Even with the long overdue explosion of women’s sports, let’s face it – women still get the shaft when it comes to pay, partnerships, AND parental support. In sports like tennis, where athletes are essentially independent contractors (track and field is another great example here), there’s no safety net to provide them with employer-sponsored healthcare benefits. The PIF WTA Maternity Fund addresses this challenge head-on, not only providing paid maternity leave (which is financially and emotionally transformative), but also offers grants for fertility treatments like IVF and egg-freezing, which opens the door for elite athletes to choose if, when, and how they want to start their parenthood journeys. 

What also caught our attention was the fact that the program is entirely externally funded. While it was developed with and for the WTA, it’s underwritten solely by PIF. It’s a whole new model for league-driven social impact, and has the potential to fundamentally change the landscape for what’s possible through corporate partnerships — and women’s professional sports.

YOUR NEXT PLAY:

We love how involved the WTA Players’ Council was in making this happen. It all comes down to understanding your audience — and in this case, their audience was themselves. By voicing their needs, and creating the Program in partnership with the sponsoring organizations, the players helped create an initiative that (hopefully) feels like their own. As you’re thinking about your next collaboration or program, how can you make sure that the voices you’re looking to support are clearly heard and involved in the decision-making process?