family, The Hamaker Family, Will Chen and Yuri Kubo whose contributions to The Ultimate Collective helped make this matching program possible.
How to Get Involved
- For Local Nonprofits & Youth Organizations: While USA Ultimate affiliate organizations will receive additional support and donation matching, we encourage any U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing youth ultimate programs to run a National Youth Ultimate Giving Week campaign. Register Your Organization to receive more information and access promotional toolkits.
- For Supporters & Donors: Mark your calendars for November 1–7, 2026, to double the impact of your investment in your local youth ultimate programs. To learn more about what The Ultimate Foundation supports, or to invest in the central matching pool, visit TheUltimateFoundation.org.
Don’t see your local disc organization on the list above? Reach out and encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity to amplify the generosity of your local community.
About The Ultimate Foundation
The Ultimate Foundation fuels a future for ultimate that is accessible to all backgrounds and identities by supporting USA Ultimate programs, partners and communities. Donations to The Ultimate Foundation support local community playing opportunities for youth all across the country. Thanks to the generosity of the ultimate community, more youth in local communities will experience ultimate’s ability to deliver character development, social-emotional learning and a profound sense of belonging.
