USA Swimming Foundation Opens Application Process for Variety of Grants
The USA Swimming Foundation has announced that all 2027 Youth and Adult Learn-to-Swim grants, Community Impact grants, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) grants are now open through November 15, 2026. Learn more about each grant below.
Learn-to-Swim Grants
Funding is available for programs directly benefiting children and adults who would not otherwise have the opportunity to learn to swim. The USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming, has awarded grants since 2007 to help fund youth learn-to-swim (LTS) programs across the country. Together with U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS), the USA Swimming Foundation expanded grant opportunities in 2021 to include funding for adult learn-to-swim programs.
In 2026, the USA Swimming Foundation awarded $1,025,000 to 122 swim lesson providers nationwide, vetting more than 470 applications through a competitive annual review process. These funds, which impact both youth and adult learn-to-swim programs, were distributed across 36 states to provide approximately 13,500 individuals with the opportunity to learn the lifesaving skill of water safety. The 2026 awarded providers can be found here.
Apply for Youth LTS Grant | Apply for Adult LTS Grant
Youth LTS Guidelines | Adult LTS Guidelines
Youth LTS FAQÂ |Â Adult LTS FAQ
Learn more about Youth LTSÂ |Â Learn more about Adult LTS
Community Impact Grants
The USA Swimming Foundation introduced the Community Impact Grant program in 2020 with the goal of providing access to competitive swimming for underrepresented swimming communities, supporting diverse coaches, and uplifting municipal community swim club programs within USA Swimming clubs. Through this program, USA Swimming member clubs receive $5,000 grants, eligible for renewal annually for up to three years. To date, 54 programs have received $635,000 in funding.
Community Impact Grants focus on three areas of support:
- Creating partnerships between USA Swimming clubs and a facility or recreational organization that does not currently have a club;
- USA Swimming Teams impacting their communities via competitive swimming
- USA Swimming teams partnering with organizations who serve underrepresented swimming populations.
Apply for Community Impact Grant | Community Impact Grant FAQ | Learn more
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Grants
Created in 2021, HBCU grants aim to provide funding to start youth water safety lessons and expand university-based swim clubs. In 2022, OneAmerica Financial committed to supporting the USA Swimming Foundation through the 10-year, $1 million initiative to develop learn-to-swim and competitive opportunities in communities across the country. To date, nearly $358,000 has been provided to directly impact individuals and create opportunities at the local level.
Apply for HBCU Grant | HBCU Grant FAQ | Learn more
