Last week, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) announced the first round of Agility Grant awardees for fiscal year 2022, with four awards totaling $137,500. This strategic initiative, funded by the National Football League Foundation with additional support from FanDuel, will provide funding to nonprofit organizations for problem gambling prevention programs. Agility Grants seek to support problem gambling prevention program expansion or new program development across the United States.
“NCPG is proud to support each Agility Grant awardee as they work within their communities to bring about positive social change. We recognize the creativity and dedication of every applicant,” said NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte. “We look forward to the opportunity to bring even more support to the problem gambling prevention field later this year with our second grant application cycle.”
Organizations were awarded grants in several categories.
Agility Grants for Prevention Innovation from this round of funding include the Towson University Foundation in Baltimore, which will support a new problem gambling prevention program from Towson University’s ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Abuse) Prevention Center, “Tigers Play Responsibly.” The program will include prevention workshops and social norming campaigns centered around problem gambling education, harm reduction and related risks. The program will serve over 20,000 Towson University students through an integrated, campus-wide approach including student leadership training, events at the university’s welcome weekend, and print and digital marketing campaigns across campus.
The Oklahoma Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming will expand its “I Am Native Dedicated to Natives” (IAMNDN) Youth Project, a problem gambling prevention program that will serve 200 young people in Caddo County, Oklahoma, where six federally recognized tribal nations have headquarters.
Agility Grants for Amplification from this round of funding include Nicasa, a behavioral health nonprofit near Chicago, which will expand its Teen Problem Gambling Group. This program is spearheaded by teenage volunteers to produce problem gambling prevention education programs for youth by youth. The group meets throughout the year to review educational materials and design activities including awareness videos, health quizzes and resource fairs. This grant funding will expand the program to reach 300 new youth participants, including student athletes and communities of color.
Visión y Compromiso (VyC), a California based nonprofit, will expand its “No Jueuges Tu Vida” (Don’t Play Your Life) program through problem gambling educational content and training for their “Promoteres” program of community leaders, who raise awareness about problem gambling within the Latinx community in California. Additionally, VyC will deliver virtual trainings for 30 community-based organizations in the five regions of California they serve and will provide culturally and linguistically specific resources to over 3,000 California residents.
The Spring 2022 Agility Grant awards serve as the inaugural round of prevention grant funding from the National Council on Problem Gambling. The program will award more than $1 million dollars over three years to help nonprofit organizations across the country develop and expand problem gambling prevention programming. Grants will be awarded through two funding cycles each year. NCPG anticipates the round-two Agility Grant application will become available in late summer or early fall of 2022.
