Dick's Sporting Goods Donation Request: Who Qualifies for Sponsorships and Donations (2026 Guide)

DICK'S Sporting Goods takes sponsorship and donation requests through an online portal, and the program is built for youth sports. To qualify, the request must come from a youth sports league or organization in a community with a DICK'S store, relate directly to a sport, and be under $25,000. DICK'S reviews requests once a month and typically decides within 60 days, so apply at least two months before you need the donation. About 9% of Dick's Sporting Goods donation requests tracked on TheShareWay succeed, and most approved groups receive in-store gift certificates and coupons rather than equipment. You can apply in DICK'S Proposal Management System and track your request on Dick's Sporting Goods' TheShareWay page.

What are your odds?

Figures as of October 2026, from applications tracked on TheShareWay.

The two decline reasons nonprofits most often record on TheShareWay are not being a sports organization and applying inside DICK'S 60-day window, so both are worth checking before you start the form.

Who qualifies for a Dick's Sporting Goods donation

DICK'S application portal lists its rules plainly:

• Youth sports only. The request must be for a youth sports league or organization.
• Near a store. Your community must have a DICK'S Sporting Goods store.
• Tied to a sport. The request must relate directly to one of roughly 50 sports DICK'S lists, from archery to wrestling.
• Under $25,000.
• Not eligible: religious or political organizations, individuals, scholarships, and political campaigns or candidates. DICK'S employees and their family members can't apply, and your organization must agree to DICK'S anti-discrimination policy.

That leaves little room for groups outside youth sports. A school PTA raffle or a gala for a non-sports charity is outside the published criteria, and meeting every rule still doesn't guarantee support.

Sponsorships vs. donations

DICK'S handles two kinds of requests in the same portal:

• Sponsorships are for youth sports organizations. DICK'S weighs them on multiple factors, and an approved sponsorship comes with a written agreement between DICK'S and your organization.
• Donations can support a specific event or an individual youth sports team. DICK'S says donations may include coupons and in-store gift certificates, at its discretion.

That second line describes what most groups get. Nonprofits that logged an approved Dick's request on TheShareWay most often describe sets of $20 bonus certificates, a $50 certificate, or coupon booklets and team packet coupons, typically worth $50–$120 in total. Some groups that asked for equipment received certificates and coupons instead, so plan your event around a gift-certificate-sized donation.

How to submit a Dick's Sporting Goods donation request

1. Start about three months out. DICK'S reviews new requests monthly and typically decides within 60 days of submission, and its decline letters tell late applicants that proposals must arrive at least 60 days before the date you need the donation. Approved Dick's requests tracked on TheShareWay were submitted a median of 84 days before the event.
2. Gather your documents. The portal asks for your EIN and documentation for the nonprofit or school your team or league is affiliated with, basic team or league information, the specifics of your funding request, an equipment item list if you're asking for gear, a vendor quote for any services, and your registration form with its fees. If you need your IRS paperwork, see our guide to the 501(c)(3) determination letter.
3. Make the youth sports connection obvious. Name the sport, the age group, how many kids play, and exactly what the money or gear will do. TheShareWay's donation request letter template covers the same ground and is easy to adapt.
4. Create an account and submit in DICK'S Proposal Management System.
5. Log the request on Dick's Sporting Goods' TheShareWay page so you have a record of the date you applied and a reminder to follow up.

After you apply

Dick's Sporting Goods responds to donation requests in a median of 10 days, based on applications tracked on TheShareWay, though DICK'S itself allows up to 60 days for a decision. Approved donations are usually shipped to you. If you're declined for timing, the fix is simple: apply again for your next season or event with more lead time. Once a donation arrives, a thank-you letter keeps the door open for next year.

DICK'S Foundation and Sports Matter grants

The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation runs the Sports Matter program for youth sports, but its grants are available by invitation only. DICK'S portal invites organizations to join the Sports Matter Community at sportsmatter.org for grant updates instead of applying. TheShareWay's directory has no funder record for the DICK'S Foundation, so the portal above is the only route you can apply through directly. Golf Galaxy, which is part of DICK'S Sporting Goods, has no separate donation program; see our Golf Galaxy donation request guide.

If Dick's Sporting Goods isn't an option

If you aren't a youth sports group, you're short on lead time, or you need more than certificates, these sporting goods retailers take requests too:

• SCHEELS, with stores in 15 states from Arizona to Wisconsin, donates sporting goods, gift cards and money, and about 52% of requests succeed.
• Dunham's Sports, in 20 states across the Midwest and South, donates sporting goods and gift cards, and about 13% of requests succeed.
• Big 5 Sporting Goods, in 11 Western states, donates e-gift cards, and about 10% of requests succeed. It doesn't donate to individuals or teams.

For golf outings, see 24 golf donation request ideas, our guide to planning a charity golf tournament and the Topgolf donation request guide. For a general raffle, 10 raffle basket ideas with 87 donation request links has plenty of donors without a sports requirement.

How TheShareWay helps with your Dick's request

Dick's Sporting Goods' page on TheShareWay keeps the portal link, eligibility rules and outcome data in one place, and lets you track this request next to every other ask for your season. To find more donors near you, browse popular in-kind donors by state or city.