The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is an association of college athletic programs.
NAIA is by far the smaller of the two major athletic associations, compared to the far larger NCAA: it has a mere 241 member institutions (though two are located in Canada - British Columbia, specifically - and one in the United States Virgin Islands), both public and private.
It is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. It sponsors 28 national championships, including football.
In April 2024, the NAIA voted to prohibit men who claim to be transgender women from participating in women's sports (they are only permitted to compete on co-educational teams such as cheerleading).[1]