The Coaches of Color Initiative (COCI) exists to provide meaningful support and opportunities for people color aspiring to successful careers as endurance coaches. COCI operates under the auspices of the 80/20 Endurance Foundation, which is affiliated with 80/20 Endurance, the world’s leading purveyor of online training resources for endurance athletes.

COCI awards apprenticeship grants to coaches of color seeking to advance their careers. Recipients receive a monthly stipend of $1,000 for a period of 9 months. During this same period, grant recipients undergo a comprehensive apprenticeship program that includes training and certification as an 80/20 Endurance coach, one-on-one mentoring sessions with the officers and advisors of the 80/20 Endurance Foundation, and opportunities to gain hands-on coaching experience on the 80/20 Endurance platform.

The program is open to anyone who identifies as a person of color and aspires to a successful career as an endurance coach.

The 2023 application window is now closed. The result will be announced on December 13, 2022. The term of the apprenticeship grant will begin on January 1, 2023 and end on September 30, 2023. The next application period for 2024 will open in late 2023.

The apprenticeship grant does not require a full-time commitment. It is intended to be flexible, fitting around the recipient’s existing commitments and responsibilities. If you are selected, we will work with you to make sure you gain the maximum benefit from the opportunity without overextending yourself.

It depends. On any given day you might participate in a one-on-one mentorship session with an 80/20 Endurance Foundation officer or advisor, study for the 80/20 Endurance coach certification test, help an 80/20 Endurance staff coach build a training plan, answer athlete questions on the 80/20 Endurance online forums, record a tip video for the 80/20 Endurance Instagram account, write a post for the 80/20 endurance blog, or even help out at an 80/20 Endurance running or triathlon camp. The specifics will vary based on the needs and interests of the individual and are likely to evolve over the course of the yearlong program.

Yes! Although 80/20 Endurance will own the copyrights to any such material, as it does for similar materials created in partnership with other coaches, you will be compensated in a fair manner that is consistent with existing standards for collaborations of this kind.

It’s largely up to you, but our hope is that alumni of the program will continue to work with 80/20 Endurance in a professional capacity and help mentor future grant recipients. Although formal support ends after 9 months, we wish to continue to informally support the careers of former grant recipients indefinitely.

Yes! The Coaches of Color Initiative is just getting started. We intend to award many future apprenticeship grants. The timing and frequency of these opportunities will depend on funding and other factors.

There are many ways you can help promote COCI! We’re happy to accept your generous donation and have you share your support with friends and family. If you use social media, share a link to this website with your friends and followers. If you host a podcast, invite COCI codirectors Bertrand Newson and Matt Fitzgerald to come on your show and talk about it. And if you work in the media, download our media kit as a first step toward covering COCI in print, online, or on television or YouTube.