By NNPA Newswire/BlackPressUSA
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – 81 grassroots golf organizations will receive a total of $750,000 in funding to further their efforts to engage underrepresented populations of the sport. These groups (*full list below) are being awarded with a grant through Make Golf Your Thing, the industry’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in making the sport more welcome for all.
Initially introduced in 2021 (by the Make Golf Your Thing youth & adult player development work group), the grant program to date has provided 155 grants to 111 unique grassroots organizations, totaling more than $1 million overall (May 2021: 43 grants totaling $150,000; Jan. 2022: 31 grants totaling $150,000).
The program was established to support organizations dedicated to increasing participation among golf’s underrepresented populations (i.e., Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous communities, as well as women, LGBTQI+ individuals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities).
“When the game comes together and pools every resource to grow and broaden the reach of the game, only great things can happen,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA and executive sponsor of the youth & adult player development work group for Make Golf Your Thing.
“This unifying movement is helping to make a difference in communities across America and advance the game in ways none of us can do alone.”
“Access to golf in a business context is a pathway to opportunity,” said Anna Alvarez Boyd, co-founder of FairWays to Leadership (one of the 81 grant recipients).
“Our group’s mission is to increase diversity in business and in golf by teaching college students from diverse backgrounds the skills they need to become effective leaders. The financial commitment of the grant program to organizations like ours will only further golf’s collective efforts to bring new and diverse audiences into our sport.”
The grant program is part of the industry’s broader commitment to making the sport more inclusive for all. Last month, a new Make Golf Your Thing search directory was launched for consumers, consisting of more than 8,400 registered golf programs and organizations across the U.S.
The directory allows individuals to search for programs and events using filters such as location, age, ability, gender, etc., giving new and diverse audiences an opportunity to become more engaged in the sport through programs in their own community.
Formally launched in May 2021, Make Golf Your Thing is the industry’s movement to make golf accessible to individuals from all backgrounds.
Led by six cross-industry work groups, the initiative is specifically focused on: education & skill development, talent acquisition, procurement, human resources, youth & adult player development, and marketing/communications.
Funding for the grant program is being administered by the American Golf Industry Coalition, a partnership among golf’s leading organizations to promote and advocate for the collective interests of the sport.
Financial support for the program is led by a contingent of industry supporters committed to making the sport more welcoming and inclusive for all.
About Make Golf Your Thing
A multi-faceted, multi-year movement, Make Golf Your Thing is a collaborative effort across the industry to invite more people to golf from all backgrounds.
Six cross-industry work groups are committed to making the sport more diverse, equitable and inclusive, with a specific focus on: education & skill development, talent acquisition, procurement, human resources, youth & adult player development, and marketing/communications. For more, www.makegolfyourthing.org.
About the American Golf Industry Coalition
The American Golf Industry Coalition advocates on behalf of golf’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; environmental and sustainability initiatives; contributions to the economy (local and national); health and wellness benefits, as well as charitable giving.
The organization unites the golf industry in pursuit of goals designed to enhance the vitality and diversity of both the business and recreational levels of the sport. The American Golf Industry Coalition is a division of the World Golf Foundation.
To learn more, visit www.golfcoalition.org.
Grassroots Organization City/Town State A Perfect Swing Foundation Inc. Charlotte NC Adaptive Golfers North Myrtle Beach SC Annika Foundation Orlando FL Be Counted On Foundation Gahanna OH Black College Golf Coaches Association Vestavia AL Button Hole Providence RI Cameron Champ Foundation Citrus Heights CA CitySwing Foundation Washington D.C. County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation Alhambra CA DC on the Green McKinney AL Edu-Sports Academy Willingboro NJ El Dorado High School Golf Team El Paso TX Excel Youth Academy Lawrenceville GA FabNewport, Inc Newport RI FairWays to Leadership, Inc. Orlando FL First Tee – Central Florida Orlando FL First Tee – Central Mississippi Flowood MS First Tee – Greater Charleston Mt. Pleasant SC First Tee – Greater Richmond Richmond VA First Tee – Greater Sacramento (Sacramento Area Youth Golf Association) Sacramento CA First Tee – Greater Trenton Trenton NJ First Tee – Greater Tyler Bullard TX First Tee – Greater Washington, DC Washington D.C. First Tee – Greater Wichita Wichita KS First Tee – Indiana Indianapolis IN First Tee – Jersey Shore Point Pleasant NJ First Tee – North Florida (Rising Leaders of North Florida, Inc.) St. Augustine FL First Tee – Omaha (Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes) Omaha NE First Tee – Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA First Tee – Southeastern New Mexico Roswell NM First Tee – Tennessee Knoxville TN First Tee – Triangle Raleigh NC First Tee – Tulsa (Youth Development of Tulsa) Tulsa OK First Tee – West Michigan (Lake Michigan Junior Golf Association) Kentwood MI Fore Life Inc. Lauderhill FL Fore the Ladies Sylvania OH Future Successors Atlanta GA Gator Junior Golf Association Gainesville FL Girls Golf of America, Inc. Greensboro NC Golf. My Future. My Game. Washington D.C. Greater Cleveland Junior Golf Scholarship Fund Bedford OH Harris Park Midtown Sports & Activity Center Kansas City MO Hi-Tee Junior Little League Golf Program Renton WA Hit It Straight Golf Academy Homewood IL I AM a Golfer Foundation Dallas TX iGolf4VETS, Inc. Riverview FL Inland Golf Academy Riverside CA Inner City Youth Golfers’ Inc. Palm Beach Gardens FL Inspiring Greatness In You Covington GA Jackson Park Golf Association Chicago IL Ladies of Futurity, Inc West Palm Beach FL Latina Golfers Association Foundation Los Angeles CA Little Linksters Sorrento FL Matrix Human Services Detroit MI Michigan Women’s Golf Association Detroit MI Midnight Golf Program Bingham Farms MI Milwaukee Area Youth Golf Academy, Inc. Glendale WI Moore-Myers Children’s Fund Jacksonville FL My Vision Golf Fayetteville GA New Jersey Golf Foundation Inc. Bedminster NJ Next 18 Fox Point WI Northern Texas PGA Foundation – Fairway to Success Dallas TX One Hundred Black Men, Inc. New York NY Par Excellence Youth Development Huntsville AL Range Fore Hope Foundation Blythewood SC Rose Hill Schools Rose Hill KS Southern California Golf Association – Junior Golf Foundation Studio City CA Southern Area Youth Program, Inc. Los Angeles CA Special Olympics Connecticut Hamden CT SwingPals, Inc. Durham NC Ted Rhodes Foundation, Inc. Chicago IL The Caddie & Leadership Academy Kenosha WI The Darby Foundation Lafayette LA The Glove Foundation Mobile AL The Honors Junior Golf Program Corona CA The Pinkney Foundation Pittsburg CA Upstate-Carolina Adaptive Golf Greenville SC Western States Junior Golf Association Las Vegas NV Women Golfers Give Back Plymouth Meeting PA Women in Golf Foundation, Inc. Ellenwood GA
