Building a Movement:
The Birth of a Global Nonprofit Brand

The Challenged Athletes Foundation

CAF logo with a blue sphere background, white letters, and a yellow shooting star.

Challenge
What began as a mission to help one man, Jim MacLaren, quickly revealed a far greater need — empowering people with physical challenges to pursue athletic dreams once thought impossible. We believed that if someone could believe in themselves, we could believe in them too.

Brand Creation
From day one, our goal was to build a brand that inspired empowerment, not sympathy. The logo was designed to be bold, clean, and instantly recognizable — something athletes would be proud to wear. Through powerful photography, authentic storytelling, and emotionally charged videos, we showcased the strength, resilience, and triumph of challenged athletes. Our events became can’t-miss experiences that sold out year after year.

Strategic Foundation
We established a clear mission, vision, and roadmap centered on sustainable growth. From creating an endowment fund to ensure long-term impact, to launching programs that not only provided adaptive equipment but also coaching and training, we built a structure designed for lasting change.

Challenged Athletes Foundation website homepage with statistics on funds raised, grants awarded, and athletes helped, featuring a blue background, white bold text, and a donation button.
CAF Website

Results

Today, over 32 years later, the impact speaks for itself — nearly $191 million raised, 52,000 grants awarded worldwide, and 94% of athletes reporting an improved quality of life. What started as one story of hope became a global movement of possibility.

$191

million raised

52,000

grants awarded worldwide

94%

of athletes reporting an improved quality of life

  • A young girl and a woman kneeling on the grass at an outdoor event. The girl is wearing a white dress, knee-high socks, and black shoes, holding a small object. The woman is wearing sunglasses, a blue CAF t-shirt, a cap, and has a backpack. They are smiling and embracing, with other children and adults visible in the background.
  • A young man with a prosthetic leg and a woman with long blonde hair standing together, smiling, in front of large illuminated letters spelling "LOVE" at night. The setting appears to be an outdoor venue with plants and a fountain.
  • Group of ten professionally dressed people posing on a red carpet at a formal event with a backdrop displaying the logo of the Celebration of Heroes HUE Foundation.
  • Group of eight people standing on a red carpet at a charity event, with a backdrop featuring the CAF Foundation logo, smiling and posing for a photo.
  • Group of diverse young individuals and adults smiling at a photoshoot or event, with some individuals having prosthetic and robotic limbs, in front of a backdrop with organizational logos.
  • Four people standing together outdoors on a grassy field, smiling. They are dressed in athletic clothing, with two women wearing sunglasses and hats, and two men wearing sunglasses and headbands. In the background, there are trees, buildings, and a blue tent.
  • Three people, two women and one man, dressed formally at an outdoor evening event.
  • A large group of people, dressed in blue athletic gear, gathered together for a photo outdoors on a sunny day. They are smiling and appear to be part of a sports team or club, with some wearing medals and tag badges.
  • Group of six people, including a young man with a prosthetic leg in a wheelchair, at an outdoor event with a stage and banners for Challenged Athletes Foundation. They are smiling, posing for the photo, and making hand gestures.
  • Group of people gathered outdoors at a charity event, some wearing blue shirts with CAI logos, smiling and posing for a photo, with flags and trees in the background.
  • Group of ten people in formal attire posing on a red carpet at an event with a backdrop featuring the CAF logo.
  • Three people standing together, two men and one woman, smiling and posing for a photo at an awards event. The woman in the center is holding a glass award. Behind them is a large screen displaying text that reads 'TAB KING, JIM MACLAREN AWARD'.
  • Six women standing on a red carpet at a Challenged Athletes Foundation event. One woman is in a wheelchair. They are dressed in elegant gowns and dresses, smiling at the camera, with a backdrop featuring the CAF logo.
  • A woman wearing a cycling helmet and a blue, white, and yellow cycling jersey, standing outdoors with a bicycle in front of a wooden fence.
  • Group of nine people standing together on a sports field, smiling for a photo. Some have prosthetic legs, others are wearing athletic gear.