The USTA recentyl announced that it is awarding more than $315,000 in Recreational Tennis Grants to 38 non-profit organizations across the country. The USTA's Recreational Tennis Division has pooled financial resources to create a series of Program/Project Support grants and Community Partnership Investment awards. These will be distributed on a bi-annual basis to non-profits that are committed to increasing tennis participation, are well-established in their communities, support tennis programming and foster diversity among participants. In total, the USTA awarded over $1 million in Recreational Tennis Grants to qualified applicants in 2009.
Any non-profit organization is encouraged to apply for the grants, regardless of affiliation with the USTA. Selected organizations include Community Tennis Associations, Parks and Recreation agencies, YMCA's and USTA NJTL Chapters. All funding recipients share a common commitment to growing the sport of tennis, with priorities on providing the QuickStart Tennis play format in their 10-and-under programming. Recipients also provide team tennis opportunities, and connect school tennis opportunities in physical education to after-school and summer tennis programs.
"The USTA is excited to invest more than $315,000 in those organizations that believe tennis can be the vehicle to improve the quality of life for both children and adults," said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. "Not only do these organizations support their communities, they support the USTA by implementing local programming such as the QuickStart Tennis play format and Jr. Team Tennis. We are very pleased to have organizations that show such spirit and passion for tennis and education receive this honor and the funding to help grow their programs and the sport of tennis."
The Program/Project Support grants, awarded to organizations seeking funding to support general tennis programming, project and equipment needs, range between $2,500 and $10,000. Selected organizations are expected to match the USTA's financial investment. A full list of the chosen organizations can be found below.
Organizations receiving Program/Project Support grants:
Apple Ridge Farm, Inc., Roanoke, Va.
Associated Recreation Council Tennis Center Advisory Council, Seattle
Atlanta Community Tennis Association, DBA Atlanta Youth Tennis Foundation, Atlanta
Capital Region Youth Tennis Foundation, Albany, N.Y.
Cardinal Sheehan Center, Bridgeport, Conn.
City of Evanston Parks/Forestry, Recreation & Facilities Mgmt. Dept., Evanston, Ill.
City Parks Foundation, New York
First Serve Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Calif.
Harlem Jr. Tennis and Education Program, New York
Highland Park Tennis Club, Monroeville, Penn.
Idaho Wheelchair Tennis Association, Boise, Idaho
Inner City Tennis Clinics, Cleveland
Inner City Tennis Foundation, Minneapolis
MACH Academy, Inc., Augusta, Ga.
Net Results Junior Tennis, Denver
Norwalk Grassroots Tennis Inc., Norwalk, Conn.
Novato Junior Tennis, Novato, Calif.
Pilsen Junior Tennis Camp, Chicago
Prince George's Tennis & Education Foundation, Largo, Md.
QuickStart Tennis of Central Virginia, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.
Racine Community Tennis Association, Sturtevant, Wis.
Ricardo Flores Magon Academy, Inc., Westminister, Colo.
Savannah Area Tennis Association, Inc., Savannah, Ga.
Scuola Vita Nuova Charter School, Kansas City, Mo.
Sioux Falls Tennis Association, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Tennis Mania, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.
The Salvation Army, Buffalo, N.Y.
Town Of Orchard Park, Orchard Park, N.Y.
Western Wake Tennis Association, Cary, N.C.
Youth At Heart, Tulsa, Okla.
The second series of grants are Community Partnership Investment awards, granted to organizations seeking to establish and develop community-based partnerships to grow the game of tennis that have demonstrated a clear vision for alliance-building funding to support general tennis programming, project and equipment needs. The grants, which are in the second stage of renewal, are between $15,000 and $30,000. Chosen organizations are expected to match the USTA's financial investment. The USTA renewed eight such grants during this cycle. A full list of organizations can be found below.
Organizations receiving Community Partnership Investment awards:
Fort Collins Tennis Association, Fort Collins, Co.
Genesee Intermediate School District, Flint, Mich.
Milwaukee Tennis & Education Foundation, Milwaukee, Wis.
Portland After-School Tennis & Education, Portland, Ore.
Rodney Street Tennis Association, Wilmington, Del.
Tenacity, Boston, Mass.
Washington Tennis & Education Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Youth Tennis Advantage, San Francisco, Calif.
Organizations that were not awarded grants during this cycle are encouraged to apply for funding during future cycles. Applications for the second 2010 cycle will be available in July, and the second round of grants will be awarded in December. Organizations who are interested in applying for grants can find more information at www.USTA.com/grants.