Althea Gibson Leadership Award
Multicultural Excellence Program Grant
Multicultural Individual Player Grant
Okechi Womeodu Scholar Athlete Grant
Pancho Gonzalez Scholar Athlete Grant
Each year the USTA offers many important grant opportunities for juniors and programs who value diversity, tennis and leadership. Please review the grants below to discover which one might be right for you. If you have any questions about what you read below, please contact Valerie Weaks at USTA Pacific Northwest by email at weaks@pnw.usta.com or by phone at (503) 520-1877, x14.
ALTHEA GIBSON LEADERSHIP AWARD
The Althea Gibson Leadership Grant was created to honor the memory, life, and achievements of this exceptional pioneer who paved the way for millions who followed. The Althea Gibson Leadership Award is meant to reward players who work to excel in leading others on and off the court.
Two grants will be awarded each year to provide funding to competitive junior players aspiring to achieve national and/or international rankings. Funding will be based on the success level of the player in the pervious year (e.g., end of the year USTA ranking list/performance) and recommendations/commentary about the individuals team spirit and leadership qualities.
Juniors applying for the Althea Gibson Leadership Grant must be 14-18 years old and must be training and competing in tournaments year-round.
MULTICULTURAL EXCELLENCE PROGRAM GRANT
The Multicultural Excellence Program Grant provides funding to competitive junior development programs that are training youngsters aspiring to achieve national and/or international rankings. Funding will be based on the number of players with sectional and national rankings within the program applying for the grant.
Programs applying for the Multicultural Excellence Program Grant must be a year-round program that provides a high level of on-court instruction and off-court training opportunities. The program must also have a history of developing tournament level players.
MULTICULTURAL INDIVIDUAL PLAYER GRANT
The Multicultural Individual Player Grant for National Competition & Training provides funding to competitive junior players aspiring to achieve national and/or international rankings. Funding will be based on the success level of the player in the previous year.
Juniors who apply must be 16 years of age or younger, must be training and competing in tournaments year-round, and must have a history of strong national tournament results.
OKECHI WOMEODU SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD
The Okechi Womeodu Scholar Athlete Grant is awarded to honor the memory, life and achievements of Okechi Womeodu, a young man who if not for his untimely death would have had a very promising future, on and off the court.
This grant rewards players who work to excel as much in the classroom as in sports. Those who apply for this grant must be between the ages of 14 and 18 years old as well as training and competing in tournaments year-round. Juniors who apply must also also have a history of strong national tournament results and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
PANCHO GONZALEZ SCHOLAR ATHLETE GRANT
The Pancho Gonzalez Scholar Athlete Grant is awarded to honor the memory, life and achievements of the two-time U.S. Championships men’s singles champion whose dedication to the sport of tennis brought together fans from all walks of life. The grant is meant to reward players who work to excel in leading others on and off the court, and also to widen the net of opportunities to young players of Hispanic/Latino heritage who aspire to excellence in competitive tennis.
Grant funding is based on a number of factors including the success of the applicant in the previous year (e.g., end-of-the-year USTA rankings, performance in national and international tournaments, etc.) and recommendations/commentary about the individual’s team spirit and leadership qualities.
The grant funding is intended to be awarded to junior player(s) aspiring to achieve a national and/or international ranking. The applicant should have a history of strong national tournament results. The applicant must be actively training and competing in tournaments in the award year. The applicant must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.