The Sphere of Sports Foundation

Where the game gives back.

We turn the influence of the Sphere of Sports platform into direct community impact — investing in youth, equity, and opportunity at the intersection of sports and society.

Four pillarsOne mission
Mission Rock, SFWhere it began
Year-roundPrograms & summit
The Why

Influence is only worth what it returns.

The Sphere of Sports platform gathers the people who shape the game — owners, investors, athletes, and civic leaders. The Foundation exists so that access converts into opportunity for the communities the game is built on.

Access

Opened, not withheld

The networks and rooms that decide the future of sport are opened to the young people and communities usually left outside them.

Transition

Careers beyond the game

Athletes carry leadership, discipline, and platform long after competition — we build the pathways that turn that into a second act.

Equity

A fairer sports economy

As capital floods into sport, we work to ensure ownership, opportunity, and benefit reach further than they do today.

About

A convener that already sits at the table.

The Sphere of Sports Foundation is a private, invitation-only 501(c)(3) institute operating at the nexus of capital, culture, innovation, governance, and global affairs — a discreet forum where the leaders shaping the future of sport exchange intelligence, build relationships, and advance the field's most important conversations.

Team ownersInvestorsC-suite executivesPolicymakersTechnologistsCreatorsRising leaders

Our mission: expand access at the emerging edge, and strengthen excellence at the institutional core — so sport remains a global engine of mobility, culture, and connection.

Flagship

The Sphere of Sports Summit

A closed-door convening staged alongside major moments — the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Weekend, and premier championships — pairing private executive forums and roundtables with leadership dialogues. Proceeds support the Foundation's programming.

Year-round

Masterclasses & Field Immersions

Advanced sessions led by industry architects, plus insider access to teams, venues, and institutions — insight normally reserved for those at the top of the game.

Networks

Institutional Partnerships

Opening networks historically inaccessible to rising talent, bridging top-tier leadership with the next generation prepared to engage the evolving sports economy.

Our Work

Four pillars, one mission.

01

Youth Access & Development

Structured pathways into sport and its adjacent careers for young people who'd otherwise never get a look in.

02

Athlete Transition & Education

Education, mentorship, and networks that help athletes lead in business, governance, and civic life.

03

Equity in the Sports Economy

Widening ownership and opportunity so the value sport creates is shared more fairly.

04

Community & Civic Impact

Turning the platform's convening power into tangible benefit for the cities and communities that host the game.

Programs — the curriculum

An institute you can learn from — and run.

Every program runs the same four-beat arc, drawn from the Foundation's masterclasses and field immersions. The consistency is what makes each one recognizable — and adoptable by partners.

01 — Learn

Masterclasses

Led by industry architects — owners, operators, athletes, executives. Real frameworks and real cases.

02 — Immerse

Field immersions

Behind-the-scenes access to teams, venues, front offices, and institutions few ever see.

03 — Apply

A real capstone

Every participant produces something real — a plan, a pitch, a project — reviewed by practitioners.

04 — Connect

Into the network

Placement with mentors, alumni, and partner organizations that carry participants forward.

Delivered as MasterclassImmersionCohortAdopted program
Youth Access

On-Ramp

Young people mapping careers in and around sport. They leave with a pathway plan, a real project, and a mentor.

Athlete Transition

The Athlete Institute

Active & retired athletes building a second act. The flagship credential — a transition plan pitched to a panel.

Equity

Ownership & Access

Aspiring owners and operators from backgrounds the industry has excluded. They leave with a thesis and a network.

Community

Home Field

Community and civic leaders turning events into lasting local benefit — with an adoptable legacy plan for their own city.

Events — the calendar

What's coming up.

Summits, masterclasses, immersions, and cohorts across the year. Dates are managed by the Foundation and update here automatically.

Loading the calendar…

Impact

It began on stage at Mission Rock.

The inaugural Sphere of Sports Summit brought funders, civic leaders, community organisers, and athletes together at Mission Rock in San Francisco during NBA All-Star weekend — three days built around the four pillars.

Funders & civic
  • Zaileen "Z" Janmohamed
  • Chris Kelly
  • Sabeer Bhatia
  • Dr. Tammy Mahaney
Community
  • Lindsay Barenz
  • Derick Brown
  • Hannah Gordon
Athletes
  • Dr. Veronica Jow
  • Denzel Whitaker
  • D'Lo Louis
Draft — for Taj's review

"I grew up watching the game give everything to a few and pass over the many. The Foundation is our answer to that: take the influence this platform has earned and point it back at the people and places the game came from. That's the whole idea — nothing more complicated, and nothing less ambitious."

— Taj Tashombe, Founder & CEO
Partner

Ways to build with us.

There are four ways to adopt the curriculum — rising in commitment, and in what a partner gets back. The Foundation supplies the framework, faculty, and credential; partners bring reach, venues, participants, or funding.

Fund

Underwrite

Fund a cohort or a whole pillar; the Foundation delivers. The most direct way to put a name behind measurable outcomes.

Access

Host

Provide a venue, an immersion site, front-office access, or athletes — the in-kind backbone that makes immersions possible.

Scale — the lever

License & Run

Deliver a Foundation program under the framework and credential. We certify your facilitators and hold the quality bar. This is how the institute becomes a platform.

Build

Co-Design

Build a new module or program together for a specific need — a league's rookie-transition track, a city's pre-event legacy plan.

ExploreScopePilotAgreeLaunchMeasureRenew / Scale
Tiers

Where your name sits.

Institutional Partner

Multi-year commitment underwriting a pillar or programme, with a seat in the strategic conversation.

$50K – $250K

Program Partner

Fund a specific cohort, immersion, or community initiative end-to-end.

Program

In-Kind Partner

Contribute venues, access, expertise, or media to extend the Foundation's reach.

In-kind

Volunteer & Mentor

Lend time and networks directly to the young people and athletes in our programmes.

Time
Give

Every gift opens a door.

Direct support funds the educational pathways, immersions, and community programmes that run all year. Choose a level to begin — every amount goes to work.

Suggested amounts are illustrative. The Sphere of Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) institute; please consult a tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your specific contribution. A donation processor (Givebutter / Stripe) is wired into this section in the live build.

Contact

Start a conversation.

Sphere of Sports Foundation

Taj Tashombe

Founder & CEO

taj@canyonoaks.co

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