NCPG Announces Fall 2026 Agility Grants for Five Community Organizations Advancing Problem Gambling Prevention

Tenth round of the only national grant program dedicated exclusively to problem gambling prevention awards $200,000 in funding.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 10, 2026) – The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) today announced the recipients of the Fall 2026 Agility Grant cycle, awarding $200,000 in funding to five organizations in California, Connecticut, Florida, Nebraska, and Ohio working to prevent problem gambling in their communities. This round includes four first-time recipients and one returning grantee, the Nebraska Collegiate Prevention Alliance.

The NCPG Agility Grants Program, made possible through funding from the NFL via the NFL Foundation, supports new and existing problem gambling prevention initiatives in communities with limited or no prevention services, with a focus on youth ages 12–17 and young adults ages 18–24. By identifying, supporting, and scaling promising community-based strategies, the program aims to establish a national standard for problem gambling prevention.

“Ten rounds in, the Agility Grants program continues to highlight that prevention works best when it is built by the people who know their communities,” said Charles H. Jeffers II, NCPG’s Interim Executive Director. “This cycle brings new partners into the field while continuing our investment in a proven program in Nebraska, and that combination is how prevention grows. Each of these organizations is meeting young people, families, and other at-risk populations where they are, and helping them recognize and avoid gambling-related harm before it starts.”

Launched in 2022, the Agility Grants program is the only national grant program dedicated exclusively to problem gambling prevention in the United States. To date, the program has awarded more than $2 million to support community-based organizations working to prevent gambling-related harm and address the unique needs of the populations they serve.

“The NFL is proud to have supported the Agility Grants program since its inception,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility. “As gambling becomes more widespread, community-based prevention matters more than ever. We look forward to seeing this cycle’s work take root and spread beyond the communities where it starts.”

Fall 2026 Agility Grant funding will support the following programs:

• BHcare, Alliance for Prevention & Wellness

BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention & Wellness will launch Trapped in the Algorithm, a virtual escape room that teaches middle and high school students about gambling risks through a series of game-based puzzles and challenges. Designed to fit within a single 45-minute class period, the interactive lesson explores how gambling is marketed to young people, common misconceptions about odds and winning, and the role of technology and social media in gambling exposure. The module will be piloted in schools in Shelton, Cromwell, Branford, West Haven, and Seymour, Connecticut, and offered free of charge to schools and nonprofit organizations in the region.

• Eden Youth & Family Center

Eden Youth & Family Center will launch the Financial Futures Innovation Lab, a youth-led prevention initiative serving middle and high school students in Alameda County, California, with a focus on Title I and other high-need school communities. Through a six-session education series, students will learn about budgeting and saving, probability and risk, and digital and media literacy alongside gambling prevention, while at least 25 youth leaders will shape prevention messages and lead peer education and community action projects. The initiative will directly engage approximately 350 young people and reach families through bilingual education and community events.

• Nebraska Collegiate Prevention Alliance

The Nebraska Collegiate Prevention Alliance (NECPA), a returning Agility Grant recipient, will continue its statewide campus-based problem gambling prevention initiative across 26 member colleges and universities serving more than 136,000 students. Building on data gathered in the project’s first year, NECPA will deliver personalized normative feedback to students through its pre-matriculation and screening programs, run targeted digital campaigns during high-risk campus periods such as welcome weeks and rivalry games, and train campus personnel to deliver problem gambling curriculum directly to students.

• Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education

The Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), in partnership with the Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment Coalition of Southwest Ohio, will launch Campus Connect, a peer-led prevention program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Sinclair Community College, the University of Cincinnati, and Wright State University. Trained student interns will deliver a prevention module through classroom presentations and campus outreach, covering how sports betting products encourage repeated play, misconceptions about skill versus chance, and advertising and social pressures. The program prioritizes commuter, first-generation, lower-income, and racially diverse students who are often missed by traditional campus wellness programming. None of the four campuses currently has a funded gambling prevention program.

• University of South Florida

The University of South Florida will conduct formative research on how male college students respond to sports betting advertising, laying the groundwork for future prevention campaigns on Florida campuses. The project will measure students’ attention and emotional responses to sports betting ads, interview students who bet to compare the experiences of those who gamble responsibly with those showing risky behavior, and gather college health professionals’ perspectives on responsible gambling messaging. Findings will inform counter-marketing interventions shared through USF’s statewide college health network.

As gambling becomes more accessible across digital platforms, a national survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of NCPG earlier this year found that nearly two-thirds of adults report participating in at least one form of gambling before age 21. This data underscores the need for early prevention and education programs, which ensure that young people, families, educators, and policymakers understand the potential harm and protect youth from early exposure to gambling and gambling-related products.

NCPG’s youth prevention work has also earned recent national recognition. The organization’s Gift Responsibly/Too Young to Bet campaign, which urges adults not to give lottery tickets and other gambling products to minors as gifts, was named a Bronze Anthem Award recipient in the Health: Addiction & Recovery Support category of the 6th Annual Anthem Awards. Winners were selected from more than 2,500 entries from 43 countries.

Agility Grants are awarded twice annually. Applications for Spring 2027 funding will open January 13, 2027. For more information, visit NCPGambling.org/Agility.