Building content, commerce and connectivity tools to serve public-park pickleball communities
Building content, commerce and connectivity tools to serve public-park pickleball communities
Pickleheart: A Patient Capital Opportunity
Pickleheart is a non-profit membership association. Our mission is to strengthen Public-Park Pickleball Communities.
We provide tools, resources, and connection points that help local groups thrive.
We are launching this spring. We need your help to finance building our suite of products and to bring them to a public playground near you.
We provide tools, resources, and connection points that help local groups thrive.
We are launching this spring. We need your help to finance building our suite of products and to bring them to a public playground near you.
- Pickleball is rapidly growing, with 35 million players across the United States
- The heart of the sport is in 10,000+ public parks where communities gather and connect
- 5,000 new public pickleball sites are projected in the next four years
- Public parks will remain the first pickleball experience for most players
- Community leaders often lack the tools and support needed to deliver a great experience
what is pickleheart building
Pickleheart is building AI powered content, commerce and connectivity tools to help community leaders with comms and fundraising, and to help players find the places and their people in the pickleball world
Content
Empower community leaders with a platform making it easy for members to find parks & communities. This doesn't generate revenue, but is the foundation of the platform.
Commerce
Community leaders and Pickleheart earn revenue through selling top-branded paddles and custom branded swag to their community. Pickleheart has established valuable partnerships with Pickleball Wholesale, Franklin, ADV Pro & Printful, and seeks to add more.
Connectivity
We offer an annual membership that unlocks a discount on product, and all features on our mobile app. The mobile app helps players find the right park, at the right time, that has the right people there to optimize their trip to the playground.
Support our mission
We are raising $100,000 through a community loan, with an initial $50,000 first close. We will begin repayments 18 months from closing. Loan amounts range from $500 to $10,000.
Not a Donation
This is patient capital with a clear return structure
Not Equity
No ownership, control, or profit participation
A Fixed-Return Loan
6.5% annual return, designed to accelerate mission-driven impact
This opportunity offers transparency, discipline, and respect for both mission and money.
Pledge NowHow Pickleheart Is Sustained?
Revenue Goals: Growing to $3.5M revenue is within reach by 2028
Below are our ambitious yet achievable three-year revenue goals from membership and store sales. Reaching them will require significant team growth and ongoing improvements to our products and operating model. Even if we grow more slowly than this, we expect to have capacity to make repayments per the repayment schedule.
the world's biggest pickleball club
pickleheart scales like no single venue ever could. While making everyone feel like they belong.
2026 | 2027 | 2028 | |
|---|---|---|---|
parks activated | 105 | 250 | 900 |
pickleheart users | 13K | 40k | 125k |
membership revenue | $25K | $200K | $500k |
store revenue
| $381K | $900k | $3.0m |
total revenue | $406k | $1.1m | $3.5m |
Why Patient Capital?
Pickleheart is built for financial discipline, prioritizing earned revenue over reliance on donations. At this stage, a patient, fixed-return loan fits better than traditional philanthropy, offering a fair return with no ownership, control, or profit participation. While we run ourselves like a startup, as a non-profit we cannot offer equity in exchange for capital.
A Proven Model
These pioneering organizations show how patient capital can drive meaningful, lasting social impact.
Built its platform with interest-bearing loans, enabling $1.9B in loans to 4.7M borrowers since 2005
Used early bridge loans to validate its model, placing 70,000+ teachers in under-resourced schools since 1989
Pioneered microloans for the rural poor, supporting 9M borrowers and sparking a global movement since 1983
Loan Terms Summary
Term | Details |
Total Raise | $100,000 |
First Close | $50,000 |
Return | 6.5% annual fixed return |
Grace Period | 18 months from first close |
Repayment | Annual payment over 5 years beginning after 18 months |
Minimum | $500 |
Security | Unsecured, no collateral |
Governance | No ownership or control conveyed |
All participants receive the same economic terms, regardless of loan amount. This is about shared mission, not preferential treatment.
Perks by Participation Level
Each participation level includes Pickleheart swag and mission-aligned thank-you experiences—such as early membership access, exclusive apparel, paddles, and invitations to future community events. These are expressions of appreciation and belonging, not financial incentives, and a fun way to show your support.
Debt Versus Donation
Choosing a loan over a donation creates discipline and accountability, encourages sustainability from the start, and reflects confidence in a model where mission and responsibility go hand in hand.
Understanding the Risk
Every dollar raised will support durable capacity, not ongoing losses.
1. Real Risk Capital
The loan is unsecured. Repayment depends on operating success
2. Key Risk Factors
Timing of adoption, revenue growth, and standard execution risk for early-stage nonprofit initiatives.
3. Option to convert to donation
When it comes time for repayment, we aim to provide options to convert this to a tax-deductible donation. But the primary plan is to repay the loan.
This is not guaranteed capital. It is informed, values-aligned risk taken in support of a shared mission.
Why Support Pickleheart Now?
Founder-Led with Skin in the Game
Meaningful personal capital funded first year of existence. We have a passionate, commited team and are in this for the long-run.
Great progress towards early 2026 launch
Mobile apps for Apple and Android are in development, with WordPress and WooCommerce stores built and under testing. Key distribution partnerships with Franklin and Pickleball Warehouse are secured, and 3 launch parks plus 3 launch communities are ready.
Rigorous & Thoughful Structure
Disciplined timeline, clear terms, and long-term intention.
Support the People Who Care for Public Space
Community leaders who create welcoming environments and hold together the social fabric of local parks deserve tools, support, and recognition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I get for participating?
You get three things: 1 – to support our mission to bring belonging to more people. 2 – your loan paid back in installments over the next 66 months, with 6.5% interest. 3 – we’ll make sure you get some cool Pickleheart swag
How does repayment work?
The promissory note will have a full repayment schedule that will list payment dates and amounts. But to keep it simple, after 18 months, we make a first installment payment. We will make 2 or 4 more payments over the following 48 months, depending on the loan amount. There is a risk we will not have the ability to make the repayments. This loan is unsecured, meaning there is no recourse should we be unable to make the payment.
What is the Pickleheart community loan program?
This is our name for this capital campaign. We call it a community loan because we want to take small loans from many supporters, as opposed to big loans from a few.
We have already raised:
$55,000 left
$45,000
already pledged from 8 supporters
$50,000 first close
Goal: $100,000
Loan Terms
- 6.5% simple interest loan
- First payment 18 months from first close
- 3 or 5 payments (depending on amount of loan) to be paid annually or every two years after first payment