On Giving Tuesday, help us raise funds to support critical research in 2021

COVID-19 continues to impact each of us. The exercise science, sports medicine and scientific communities are no exception. The pandemic caused fitness facilities to close, disrupted interactions with clients and patients and halted basic science and clinical research. Revenue and funding were lost along with lab time, and physician-scientists had to shift efforts from research to patient care. Ongoing funding is critical to protect research in progress, enable new investigations and sustain the workforce.

Igniting and supporting scientific discovery remains at the heart of the ACSM Foundation. It awards more than $135,000 in grants and travel/registration awards annually to cultivate research and education, as well as support diverse, equitable and inclusive participation in exercise science and sports medicine.

As we navigate through and beyond COVID-19 and its lasting impact, research and collaboration on the science and practice of sports medicine, exercise science and physical activity are more important than ever. ACSM members have spent years researching and mitigating chronic disease risk factors. The same factors we now know exacerbate COVID-19 risks and severity. Scientific inquiry and ongoing efforts to reduce disease risk through research and public health efforts around physical activity, health and well-being must continue.

This Giving Tuesday, ACSM and the ACSM Foundation ask our members, certified professionals and the public to raise funds to support critical research in 2021. If everyone gives at least $5, we could raise more than $250,000. Imagine the scientific discoveries and impact.

Don’t let COVID-19 have the final word. Help support and activate research. Every gift makes a difference. 

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"Current events have changed the exercise, physical activity and health landscape in ways we couldn’t have predicted. With the rise of COVID-19, we have an essential need for new descriptive studies about exercise. A $50 donation on Giving Tuesday may not seem like much, but donations like these can quickly amass. Given the need to promptly study the effects of COVID-19 on exercise outcomes and behaviors, it might only take a few dozen donations of $50-$100 to fund a new research study that provides revolutionary new insights!"

-John Quindry, Ph.D., FACSM, Chair of the ACSM Science, Integration and Leadership Committee and member of the ACSM Research Review Committee

"In 2018, I received one of ACSM’s Research Endowment Grants. As a new faculty member on the second year of the tenure track, this grant helped propel my research agenda. I used it to determine the feasibility and acceptability of an intensive ecological momentary assessment protocol to study physical activity and how motivational factors influence physical activity in older adults. Data from this study was critical preliminary data in my recently funded R15 grant from the National Institute on Aging. These funding mechanisms provide valuable professional development opportunities. As an early career researcher, I am grateful for ACSM’s commitment to fund research. We need to support these funding mechanisms more than ever given the growing competitiveness of obtaining funding and the need for evidence-based practices to support the health and well-being in individuals, especially during our current public health crisis."

-Jaclyn P. Maher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina Greensboro

If your employer offers a matching gift program, you can triple the impact of your contribution. 
Contact the ACSM Foundation to learn how.

Campaign ends November 30, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST.  All donations are tax deductible. Donations of appreciated securities and mutual funds are accepted.