USGA Grants Initiative Awards Grants To 88 Non-Profit Golf Programs


May 19, 2004
E–mail address: mediarelations@usga.org 5/19/04
Contacts:
Jessica Turnwald, 719-471-4810 ext. 28; jturnwald@usga.org
Todd Davis, 202-585-2792; tdavis@webershandwick.com

Colorado Springs, Colo. - The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced 88 new grants totaling $1.7 million to non-profit organizations across the country to support accessible and affordable golf and assist innovative tutoring, mentoring and personal development programs.  More than 78,000 children and individuals with disabilities are expected to benefit from this latest round of funding.

The USGA funding – part of the USGA’s $65 million grants initiative – will support golf instruction, course construction and help make golf more accessible and affordable. Although learning the game is the cornerstone of programming, many grant recipients provide participants with additional unique opportunities, from reading tutors in Denver to delivering Thanksgiving meals to needy families in Portland.  Other programs provide counseling and mentoring services in economically challenged areas, such as the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Mont., and Southside Chicago, Ill.

“The USGA is proud to support programs dedicated to using golf as a vehicle to develop well-rounded individuals,” said USGA President Fred Ridley.  “Not everyone that picks up a club is going to make a living as a professional golfer.  It is important that through USGA grant making we support programs that help young players grow into complete people and capitalize on life’s many opportunities.” 

The First Tee of Denver (TFTD), awarded a three-year, $65,000 grant, is one example of an organization combining golf instruction with academic and personal development opportunities.  Approximately 900 youths participate in TFTD’s club-making classes and its Read-N-Swing program, where students spend 30 minutes reading to an instructor and are then rewarded with learning to play golf.

Columbine fifth-grader Frankie Tafoya is one active participant in the Read-N-Swing program.  When the 10-year-old joined the TFTD program he read at the third-grade level.  Today, he reads at the fifth-grade level.  He is currently reading Show Me Freedom, a book about the Civil War. 

“Golf is a primary motivator for the students at Columbine,” said Jami Powell, TFTD site Coordinator at Columbine Elementary School.

Before participating in Read-N-Swing, Tafoya had little interest in golf and even less interest in school.  Now, in addition to improving his reading, Tafoya has won a “Whiz Kid” award in math and he has been arriving at school nearly an hour early to prepare for his role in the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  For the first time in five years, Tafoya and other students from Columbine Elementary will be participating in the Denver Public Schools’ Shakespeare Competition. 

Tafoya also practices his golf game daily.  Recently, he caddied for PGA Tour player Jonathan Kaye at the Inaugural Woodard Invitational Tournament on TFTD’s new short course in Denver.

“Every year the popularity of our program grows,” said Dave Kolquist, Director of TFTD.  “With the financial support of the USGA, we will be able to help more kids like Frankie reach their potential in the classroom and on the golf course.”  

The TFTD will use the USGA grant for access, instruction, and golf club components.  

A sampling of other innovative programs and projects that received recent USGA grant awards across the country includes:

The Zion Community Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)

The Zion Community Center (ZCC) will receive a three-year, $49,000 grant to benefit approximately 60 youths involved in golf and academic programs.  ZCC operates two after-school programs – a general tutoring session called STARS and a more advanced course called the Entrepreneurial Program.  They also plan to start an SAT preparation course.  These USGA funds will be used for access, instruction, transportation and equipment.  From 2000 through 2006, the USGA will have provided the ZCC with grants in the amount of $138,000.

Leisure Hour Junior Golf Program (Portland, Ore.)

Leisure Hour Junior Golf Program will receive a two-year, $26,000 grant to benefit 65 youths involved in a year-round golf and community service program.  In addition to golf instruction and on-course playing opportunities, participants assist needy families through a variety of community service projects including delivering food at Thanksgiving and donating clothes, food, gifts and golf clubs at Christmas.  This is the third USGA grant Leisure Hour Junior Golf Program has received.   

New Hope Community Service Center (Chicago, Ill.)

A $25,000 USGA grant will support the growth of the Southside (Chicago) Area Youth (SAY) Golf Program, a component of the New Hope Community Service Center's Youth Enhancement Services (YES). Summer and year-round golf programs are offered with the goal of providing positive behavior choices for 75 south-suburban youths.  USGA funds will support instruction, golf clubs and bags and transportation costs.  This is the second USGA grant that New Hope Community Service Center has received.

Boys and Girls Club of Blackfeet Tribe (Browning, Mont.)

A one-year, $19,000 grant will support the implementation of a year-round junior golf program for 100 youths on the Blackfeet Indian reservation.  The program will meet five days a week for 12 weeks during the summer and three days a month during the winter.  USGA funds will be used for instruction, transportation, golf equipment and continued access at East Glacier Golf Course.  The Blackfeet Indian Reservation is an impoverished community that accounts for 92 percent of welfare recipients in Glacier County, with a median household income of $14,779.  The reservation itself spans 1.5 million acres and has a total population of 8,600. 

A complete list of programs receiving funding across the country include:

USGA Grants Initiative: A Capsule History

The USGA works to make the game of golf affordable and accessible. Since 1997, it has awarded more than $42 million as part of its ongoing $5-million annual grants initiative to provide financial support and assistance to deserving golf programs.  The USGA Executive Committee has extended its grants initiative to the end of the decade, bringing total anticipated USGA support to $65 million. The grants initiative traditionally focuses on programming for economically disadvantaged youth and individuals with disabilities. Beyond its Grants Initiative, the USGA partners with national organizations to promote affordable and accessible facility development, course access, girls’ golf, and initiatives for individuals with disabilities.

For more information on the USGA Grants Initiative, contact the Grants office at (719) 471-4810 or visit the Grants Section of the USGA Web site at www.usga.org.