It is another record-setting year in 2022 for the USA Swimming Foundation’s free-and-reduced-cost swim lessons program, with $898,184 in grants awarded for swim lesson providers.
That is a more than 75% increase from the $507,618 in grants awarded in 2021.
A big part of the bump was made possible via a $200,000 gift from Step Into Swim, which is an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Foundation, plus an additional $80,000 grant approved by the USA Swimming Board of Directors.
The USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, vetted 184 youth grant applications through a competitive annual review process, selecting 102 programs across 29 states to receive $763,184 in funding as part of its 2022 grant program for swim lesson providers. These grants will support youth programs offering free or reduced-cost swim lessons, providing an estimated 19,870 children with the opportunity to learn how to swim.
“Learning to swim from a qualified instructor drastically reduces the risk of childhood drowning by 88%. The more awareness we bring to the importance of swim instruction, the more lives we can save,” said three-time Olympic gold medalist and VP of Partnerships and Development for PHTA Rowdy Gaines. “Step Into Swim is proud to collaborate with an organization like the USA Swimming Foundation, whose efforts to support learn-to-swim programs is important, life-saving work.”
In addition to that money, for the first time, the USA Swimming Foundation has awarded $135,000 in grants to 39 adult learn-to-swim programs across 22 states, providing lessons to about 2,007 adults. That effort is part of a new partnership with U.S. Masters Swimming, which in 2021 incorporated its Swimming Saves Lives Foundation adult learn-to-swim program under the USA Swimming Foundation umbrella.
U.S. Masters Swimming continues to own and administer adult learn-to-swim curriculum and certification for instructors, as well as provide resources to programs offering adult lessons throughout the United States.
According to CDC data, about 11 people die each day from drowning in the United States, and more children ages 1-4 die from drowning than any other cause except birth defects.
Drowning deaths among children have fallen substantially over the last 20 years in the United States. From 1999 through 2019, the rate among children aged 0-17 reduced from 1.6 per 100,000 to 1.0 per 100,000.
2022 Grant Recipients
Youth Learn to Swim Programs
| Program | City | State |
| Anderson Swim School LLC | Cincinnati | Ohio |
| Bangor Region YMCA | Bangor | Maine |
| Boys & Girls Club of Deep East Texas | Nacogdoches | Texas |
| Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence | Lawrence | Massachusetts |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Inc. | Chicago | Illinois |
| City of Aiken | Aiken | South Carolina |
| City of Anoka | Anoka | Minnesota |
| City of Bakersfield Recreation and Parks | Bakersfield | California |
| City of Colusa | Colusa | California |
| City of Englewood | Englewood | New Jersey |
| City of Englewood, CO | Englewood | Colorado |
| City of Folsom | Folsom | California |
| City of Jersey City | Jersey City | New Jersey |
| City of King | King City | California |
| City of Marion | Marion | Illinois |
| City of Memphis | Memphis | Tennessee |
| City of Myrtle Beach, SC | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina |
| City of Peoria | Peoria | Arizona |
| City of Riverside | Riverside | California |
| City Swim Project | Buffalo | New York |
| CLE Swimming, LLC | Olmsted Falls | Ohio |
| Clovis Unified School District | Clovis | California |
| College Hill Presbyterian Swim Ministry | Cincinnati | Ohio |
| Dad’s Club Aquatic Center / Dad’s Club Swim Start | Houston | Texas |
| Evanston Swim School LLC | Evanston | Illinois |
| Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition | Fort Worth | Texas |
| Grand Rapids Ray and Joan Kroc Salvation Army Kroc Corps Community Center | Grand Rapids | Michigan |
| Greater Holyoke YMCA | Holyoke | Massachusetts |
| Greater Peoria Family YMCA | Peoria | Illinois |
| Greater Richmond Aquatics Partnership | Richmond | Virginia |
| Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics, Inc. | Houston | Texas |
| Historic Cleveland Ave YMCA of Montgomery, AL (YMCA of Greater Montgomery) | Montgomery | Alabama |
| Inspirational Triathlon Racing International d/b/a i-tri | East Hampton | New York |
| Jewish Community Center–Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indiana |
| Kenosha YMCA | Kenosha | Wisconsin |
| Kraken Swim School | Hubbard | Ohio |
| Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership, Inc | New Haven | Connecticut |
| Madison Area YMCA | Madison | New Jersey |
| Magnolia Independent School District – Magnolia Aquatic Club | Magnolia | Texas |
| Merrimack Valley YMCA | Lawrence | Massachusetts |
| Metro Aquatics Boosters | Tacoma | Washington |
| Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges | Livingston | New Jersey |
| Michigan City Piranha Swim | Michigan City | Indiana |
| Mundelein Swim School LLC | Mundelein | Illinois |
| Muskegon Heights Public School Academy Systems | Muskegon | Michigan |
| Muskegon YMCA | Muskegon | Michigan |
| Nashville Dolphins | Nashville | Tennessee |
| NILE SWIM CLUB OF YEADON | Yeadon | Pennsylvania |
| North Dallas Aquatics Inc. | Frisco | Texas |
| North Suburban Young Men’s Christian Association | Northbrook | Illinois |
| Northbrook Swim School LLC | Northbrook | Illinois |
| Port Charlotte Pirates Swim Club, Inc. | Murdock | Florida |
| Raritan Valley YMCA, A New Jersey Non-Profit Corporation | East Brunswick | New Jersey |
| Robbinsdale Community Education-District 281 | Plymouth | Minnesota |
| Rutherford Swim Association | Rutherford | New Jersey |
| Santa Fe Aquatics | Santa Fe | New Mexico |
| Sensory Enhanced Aquatics | Kansas City | Kansas |
| sharks swim club | League City | Texas |
| Silver Bay YMCA | Silver Bay | New York |
| South Sound Young Men’s Christian Association | Olympia | Washington |
| Specialty Aquatic Programs LLC | Troy | Michigan |
| St. Augustine Preparatory Academy/Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center | Milwaukee | Wisconsin |
| Stamford Family YMCA | Stamford | Connecticut |
| SwemKids International, Inc. | Atlanta | Georgia |
| Swim Beyond LLC | Atlanta | Georgia |
| Swim Center at Westminster School | Simsbury | Connecticut |
| Swim to the Top | Tuscaloosa | Alabama |
| SwimLabs Littleton | Littleton | Colorado |
| Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, Inc. | Tampa | Florida |
| TANKPROOF | Prairieville | Louisiana |
| The Gift of Swimming | Winter Garden | Florida |
| The Riverbrook Regional YMCA, Inc. | Wilton | Connecticut |
| The Salvation Army | Rancho Palos Verdes | California |
| The West Cook YMCA, Inc. | Oak Park | Illinois |
| Tillamook County Family YMCA | Tillamook | Oregon |
| Trident Swim Foundation, Inc. | New York | New York |
| Tucson Jewish Community Center, Inc. | Tucson | Arizona |
| Upper Palmetto YMCA | Rock Hill | South Carolina |
| Urban Swim Cleveland LLC | Cleveland Heights | Ohio |
| V3 Sports | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
| Valley of the Sun YMCA | Phoenix | Arizona |
| Woodland Hills Aquatic Team | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| YMCA of Boulder Valley | Lafayette | Colorado |
| YMCA of Eastern Union County | Elizabeth | New Jersey |
| YMCA of Greater Dayton – Downtown Branch | Dayton | Ohio |
| YMCA of Greater Louisville | Louisville | Kentucky |
| YMCA of Greater Michiana | Niles | Michigan |
| YMCA of Greater Omaha | Omaha | Nebraska |
| YMCA of Greater Seattle | Seattle | Washington |
| YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County | Kingston | New York |
| YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago | Chicago | Illinois |
| YMCA of New Orleans Metropolitan | Metairie | Louisiana |
| YMCA of Prattville, Alabama, Inc. | Prattville | Alabama |
| YMCA of Snohomish County | Everett | Washington |
| YMCA of South Collier | Marco Island | Florida |
| YMCA of Southwest Washington | Longview | Washington |
| YMCA of the Greater Houston Area | Houston | Texas |
| YMCA of the North | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
| YMCA of the North Shore, Inc. | Beverly | Massachusetts |
| YMCA, Boston | Attleboro | Massachusetts |
| YWCA Evanston/North Shore | Evanston | Illinois |
| YWCO of Athens, GA, Inc. | Athens | Georgia |
Adult Learn to Swim Programs
| Program | City | State |
| Bangor Region YMCA | Bangor | Maine |
| Central Adult Learn-to-Swim, Inc. | Louisville | Kentucky |
| City of Englewood Recreation Department | Englewood | New Jersey |
| City of Rockport – Community Pool | Rockport | Texas |
| Evolutionary Aquatics, LLC | Charlotte | North Carolina |
| Find Your Fins, Inc | Tucson | Arizona |
| Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition | Fort Worth | Texas |
| Friends of + POOL, Inc. | New York | New York |
| Greenville Splash | Mauldin | South Carolina |
| Groton Recreation | Groton | New York |
| Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore | Owings Mills | Maryland |
| Marin Aquatic Masters | Novato | California |
| Miracle Swimming School for Adults, LLC | Sarasota | Florida |
| Montgomery County Recreation | Wheaton | Maryland |
| Moscow Chinook Masters- Adult Learn to Swim | Moscow | Idaho |
| Mt. Pleasant Aquatics | Mt. Pleasant | Utah |
| Muskegon Young Men’s Christian Association | Muskegon | Michigan |
| Muslimahs Endure, Inc | Atlanta | Georgia |
| Phoenix Swim Club | Paradise Valley | Arizona |
| Piedmont Family YMCA | Charlottesville | Virginia |
| Raritan Valley YMCA | East Brunswick | New Jersey |
| Rhythm and Stroke LLC | Cleveland | Ohio |
| Rockland County YMCA | Nyack | New York |
| S3 Swim DBA Specialty Aquatic Programs LLC | Troy | Michigan |
| Sensory Enhanced Aquatics | Kansas City | Kansas |
| Sigma Swimming | Fort Worth | Texas |
| SilverPeak Performance | Sunland | California |
| Swim Fit Alaska | Fairbanks | Alaska |
| SwimBox Community Foundation | Springfield | Virginia |
| Swimming with Alaska Masters | Anchorage | Alaska |
| Team New York Aquatics, Inc. | New York | New York |
| The Salvation Army Western Territorial Headquarters | Rancho Palos Verdes | California |
| Valley of the Sun YMCA | Phoenix | Arizona |
| West Suburban YMCA | Newton | Massachusetts |
| YMCA of Greater Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Ohio |
| YMCA of Greater Houston | Houston | Texas |
| YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County | Kingston | New York |
| YMCA of South Palm Beach County, Inc. | Boca Raton | Florida |
| Young Women’s Christian Organization (YWCO) | Athens | Georgia |
| Zionsville Aquatic Center/Zionsville Com Schools | Zionsville | Indiana |
Could I apply for a grant for elementary school students? We could use the local YMCA for the swim lessons.
The YMCA should not be taking USA Swimming Monies when they are making record profits.
Shame on them.
Which YMCA? They are all independent 501c3s so which one are you saying should not be taking charitable funds? And what do you mean by “profits”?
Tons of YMCAs went under during the pandemic. I can’t for the life of me imagine where you got the idea that they’re making “record profits.”
I’m not sure you understand how a non-profit works.
Does that money come from the mandatory 5% that USA Swimming wants to impose on clubs for their fundraising? If that is the case, give the applause to those clubs. They did the work for that money.