Sports have a unique power to empower individuals of all abilities, fostering essential life skills such as decision-making, leadership, teamwork, and stress management. Beyond personal development, sports contribute to social cohesion, bridging divides and promoting inclusivity. However, factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, age, and accessibility continue to limit participation.
Problem
In Türkiye, while female participation in sports is increasing, disparities remain. TUIK data shows the male-to-female ratio in sports participation improved from 69-31% in 2015 to 65-35% in 2024, with a similar shift among licensed athletes (69-31% to 64-36%).
This progress is partly due to the success of female athletes in sports like volleyball, archery, and football, along with broader societal advancements in gender equality. However, personal, familial, socioeconomic, and environmental barriers still limit women’s full participation.
Türkiye also has one of Europe’s lowest sports participation rates – 88% of the population is inactive, compared to 47% in the EU. Only 3% engage in sports for over five hours per week (EU: 18%), and just 4% do muscle-building exercises at least once a week (EU: 26%).
Our Approach
In 2025, Türkiye Mozaik Foundation launched the Sports Giving Circle, a donor-led initiative that funds grassroots organisations working to increase access to sports. Through this initiative, we provide direct funding to support organisations creating impact on the ground.
Through our grantmaking, we prioritise:
- Participation of groups facing social exclusion in all areas of life,
- Increasing the visibility of groups facing discrimination,
- Equal access to sports opportunities,
- Empowering communities through sports,
- Promoting solidarity among people through sports.
How Does the Giving Circle Work?
A giving circle is a group of individuals who pool their money, time, skills, and networks for a cause. Members of the Sports Giving Circle actively mobilise their personal and professional connections to raise funds.
Türkiye Mozaik Foundation supports the Circle both in running their fundraising activities and in directing the mobilised resources to grassroots organisations. Members are directly involved in the decision-making process. Donations are pooled into a pot, and the Circle then selects the charities or projects to support.
In other words, members of the giving circle are at the heart of both mobilising and distributing resources. Our role is to ensure that the process operates smoothly, transparently, safely, and efficiently.
Click here to learn more about how giving circles work at Türkiye Mozaik Foundation.
To initiate this work, we committed £25,000 as seed funding.
Current Portfolio
In the first cohort of our funding cycle in 2025, we are partnering with the Association for Justice and Rights in Sports (Sporda Adalet ve Haklar için Sahadayız Derneği – SAHADAYIZ) for two small grant programmes:
In-kind grant programme for teams and groups of athletes
SAHADAYIZ promotes equality, inclusion, and access to rights in sports, with a focus on child protection, gender equality, and migration.
In-kind grant programme for girls’ participation in sports in Antalya
The Support for Girls Association (Kız Çocuklarına Destek Derneği) works to ensure equal opportunities for girls by raising awareness, building partnerships, and strengthening support systems.
With our grant, the association will launch the Sports Participation Support Programme for Children in Antalya to expand girls’ access to safe and inclusive sports activities. The programme will provide in-kind grants that cover costs such as equipment, facility rental, and transportation, with payments made directly to suppliers.
The programme focuses on improving sports facilities, supporting individual child athletes, strengthening children’s sports teams, and introducing children to a range of sports through workshops and events.
A total of £1,350 is needed to make this programme possible.
Both programmes will begin in Autumn 2025.
How You Can Support
There are many ways to fundraise to help us grow this initiative. You can host a fundraiser, dedicate a special occasion to raise donations, or get your school involved. If you own a business, you can directly support the work of the Sports Giving Circle. Alternatively, you can donate and match our commitment.
The Sports Giving Circle is coordinated by Türkiye Mozaik Foundation’s co-founder Burak Atalay. For all enquiries, information, or collaboration possibilities, please email: info@turkeymozaik.org.uk
All grants are distributed with the support of our long-time partner in Türkiye, the Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı).
More Ways to Get Involved
Environment
Discover how our grants support environmental initiatives across Türkiye.
Learn More »
Culture and Arts
Explore how our grantee partners improve equal access to culture and arts for all.
Learn More »
Animal Rights
Learn more about how our grants support initiatives improving the well-being of animals in Türkiye.
Learn More »
