Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports

Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports is a woman-owned, tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Tucson, Arizona, that has been registered to receive federal awards since March 2018. The organization serves as a prime recipient of federal grants focused on providing adaptive sports programs and services to individuals with disabilities, particularly those living with paralysis and veterans. Through its federal grant portfolio, Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports delivers recreational and therapeutic opportunities that enhance quality of life and promote physical wellness for underserved populations in the Southwest.

The organization has secured multiple federal grant awards from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Under Secretary for Health, demonstrating its specialization in serving veteran populations. Most recently, Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports received a project grant award on September 30, 2025, for the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Adaptive Sports Program, with completion anticipated by September 2026. Previously, the organization received a project grant for St. Johns County's Veteran Exclusive Adaptive Sports Project, awarded September 30, 2023, and completed September 30, 2024. Additionally, Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports served as a sub-grantee under a Christopher Reeve Foundation grant awarded December 30, 2021, which funded its adaptive cycling program through the purchase of specialized equipment including recumbent trikes and handcycles, as well as accessible transportation services for participants using The Chuck Huckleberry Loop trail system in the Tucson area. This sub-grant, which represented 50 percent of the cycling program's budget, enabled SAAS to establish the only loaner program for adaptive cycling equipment in Southern Arizona, serving approximately 60 individuals living with paralysis annually.