The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, that it is awarding $16 million in adaptive sports grants to 91 community-based organizations around the country. The only Bay Area recipient on its list is BORP, a Berkeley organization whose adaptive cycling sessions appear on the San Francisco VA's recreation schedule.
The grants support community groups that offer adaptive sports to veterans with disabilities, the VA said. In the announcement, VA Secretary Doug Collins described adaptive sports as a way for veterans to show their resilience, and he said the grants would benefit thousands of veterans nationwide.
What the recipient list shows
The VA's list of 2026 grant recipients gives each organization's name, city and state, but no dollar amounts, so the size of individual awards is not shown. BORP appears under its full name, Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program, with Berkeley as its city, although the list misprints its state.
Several other California groups are on the list, none of them in the Bay Area. Readers checking the list for local names should note that a sailing group listed in Treasure Island is in Florida, not on San Francisco's Treasure Island.
The VA opened applications for this round on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Its grant program page labels the 2026 recipients list with a period running from Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to Thursday, September 30, 2027. The same page says the funding notice for the next round, labeled VA-SPORTS-27, will be made available, but it gives no date.
About BORP
BORP was started in 1976 by people with disabilities and works with young people and adults who have mobility or vision disabilities, according to its website. The organization says it runs more than 20 programs each week, with roots in Berkeley, regular programs in San Francisco and San Jose, and virtual options. It is marking its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Its program list covers adaptive cycling, an expanded adaptive climbing program, fitness, kayaking, youth sports, and adventures and outings, along with adult sports such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, power soccer and goalball.
The link to local veterans is visible on the VA's side. As of Friday, October 9, 2026, BORP's homepage and programs page did not mention veterans or the VA.
BORP sessions on the San Francisco VA's schedule
The San Francisco VA Health Care System lists three BORP sessions among the Active Exercise and Recreation offerings on its Whole Health schedule. In San Francisco, BORP adaptive cycling meets at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell on the third Thursday of each month, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. The page, last updated on Thursday, October 8, 2026, lists the Golden Gate Park sessions as starting in August.
The other two sessions take place in Berkeley on the fourth Thursday of each month: adaptive circuit training from 1:00 to 2:30 PM at BORP's Ed Roberts Campus location, and adaptive cycling from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
How veterans can join
The Whole Health offerings are for veterans enrolled in VA health care, and every Active Exercise and Recreation session, the BORP sessions included, requires signing up. According to the San Francisco VA, the first step is to ask a VA provider or care team for a Whole Health Consult. The schedule does not list a cost.
See the San Francisco VA's Whole Health schedule
From Saved by the Saddle
Heroes and Horses, Saved by the Saddle's free program for veterans, meets as Coffee and Horsemanship on the second and fourth Mondays of every month, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, on the ground at Ocean View Stables in Daly City. Veterans of any branch, era or length of service are welcome, Guard and Reserve included, and no horse experience is needed.
Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "VA awards $16M in grants for adaptive sports programs" (October 6, 2026); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "VA announces $16M in disabled Veterans adaptive sports grants" (April 9, 2026); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "2026 Grant Recipients" (updated October 7, 2026); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Adaptive Sports Grant Program page (accessed October 9, 2026); San Francisco VA Health Care System, "Whole Health offerings" (updated October 8, 2026); BORP, homepage (accessed October 9, 2026); BORP, programs page (accessed October 9, 2026)