Accreditation
Special Olympics accredits Programs to ensure the worldwide quality, and ultimately the growth, of the Special Olympics Movement. These downloadable and viewable resources will help Programs complete the process.
ACCREDITATION IN THE GENERAL RULES
Learn more about accreditation
34 Min Read
WHAT ACCREDITATION OFFERS
When a Program satisfies the accreditation requirements, Special Olympics signs that Program’s Accreditation License Agreement, which grants the Program the legal right to use the Special Olympics name, logo and other trademarks within its jurisdiction, to conduct Special Olympics sports and related activities, and to raise funds under the Special Olympics name.
In addition, Programs gain access to numerous benefits of accreditation, including shared strategy and vision, global leadership and resources, international competitions and summits, risk management guidance and support, global brand marketing, and access to financial resources through grants, partnerships, and fundraising initiatives.
Read about the value of Special Olympics accreditation for your organization and the global movement.
In addition, Programs gain access to numerous benefits of accreditation, including shared strategy and vision, global leadership and resources, international competitions and summits, risk management guidance and support, global brand marketing, and access to financial resources through grants, partnerships, and fundraising initiatives.
Read about the value of Special Olympics accreditation for your organization and the global movement.
ACCREDITATION SYSTEM LOGIN
All Programs use the online accreditation system for submission of applications and other materials.
ACCREDITATION GUIDE
This guide includes everything you need to know in order to complete your Program’s accreditation requirements (in PDF format).
ADJUSTED GROSS REVENUE FORM 2021
Accredited Programs outside the United States submit financial information annually on the AGR Form (PDF).
ACCREDITATION LICENSE AGREEMENT 2023 – 2024
This license agreement sets forth the legal requirements and rights of accreditation. A copy of the English version must be signed by the Program’s Board Chair when applying for accreditation.
ACCREDITATION FEES POLICY
Each accredited Program is required to pay accreditation fees annually. This policy includes fee formulas and procedures.
LETTERHEAD TEMPLATE
For Programs outside of the United States.
For Programs in the United States.
Download the Ubuntu font on your Mac or PC before downloading letterhead Word documents.
RELATED RESOURCES
Instructions and templates for athlete registration.
4 Min Read
Using this application, a founding group of at least six persons may apply to be recognized as a Founding Committee for a nation or other territory that does not yet have a Special Olympics Accredited Program.
This document is a template of the recommended terms to be used in the governing documents of Special Olympics Programs. Note that accreditation requires two specific provisions to be included in a Program’s governing documents: (1) the Special Olympics Mission Statement, and (2) a board rotation provision limiting the Program’s board members to no more than nine consecutive years of service.
Programs with total revenues more than US$100,000 are required to submit audited financial statements to SOI. This template can be used to request a temporary waiver from the requirement. Programs requesting a waiver must have a plan to begin annual financial audits by the end of the waiver period. Programs with total revenues less than US$100,000 automatically receive a waiver and do not need to make a request. See the Accreditation Fees Policy for details.
This template can be used to create your Program's single-year operational plan.
Optionally, this template can be used instead of the single-year plan if your Program prefers a multi-year plan.
This document can be used to submit your Board of Directors list and years of service under application question 2.1.
Use this form to submit your bank information when signing SOI grant agreements. User tip: Save the completed form so you can easily resubmit it with your next grant agreement if your bank information has not changed.
TRAINING MATERIALS
This is a training meant to provide a step by step guide for Programs and their staffs applying for accreditation and/or submitting their mid-cycle applications.
This 2020-2021 Accreditation presentation accompanies the 2020 webinar presented to Special Olympics Programs worldwide.
The 2020 Accreditation (Spanish) webinar includes an overview of accreditation and details of the online application process, including screenshots and login instructions. (Zoom Recording)
This PowerPoint presentation accompanied the webinar presented in November 2019 to Special Olympics Programs in Latin America.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Please contact the Special Olympics Legal Department.