To help swim lesson providers nationwide offer lessons to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity, the USA Swimming Foundation has awarded approximately $475,000 through its 2017 grant fund. After awarding $342,000 in March 2017, the Foundation was able to fund an additional $130,000 this summer. Since 2007, the Foundation has awarded more than $4.4 million dollars to help fund learn-to-swim programs across the country.
Through USA Swimming Foundation funding this year, more than 35,000 children will be served through grants provided to 114 Make a Splash Local Partners. This is the most children the USA Swimming Foundation has served through its annual grant fund in a given year, and the most Make a Splash Local Partner grantees. Over the last 10 years, more than 4.9 million children have received formalized swim instruction through the Make a Splash Local Partner network.
“Through the generosity of our partners and donors over the last year, the USA Swimming Foundation is able to serve more children with an additional $130,000 in grant funding,” says Debbie Hesse, Executive Director of the USA Swimming Foundation. “We couldn’t be more proud to be able to bring more swim lessons to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn to swim.”
The USA Swimming Foundation awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process. This year, the Foundation received nearly 200 applications and awarded 114 grants totaling more than $474,000 to help fund Make a Splash Local Partners across the country. More than 850 Make a Splash Local Partners promote water safety education in their communities and provide scholarships for children to participate in their swim lesson programs.
With the additional funds, the 43 Make a Splash Local Partners below will provide nearly 8,000 children with swim lessons:
+ Pool (New York, N.Y.)
Belle Chasse YMCA (Belle Chasse, La.)
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito (Solana Beach, Calif.)
City of Bakersfield Recreation and Parks (Bakersfield, Calif.)
City of Boynton Beach (Boynton Beach, Fla.)
City of Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
City of Portland, Maine Recreation (Portland, Maine)
City of South Miami Parks and Recreation Department (Miami, Fla.)
City of Urbandale (Urbandale, Iowa)
COR PRCR Aquatics (Raleigh, N.C.)
Crew Swimming (Chalmette, La.)
Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
Dad’s Club (Houston, Texas)
District 196 Community Education Aquatics Program (Apple Valley, Minn.)
Duluth YMCA (Duluth, Minn.)
City of El Centro (El Centro, Calif.)
Grand Rapids Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Greater Houston YMCAs (Houston, Texas)
Harris County Aquatic Program (Houston, Texas)
HEAT Swimming, Inc. (Saint Louis, Mo.)
High Ridge YMCA – YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago (Chicago, Ill.)
Imagine Swimming (New York, N.Y.)
Jersey City Department of Recreation (Jersey City, N.J.)
Johnston YMCA (Charlotte, N.C.)
MIT (Cambridge, Mass.)
Montrose Recreation District – Montrose Community Recreation Center (Montrose, Colo.)
Newport, Kentucky Penguins (Newport, Ky.)
SafeSplash Austin (Austin, Texas)
SafeSplash Lakewood (Castle Rock, Colo.)
SafeSplash Newcastle (Newcastle, Wash.)
Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Aldine Westfield (Houston, Texas)
Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center (Dorchester, Mass.)
South Side YMCA – YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago (Chicago, Ill.)
Swim Beyond LLC (Decatur, Ga.)
Swim School Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)
SwimGym Miami (Miami, Fla.)
The Downtown YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
The Salvation Army Aldine Westfield Boys and Girls Club (Houston, Texas)
University of New Orleans (New Orleans, La.)
Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center/South Lane School District (Cottage Grove, Ore.)
Weaverville/Douglas City Parks and Recreation District (Weaverville, Calif.)
Wilmington YMCA (Wilmington, N.C.)
YMCA of Delaware (Wilmington, Del.)
YMCA of Waycross (Waycross, Ga.)
For more information on Make a Splash Local Partner Grant Opportunities, visit: https://goo.gl/R6uXa2.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions— in the pool and in life. Whether we’re equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim through our Make a Splash initiative, or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative
The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national child-focused water safety campaign, which aims to provide the opportunity for every child in America to learn to swim. Through Make a Splash, the USA Swimming Foundation partners with learn-to-swim providers and water safety advocates across the country to provide swimming lessons and educate children and their families on the importance of learning how to swim. The USA Swimming Foundation has invested millions of dollars to provide grants to qualified Local Partner learn-to-swim programs, to spread national awareness, and to bring together strategic partners to end drowning. To date, 4.9 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of more than 850 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash.
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