Special Olympics education programs (Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act)

What this funds

The Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 authorizes the Department of Education to make discretionary grant awards to the Special Olympics to support activities in certain areas related to the Special Olympics. The Department of Education is authorized to make awards for: activities to promote the expansion of Special Olympics, including activities to increase the participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities within the United States; and the design and implementation of Special Olympics education programs, including character education and volunteer programs that support the purposes of the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, that can be integrated into classroom instruction and are consistent with academic content standards. Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were: Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands) 2022 $31,000 2023 36,000 2024 36,000 2025 36,000 2026 To be determined FY 2027 BUDGET REQUEST For fiscal year 2027, the Administration requests $38 million for Special Olympics Education Programs, $2 million more than the fiscal year 2025 appropriation. The request would support efforts to promote the expansion of Special Olympics and the design and implementation of Special Olympics education programs. Over the past several years, the Special Olympics 84 SPECIAL EDUCATION SPECIAL OLYMPICS EDUCATION PROGRAMS program significantly increased the reach and impact of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program. The Special Olympics program attributes this significant increase in school participation rates to the increased funding from Congress as well as to their post-pandemic rebuild which included targeted outreach efforts with key school and community partners. The Special Olympics National Youth Activation Demonstration (Unified Champion Schools, previously referred to as Project UNIFY), a national youth sports demonstration and education program, is the major activity funded by this direct appropriation. In addition to sports and physical education in integrated settings, this program also provides opportunities for youth to participate in leadership development, service learning, and structured interpersonal communication and socialization activities. In general, Special Olympics program activities provide persons with intellectual disabilities with the opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and build positive skills and relationships in their community.

Extracted from Special Education, p. 90. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

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