COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Fencing is proud to announce that the Fencing the Gap initiative (FTG) is back for a third year. This initiative is aimed at increasing access to our sport through scholarships, mini grants, and incentives for athletes, coaches and clubs.
The underlying focus: boosting the numbers of individuals from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community, women and girls, and Persons with disabilities in our sport.
To help us reach this goal, USA Fencing is proud to partner again with All Kids Play, a national nonprofit that provides financial assistance to communities lacking sufficient resources and provides education on safe and healthy sport-related play.
For the 2024-25 year, $47 thousand dollars in funding was released to USA Fencing's membership to support the growth of the sport. Last year, over 650 individuals were impacted by the funds through various community initiatives by FTG's scholarships and mini-grants.
“We are thankful for the partnership of All Kids Play! With their support we hope to make a continued impact; growing the sport of fencing,” shared Senior Manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Shannon Jolly.
To read about last year's winners and what they used the funds for click here.
FTG will resume in the 2025-26 season with applications opening today, September 23, 2024. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2024.
This program was developed to assist USA Fencing members and families who find themselves in an unforeseen financial bind that prevents their participation in USA Fencing national competitions. This may include a sudden loss of income or an injury, illness or crisis affecting the fencer, their partner/spouse, their dependent child/child(ren) or others.
Fencers and their families can apply for a competition fee waiver (tournament fee, admin fee, event fee) for nationally sanctioned events.
This mini-grant is designed to increase competitive opportunities for clubs to engage youth in the sport of fencing. Ten awards, of up to $2,000 each, will help clubs provide programming to under-resourced communities, support coaches with diverse backgrounds and create opportunities for potential athletes who may not have had access to the fencing pipeline.
This mini-grant will help grow the sport of fencing by introducing new coaches from diverse backgrounds to the sport. Three awards, up to $2,000 each, will be given to coaches or clubs to support efforts to train and develop new coaches from diverse backgrounds.
This grant can serve as a method for current clubs to raise funds by hosting clinics in their local communities, while also strategically engaging individuals from under-represented groups.
Support Fund Scholarship Application:
The fund offers ten scholarships, each worth $1,000, to fencing clubs or individuals to provide financial assistance for BIPOC individuals to get into or continue in the sport of fencing.
Parents, Coaches or athletes must complete the online application and explain how the scholarship will help support the success of the athlete(s).