FRIENDS OF CAMBRIDGE ATHLETICS

Introduction to Coaches

Fall 2025

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Mission

• FOCA is a volunteer, parent-led non-profit organization supporting Cambridge Rindge and Latin School athletic teams and clubs. FOCA collaborates with the Athletic Director, coaches, PE and Health staff and other school and city leaders.

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• Its purpose is to assist in the development and funding of athletics in the Cambridge Public Schools.

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Serve as a Booster Club

• Support fundraisers for all Falcons teams during each season and serve as a fiscal conduit for all teams
• Offer competitive grants to teams for equipment, services and training

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Provide Recognition

• Offer college scholarships for select graduating senior student athletes

Conduct Advocacy

• Advocate within CPS for improvements in athletic and fitness programming, expansion of the student/athlete concept, and alignment with out-of-school youth sports programming

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Lead Parent Engagement & Education

• Promote and guide effective parent, guardian and community engagement with athletics programming

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Goals

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FoCA Funding Function

Why is FoCA needed to help raise additional funds for CRLS athletics? 

• FoCA supported fund raising enhances the quality of athletics by providing for goods, services and programming that often fall outside the CPS budget.
• These supplements also give coaches added encouragement, foster a greater sense of ownership among players, increase parent engagement, and help build community through the event nature of many fund raisers.

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Why is it necessary to have a non-profit fiscal conduit? 

• Supplemental funds cannot be held within the school/city accounts or by individual coaches or staff.
• As a non-profit FOCA provides for tax deductible donations, possesses an independent bank account with separate team accounts, and draws on volunteer caregivers for management.

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How are the funds raised and used? 

• Teams participate in fund-raising with coach and parent support. FoCA also organizes fundraising and community events.
• Team fundraisers: Proceeds are spent at the Athletic Director and coaches discretion on goods and services. A small percentage goes to the ‘general fund.’
• General funds are dispersed through:
• Grants - Coaches apply for team equipment
• Special projects - Launch of new sports programs (Orienteering), between season fitness training.
• College scholarships

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Flow of Funds

Team A Funds

Team Z Restricted Grant

Team A Account

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General Fund

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Team Z Account

93%

93%

7%

7%

Scholarships

Grants

Team A Expenditures

Team Z Expenditures

FoCA – 501(c)3 organization

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FOCA Seasonal Event:

• Spring: City Run

• Tax-deductible donation
• Independent bank a/c
• Separate team accounts
• Parent volunteers

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Email focabookkeeper@gmail.com for team account balance

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Why do teams contribute 7% to FOCA?

• The 7% pays for the costs associated with maintaining a transparent and legally compliant vehicle so that donations to all athletic teams can be processed and managed in accordance with district, state, and federal requirements

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• While we are a volunteer organization and keep our organizational costs low, there are costs associated with maintaining fiduciary compliance �(e.g. federal / state tax filing fees, fees to a bookkeeper and accountants who maintain the books and process all transactions (donations / checks) and compile and file the required reporting)�

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Athletic Team Liaison

• Each sport and team has a distinctive set of circumstances and given volunteer time is limited, there’s no right way for the liaison to support the team.

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• Coaches and team liaison will work together to identify the best ways to support the team.
• See next slide for suggested ways that the team liaison can support you

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• Please send the name and contact information for your team liaison to: focambridgeathletics@gmail.com

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• FOCA will meet with team liaisons after December 13^th
• A package with useful information will be shared with the team liaisons

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Athletic Team Liaison

With support from FOCA:

1. Organize team fundraisers and encourage parent participation in all athletics fundraisers, including reminders to parents about the seasonal FOCA fund raiser and other team specific fundraiser events.
2. Help coaches with the collection and documenting of money received and handing over of funds to FOCA for deposit into the team accounts.
3. Attend at least one FOCA meeting (2nd Tuesday of the month) during the season.
4. Represent the team and families when providing input into discussions on FOCA activities.

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Support the Supporters:

1. Establish a team contact list including e-list (include just parents/coaches OR parent/coaches/players), with support from coaches and the athletic office.
2. Encourage parent attendance at games/meets and carpooling – and remind parents about game times and especially away game locations (see the Arbiter webpage).

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Support Team Spirit

1. Recruit parents to organize team social event(s), like team early or post-season dinner or service project with players, coaches and parents. These events can significantly advance team development, sense of belonging, fun and inclusion.
2. Pass along important messages from coaches, Athletic Director and FoCA – determine with coaches what they may want� to communicate directly with families via email, and when they want parent assistance. Have strategy that includes� freshmen and JV teams.
3. Model and encourage appropriate fan/parent behavior - the CRLS Athletics handbook suggests: ‘Be a fan, not a fanatic.’ �We are modeling sportsmanship for our children, and consider that others judge our city and school based on their �experience with parent/fans.

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Support the Team

1. Familiarize yourself with the CRLS Athletic Department Handbook (new edition expected by winter 2022).
2. Write or recruit others to write about the team for the Cambridge Chronicle.
3. Identify a team photographer for team sharing and newspaper or social media posting

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Grants

• All CRLS athletic teams and sports clubs are eligible to apply for funding

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• Grants can be used to pay for materials and services that directly benefit the team or students. This may include specialty-training clinics and expenses related to clinics, equipment/gear that stays with the team at the end of the season, travel or court/field rental fees not eligible to be covered by AD’s office

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• Grants cannot be used to pay for individual gear that student-athletes keep, food for team gatherings or celebrations, or expenses that are eligible to be funded by the AD’s office

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• Application form can be obtained from focabookkeeper@gmail.com or the FOCA website (friendsofcambridgeathletics.org)

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Grant Guidelines

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Process:

• Applications must be completed and signed by a team liaison and head coach
• Grant applications are reviewed and decided upon based on their merits and the funding available at the time.
• Considerations include fundraising efforts from the team and a team’s level of participation in FOCA fundraiser events.
• Matching a grant is not a prerequisite for approval nor is it a guarantee of approval.
• A stronger grant application will include information addressing FOCA’s funding priorities (see below).
• Grant funds must be spent within 90 days or before June 30, whichever comes first unless extended by FOCA Treasurer, or they will be deemed forfeited.

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FOCA funding priorities:

• Support for applications which positively impact the student-athlete and the team (tangible and intangible)
• Support for teams who foster student-athlete engagement and have a positive impact on the CPS Athletics community, CRLS community or wider Cambridge community
• Support for applications which impact a larger numbers of student athletes, a large proportion of the team and / or students who would not be able to fully participate in the sport, without the grant
• Support for equity and participation of new student-athletes, who may not have been involved in organized sports before high-school
• Support for “newer” sports which may not have a history of community financial support or general awareness

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Grant Cycles - Overview

Overview of Grant Cycles

• FOCA will have a principal grant cycle ahead of each season. An ongoing supplementary cycle, available for unforeseen / intra-season requests, can be applied to during the season.
• Principal grant cycle:
• In order to make sure that coaches receive money one week before the season starts, they need to apply for a grant 3 weeks before the season starts. A reminder will be sent out four weeks before the application deadline.
• Supplementary budget cycle:
• Applications for the supplementary budget cycle for unforeseen / intra-season requests can be applied for at any stage during the season, up to the final day of the season.
• FOCA aims to review and approve any grants within 14 days of receiving a complete grant application. If the Board has questions that arise during the grant review process, the grant review may be delayed.

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End of Season Wrap Up

• At the end of the season, FOCA will ask coaches to provide information on possible grant requests for the following season (especially if there is a team liaison in place to help).
• FOCA will “hold” the grant request and send out with the beginning of season reminder, the following year

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Grant Review Process - Logistics

• Application form can be obtained from FOCA Treasurer or the FOCA website

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• Coach / Team Liaison sends grant application to FOCA Treasurer

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• A Board member will review the grant request and reach out to the Coach / Team Liaison with any clarifying questions. FOCA will contact the Athletics Director with any questions regarding availability of funding from District / Athletics Department

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• The Board member will forward the application, with any additional information to the Board

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• The Board will meet (in person or virtually) to review and discuss the grant request

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• The Board will vote on the grant application

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• The FOCA Treasurer will contact the Coach / Team Liaison with the decision

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• Upon receipt of documentation, the Treasurer will process any grant award

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Thanks!

Maija Pratt Rojas, President

focambridgeathletics@gmail.com

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Sue Swalley, Treasurer

focabookkeeper@gmail.com

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Friendsofcambridgeathletics.org

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Instagram: crls_foca

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