USA Swimming Foundation Awards $507,461 in 2019 Make A Splash Funding

The  USA Swimming Foundation announced today that it has awarded $507,461 to learn-to-swim programs across the country through its first-round of 2019 grant funding for Make a Splash Local Partners. The grants will go towards swim lesson programs, providing 25,705 children with the opportunity to learn how to swim.

The USA Swimming Foundation vetted more than 240 applications through a competitive annual review process and chose 85 programs to receive funding, 26 of whom are first time USA Swimming Foundation grant recipients. Since 2007, the USA Swimming Foundation has awarded more than $6.2 million dollars to help fund learn-to-swim programs across the country.

“It’s an incredible feeling to know that USA Swimming Foundation funding will be used to create a valuable swimming experience for tens of thousands of children who may not have had the opportunity to learn how to swim,” USA Swimming Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hesse said. “We are thrilled with the depth of this year’s Make a Splash Local Partner applicant pool and we couldn’t be prouder to support these exciting and lifesaving opportunities for children across the country. We owe a tremendous thank you to our partners and donors, who continue to make a difference.”

In 2018, through its Make a Splash Local Partner network, the USA Swimming Foundation helped provide more than 1.3 million children with swimming lessons. Together, the Foundation and their network of 1,000 swim lesson providers across the country are helping to spread national awareness on the importance of learning to swim and bringing together strategic partners to end drowning. More than 7.5 million children have now been served since 2007.

The following USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partners will receive funding through this first round of 2019 grant awards:

The USA Swimming Foundation works to strengthen the sport of swimming by raising funds to support programs that save lives and build champions, in the pool and in life. To find, get, or give a swim lesson visit: www.usaswimmingfoundation.org

To learn more about the USA Swimming Foundation and the Make a Splash initiative, including grant opportunities, please visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash, or follow us at http://www.facebook.com/SwimFoundation

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, 7.5 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of 1,000 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash.