Courtesy of USA Swimming Foundation
In 2018, the USA Swimming Foundation will invest approximately $400,000 in grants to help its Make a Splash Local Partners provide services to children who, otherwise, would not have the opportunity to participate in swim lessons. We invite all eligible and interested USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partners to submit proposals that advance this purpose. Final USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Grant Application proposals are due no later than 5pm PST on Thursday, February 15, 2018.
Eligibility Requirements:
- The learn-to-swim provider must be an approved USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner with all three (3) of the previous year’s enrollment report data on file. (Not yet a Make a Splash Local Partner? Click here to apply. Need to submit your enrollment reports? Click here.
- The Local Partner must have a current insurance certificate naming the USA Swimming Foundation as additionally insured, or be self-insured with a signed Indemnification Statement and proof of insurance on record.
- The Local Partner must have the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash logo with a link to usaswimmingfoundation.org displayed on their website; and post the Local Partner banner at all facility locations where signage is permitted.
- Grantees will send a press release provided by the USA Swimming Foundation announcing the
grant award to their local media outlets.
The USA Swimming Foundation will NOT accept:
- Applications which are late or incomplete.
- Application forms reflecting anything other than the current grant year.
- Applications requesting an amount which exceeds the maximum amount allowed for the program type/category (i.e. individual grant awards will range from $1,000 to $15,000 – please see amount and category details below).
- Applications seeking funding to provide budget relief or cover something other than (1) free or reduced cost youth swim lessons/scholarships; (2) transportation; and/or (3) instructor salaries (i.e. we do not fund equipment, apparel, marketing/promotional materials, etc.)
- Applications requesting funds for re-granting purposes.
- Applications which request funding for a program that does not meet the requirements of the Make a Splash Local Partner program (i.e. exceeding maximum student to instructor ratios,
insufficient instruction time, the provision of scholarships for children with no documented financial need). - Applications that do not properly address that funding is coming from the USA Swimming Foundation.
Guidelines for Local Partners who have received funding for three (3) consecutive years:
The Local Partner may be awarded grant funds for a maximum of three (3) consecutive years (consecutive years will be counted beginning with the year 2012), unless, the program can show proof
of consistent growth. The USA Swimming Foundation will not fund programs that are solely reliant on USA Swimming Foundation funds for more than three (3) consecutive years.
To be eligible to reapply following a year off, or to apply for funding for the fourth (4th) consecutive year, the Local Partner must provide proof of:
- Program growth (i.e. an increase in the number of children served, number of schools served, etc.).
- Outside funding sources specific to the program for which you are requesting funds (i.e. nonUSA Swimming Foundation funding).
This information will be requested when filling out the grant application form.
Grant Submission Instructions and Timeline:
All grant applications must be received by 5 pm PST on Thursday, February 15, 2018. Please refer to these guidelines as you fill out the application. This year’s application link and grant guidelines will be housed on the USA Swimming Foundation website. Please note that you can save your work and return at a later date/time to officially submit your application. To do this, click the save button at the bottom right hand corner of the form and enter your e-mail address; and an e-mail will be sent with a link to retrieve your application draft.
The timeline is as follows:
- Request for proposals announced: December 15, 2017, o Draft proposals accepted for staff review and comment December 15, 2017 – January 31, 2018
- Application submission deadline: Thursday, February 15, 2018 – 5pm PST
- Award announcement: Week of March 19, 2018 o Acceptance documents provided to grantees upon announcement of award recipients; grant funds will be distributed as soon as a signed letter of agreement and W9 form are submitted to the USA Swimming Foundation
- Signed Letter of Agreement and W9 due: Prior to September 1, 2018
- Grant Application Form: This form can be found here. The form must be completely filled out. As mentioned incomplete applications will not be considered.
- Project Description: Within the application form, please upload a word or PDF document that contains a brief narrative description of the program for which you are requesting funding. This narrative should include the following information:
Project Summary:
a. Please briefly describe this project. If awarded this grant, how will you use this money?
b. How many children are expected to be affected by this project? How will you recruit project participants?
c. How will this program directly benefit children who would not otherwise receive the opportunity to learn to swim? How will your program quantify and identify the need of program participants? What criteria will you use to select scholarship recipients?
d. Describe the educational setting (logistics/parameters etc.) in which your project will take place. Projects should follow the requirements of the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Local Partner program (minimum of 4 hours of in-water instruction and a maximum of a 6:1 student to instructor ratio).
e. Are there other organizations involved in the project? Does your program have community participation? How will the involvement of these partners strengthen your program?
f. What are the expected results of this project? How will you know if this project was successful? What metrics will you use to evaluate project success?
Financial Summary:
g. What other resources/funding sources are committed to this project? Do you have commitments of support (financial or otherwise) from other organizations? Are you pursuing outside support? Is there a viable plan to raise additional money if you do not receive funding, or only receive partial funding from the USA Swimming Foundation?
h. What is the planned duration of this project? If ongoing, is the project sustainable without future USA Swimming Foundation funding?
i. What is your projected cost per participant? Our Grant Review Committee will rank applications highest that show spending in the most cost-effective manner.
Project Budget:
j. Please complete and upload the USA Swimming Foundation grant budget spreadsheet representing total project cost and how USA Swimming Foundation funds will be allocated to the grant application where indicated.
Amount and Category Details: Please review the following category details to select your program’s appropriate request amount.
Large Municipality, YMCA Association, or private entity contracted by a municipal agency to operate on their behalf where municipal swim lessons would otherwise not be in operation:
- Population served: more than 250,000
- Local Partners in this category: municipalities, county organizations, parks and recreation departments, YMCA Associations and school districts
- 1-5 pools: Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $5,000
- 6-10 pools: Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $10,000
- 11 + pools: Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $15,000
- Must specify in application which pools will receive grant money, and specifically where it will be used
Small Municipality, YMCA Association, or private entity contracted by a municipal agency to operate on their behalf where municipal swim lessons would otherwise not be in operation:
- Population served: less than 250,000
- Local Partners in this category: municipalities, county organizations, parks and recreation departments, YMCA Associations and school districts
- 1-5 pools: Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $5,000
- 6 + pools: Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $10,000
- Must specify in application which pools will receive grant money, and specifically where it will be used
Non-Profit Entities:
- Any non-profit that is not also a municipality, or operating on behalf of a municipality, county organization or school district
- Local Partners in this category: YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs and privately founded nonprofits
- Each Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $5,000
For-Profit Entities:
- Local Partners in this category: any for-profit swim lesson provider • Each Local Partner is eligible to apply for up to $5,000
*YMCA Association or private entity contracted by a municipal agency to operate on their behalf where municipal swim lessons would otherwise not be in operation: The Make a Splash Local Partner must provide proof of operation on behalf of the municipality; acceptable documentation includes a copy of the agreement/contract between the Local Partner program and the municipal agency, and/or a signed letter from the municipality
clarifying the relationship between the two entities and reflecting the agency’s reliance on the Local Partner to provide swim lessons for the community. In this circumstance, ONLY the Make a Splash Local Partner may be offering swim lessons.
Please note: If the Local Partner is offering swim lessons in conjunction with or in addition to the municipality for whom they provide services, grant funds may be revoked and the Local Partner may be deemed ineligible for future grant funding.
Houston, Texas Grants
In 2018, a generous donation from Phillips 66 will allow $100,000 to be awarded specifically to USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner programs in the Houston, Texas metro area. All Make a Splash Local Partner eligibility requirements remain the same with the exception of consecutive award year limits as outlined below:
Consecutive award year limits for Houston, TX grants:
Houston, Texas Local Partner programs may apply for grant funding in any given year, however upon the fourth (4th) consecutive year (beginning with 2012), and each repeating four-year cycle, the Local Partner program must provide proof of:
- Program growth (i.e. number of children served, number of schools served, etc.)
- Outside funding sources specific to the program for funds are being requested (i.e. non USA Swimming Foundation funding)
Hennepin County, Minnesota Grants
In 2018, the USA Swimming Foundation will invest at least $35,000 in grants to help its Make a Splash Local Partner Programs in Hennepin County, Minnesota provide services to young people who, otherwise, would not have the opportunity to participate in swimming lessons. Individual grant awards will range from $1,000 to $15,000, in support of 2018 spring and summer learn-to-swim programming. See amount and category details to determine a reasonable request amount for each program. Please note: All Hennepin County applicants will be required to submit an additional questionnaire regarding the use of creative approaches to serving underserved youth through swim lessons.
Courtesy of USA Swimming Foundation