Not every sports and social impact partnership requires a professional team, a marquee name, or a six-figure budget. Sometimes the most powerful work comes from collaborating with high-niche athletes on a hyper-local level — building impact one clinic, one participant, one community at a time.
That’s what happened in November 2025, when Comcast and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation awarded Paralympian Ezra Frech — and Angel City Sports, the nonprofit he co-founded at age 8 with his father — a $25,000 grant to expand adaptive sports access in Southern California.
One of the many reasons we took note of this partnership is that it’s not just another athlete foundation or NPO getting a corporate check for future work. The grant is clear, public recognition of an athlete who’s already built a supportive infrastructure for a community that’s often overlooked. And for Comcast, who makes a large chunk of its money from sports rights, it’s a smart way to reinforce its corporate commitment to inclusion and diversity in the space without having to step on any potential political landmines.
The model:
Corporate funding partner + foundational grant platform + athlete-founded nonprofit = sustained funding for underserved athletic community + national visibility for the brand and the Paralympic movement
How it worked:
Comcast, through its partnership with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, funds the annual “Team USA Community Champions” program, which identifies Olympic and Paralympic athletes making meaningful impact through nonprofit work. Frech was selected as one of four 2025 recipients based on his work with Angel City Sports, which provides year-round adaptive sports programming, hosts the annual Angel City Games (a multi-sport Paralympic-style competition), and runs over 250 clinics per year delivering 4,000+ athlete experiences.
Of the total $25,000 awarded, $12,500 will go directly to Angel City Sports to expand their programming, providing even more athletes with physical disabilities free training, equipment, and competitive opportunities.
The remaining $12,500, awarded directly to Frech, will support his continued advocacy work, which includes speaking engagements, mentorship, and using his platform (700K+ social media followers, star of Peacock's documentary series ADAPTIVE, Adidas-sponsored athlete) to normalize disability and grow the Paralympic movement.
Why it matters:
Like we mentioned earlier, Comcast isn't just writing a check to a feel-good cause — they're investing in an athlete who has spent over a decade building sustainable systems for adaptive sports access, long before he became a two-time Paralympic gold medalist. And the timing is perfect: with LA hosting the 2028 Paralympic Games, Frech (an LA native who’s also now competing for USC's Division I track team… we’re thinking NILi here, right?) is uniquely positioned to be the face of the Paralympic movement on home soil.
"Receiving this award is deeply meaningful, and it reflects the collective efforts of our entire community to make adaptive sports accessible to all," said Frech. "I'm honored to share this recognition with peers who are equally dedicated to creating opportunities for others. Thank you to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and Comcast for helping us grow our impact even further."
And this isn't a one-time activation. The Team USA Community Champions program is currently slated to award grants through 2028 (although we hope it continues beyond LA28, as well), creating a sustained investment model that supports athlete-led community work across the Olympic and Paralympic movements. This collab is more proof that the most powerful sports marketing partnerships aren't built around a single event — they're built around shared values and long-term impact.
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