The USA Swimming Foundation’s Board of Directors has approved an additional $100,000 in funding for USA Swimming National Team athletes, according to USA Swimming board meeting minutes released last month.
The Foundation’s additional contribution will be distributed across many athletes, USA Swimming told SwimSwam.
For 2019-20, there are multiple levels of funding elite swimmers can receive as members of the national team, as outlined below. The following is a breakdown of monthly stipends only and does not include relay funding, performance bonuses, appearance fees and other avenues by which American swimmers get paid.
One-hundred and fifteen swimmers were named to the 2019-20 National Team, but as of selection, only 52 athletes could receive monthly support each year. It’s not yet clear if extra stipend money from the Foundation will immediately affect the 2019-20 team.
MONTHLY SUPPORT FOR U.S. NATIONAL TEAMERS
| PRO | NCAA | HIGH SCHOOL | |
| World Ranking 1-8 | $3,244 | $1000/$1750 | $1,000 |
| World Ranking 9-16 | $2,163 | $500/$875 | $500 |
| Non-APA Rank 1-8 | $1,892 | — | — |
| Non-APA Rank 9-16 | $946 | — | — |
The APA is USA Swimming’s Athlete Partnership Agreement, which puts some extra requirements on athletes in exchange for increased funding. The requirements include charity appearances, participation at three Pro Swim Series meets and some paperwork filings detailing training and competition plans. Athletes who do not sign the APA receive the lower funding levels listed above. Athletes who do sign the APA receive the higher funding amount listed.
The NCAA column shows two different amounts because NCAA swimmers can earn different amounts at different times of the school year. For the 10 months of the school year (September to May), they earn the lower amount, but over the summer (June, July, August), they can earn the higher amount.