$1.4 Million In New USGA Grants Awarded; Program Nears 10-Year, $50 Million Goal
Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 14) -- The United States Golf Association (USGA) has awarded 59 new grants totaling $1,454,220 to non-profit organizations to support affordable and accessible golf programs and facilities. These new awards will reach more than 17,000 kids and individuals with disabilities nationally as part of the USGA’s effort to bring golf to audiences that otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn the game.
USGA funding has exceeded $49-million during the past nine years, and is only $80,000 short of reaching the original Grants Initiative goal of giving $50 million in support during the past decade (1997-2006). Grant funds will be used at programs for instruction, golf course and range access, equipment, and course construction. The USGA “For the Good of the Game” grants program is enhanced by the support of state and regional golf associations and local PGA of America sections, which make a significant impact in promoting the game to everyone.
“Golf is a game that gives us instant and long-term camaraderie,” said USGA President Walter Driver. “The USGA is proud to support local programs for kids and individuals with disabilities that provide opportunities to learn the game of golf, to discover the life skills and values inherent to the game, and to experience the pure joy of hitting your first shot off the ground.”
Nowhere is the sport’s camaraderie more evident than in the relationship between the USGA and the allied golf associations. For example, the Philadelphia Variety Club received a $55,000 grant from the USGA to help build the Vincent Mariniello Golf Course, a project spearheaded by the Philadelphia Section of the PGA of America. The three-hole course and driving range will be built with monies from both organizations and will be used exclusively by individuals with disabilities, catering to 400 kids each summer.
“A working partnership between the USGA and a PGA Section, which essentially is a franchise, is wonderful,” said Geoffrey Surrette, executive director of the Philadelphia Section of the PGA. “It brings professional and amateur golf together to do what is right for the game.”
Another grant went to the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation. It received a $22,500 award for “Little Legends,” a golf program for 13 low-income areas that will potentially reach 1,000 kids.
“We’re proud to have the “Little Legends” program recognized by the USGA through this grant,” said Tim Kreger, director of development for the Foundation. “Success with low-cost programming takes collaborative efforts from many resources. It is a blessing that the USGA continues to partner with our organization to offer the necessary funding to continue allowing us to grow this great game. Collaboration is the key to success and this is just one example of how the USGA continually provides growth opportunities for all state and regional golf associations.”
In addition to monetary support, the USGA has also developed material resources to help golf programs foster local partnerships. The latest informational booklet is “Fore! Raise Your Voice -- A Communications Guide,” which helps programs develop strategic communications plans.
Additionally, the USGA offers a fund-raising strategy manual entitled “Approaching the Green -- A Fundraising Guide for Non-Profit Golf Programs.”
Here is a complete list of programs receiving new funding across the country:
| Organization Name |
City, State |
Amount |
| Alegent Health Immanual Rehabilitation Center |
Omaha, Neb. |
$12,750 |
| Arizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
$12,500 |
| American Society of Golf Course Architects |
Brookfield, Wis. |
$15,000 |
| Baltimore Municipal Golf Corporation |
Baltimore, Md. |
$3,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Topeka |
Topeka, Kan. |
$4,800 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Gloucester County, Inc. |
Glassboro, N.J. |
$5,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills, Inc. |
Southern Pines, N.C. |
$16,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Western Broome |
Endwell, N.Y. |
$10,000 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County |
Oberlin, Ohio |
$7,500 |
| Central Arkansas Resource Conservation and Developement Council, Inc. |
Helena, Ark. |
$32,500 |
| The First Tee of Central Coast |
Summerland, Calif. |
$40,000 |
| Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
$1,440 |
| Pikes Pike Linkers |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
$9,720 |
| Challenge Alaska |
Anchorage, Alaska |
$8,500 |
| Chattanooga Junior Golfers Development Program |
Chattanooga, Tenn. |
$35,000 |
| Children's Service Society of Wisconsin |
Wausau, Wis. |
$5,000 |
| City of Erie |
Erie, Pa. |
$80,000 |
| Courage Center-Courage Duluth Programs |
Duluth, Minn. |
$4,650 |
| Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation |
Oakland, Calif. |
$12,500 |
| Future Masters, Inc. |
Orlando, Fla. |
$20,000 |
| Orange County Public Schools |
Orlando, Fla. |
$15,000 |
| Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology |
Spring Hill, Fla. |
$6,000 |
| Heart of Variety Fund |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
$55,000 |
| Jasper County Sheltered Facilities Association |
Joplin, Mo. |
$7,250 |
| Kinzua Hills Golf Club |
Kinzua, Ore. |
$30,000 |
| Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce Charity Foundation |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
$10,000 |
| LPGA Foundation |
Daytona Beach, Fla. |
$175,000 |
| LP's Southside Community Youth Center |
Sandusky, Ohio |
$20,000 |
| Massachusetts Golf Association |
Norton, Mass. |
$4,960 |
| Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation |
Elmsford, N.Y. |
$20,000 |
| Muncie Boys and Girls Club |
Muncie, Ind. |
$6,400 |
| National Alliance for Youth Sports |
West Palm Beach, Fla. |
$100,000 |
| National Coalition of 100 Black Women |
San Francisco, Calif. |
$10,000 |
| National Golf Course Owners Association |
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. |
$200,000 |
| Northern Maine Development Commission, Inc. |
Caribou, Maine |
$8,500 |
| Nurturing Individuals Needing Assistance Foundation |
Calumet City, Ill. |
$4,800 |
| Ohio Junior Golf Association |
Norwalk, Ohio |
$3,800 |
| Plentywood Golf Club |
Plentywood, Mont. |
$3,800 |
| Positive Swing |
Southport, Ind. |
$22,500 |
| Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands |
East Sandwich, Mass. |
$21,000 |
| Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago |
Chicago, Ill. |
$15,000 |
| San Jose Sports Authority |
San Jose, Calif. |
$45,000 |
| Santa Fe Boys and Girls Club Inc. |
Santa Fe, N.M. |
$16,000 |
| Seattle Junior Golf Foundation |
Seattle, Wash. |
$35,000 |
| South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation |
Irmo, S.C. |
$22,500 |
| Southern Texas PGA Foundation |
The Woodlands, Texas |
$35,000 |
| Special Olympics International |
Washington, D.C. |
$25,000 |
| Special Olympics Southern California, Inc. |
Culver City, Calif. |
$6,300 |
| The First Tee of Columbus |
Columbus, Ga. |
$30,000 |
| The First Tee of Jacksonville, Inc. |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
$20,000 |
| The Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
$40,000 |
| Traverse City Junior Golf Association |
Traverse City, Mich. |
$20,000 |
| The University of Southern Mississippi-Technology Learning Center |
Hattiesburg, Miss. |
$25,000 |
| University of Utah |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
$22,500 |
| United States Golf Association |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
$9,270 |
| United States Golf Association |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
$1,440 |
| West Penn Minority Junior Golf Association, Inc. |
Monroeville, Pa. |
$65,000 |
| Whittier Middle School |
Loraine, Ohio |
$1,300 |
| YMCA of South Hampton Roads |
Virginia Beach, Va. |
$35,000 |
| Youth On Course, Inc. |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
$7,500 |
| Youth Sports Council of Fort Worth |
Fort Worth, Texas |
$12,500 |
USGA Grants Initiative: A Capsule History
The United States Golf Association is working to make the game of golf affordable and accessible. Since 1997, the grants initiative has traditionally focused on programming for economically disadvantaged kids and individuals with disabilities. The USGA Executive Committee has extended this grants initiative to the end of the decade (2010), bringing total anticipated USGA support to $65 million to provide financial support and assistance to deserving golf programs. 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 in Colorado Springs, Colo., at (719) 471-4810 or visit the Grants Section of the USGA Web site at www.usga.org.