Frequently Asked Questions

The USTA Florida Section Foundation grants are designed to provide funding to organizations and entities who are working to promote tennis in their communities. Tennis is a wonderful way to stay active and healthy, and it’s also a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. With these grant offerings, we hope to encourage more people to play tennis by supporting programs that provide coaching, equipment, and other resources.

To be eligible for the grants, applicants must be involved in a tennis program that is open to the public and serves the community. This can include programs for children, adults, seniors, or any combination of these groups. We are particularly interested in programs that promote diversity and inclusion, and that help break down barriers to participation in tennis.

The grant will provide funding for a range of activities, including coaching and instruction, equipment and supplies, court maintenance and improvements, and outreach and promotion. We believe that these activities are essential to building a strong and vibrant tennis community in Florida, and we’re excited to support the efforts of those who are working to make tennis more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Since 2005, USTA Florida Section Foundation has had a community impact of over $2,000,000 by assisting community tennis associations, parks and recreation agencies, national junior tennis and learning locations, tennis clubs, service organizations, schools, colleges, and many other tennis entities.

If you are interested in applying for program support, equipment, and/or wheelchair grants and have questions please visit our website for more information, FAQs, and instructions on how to apply. Click here for more information.

Our grant priorities include youth tennis and adaptive tennis programs for special populations of all ages and under-resourced children and adults in economically challenged communities.

Applications must be for programs from entities that have a current USTA organizational membership, have a broad base of community support, meet a compelling need in the community and align with the Foundation’s priority funding areas. Applicants must be a Florida non-profit entity with a USTA organizational membership, public school or a park and recreation site.  If working with youth, then those interacting with the athletes MUST be SafePlay approved. Additionally, the individual submitting the grant application on behalf of an eligible entity must also be authorized to apply for and accept grants on behalf of the applying organization.

Eligible: instruction for athletes on-court, further instruction/training for providers serving uniquely enabled athletes, marketing, tennis equipment and general program support.

Ineligible: certification of individuals, capital projects, travel expenses, scholarships, administrative salaries/wages, the building, renovation or maintaining of tennis facilities, or USTA memberships and fees.

Please note that Equipment Grant recipients will receive tennis equipment directly from our vendor, Head Penn, based on the Equipment order form submitted at the time of your application.

Grant amounts vary widely depending on the scope of the program requesting funding. The maximum award amount for each grant is:

Applications will be accepted between February 20 – October 25, 2024. The application grant portal will open at 12:00 AM on February 20^th and close at 11:59 PM on October 25^th, or when funding is no longer available, whichever comes first. Please allow up to 4-6 weeks for review of application. Be sure to plan application submissions accordingly to ensure funds and/or equipment are received by the start date of your program.

Grant applications and the required attachments must be submitted online via our Submittable grant management system. The grant portal link can be found on our website on the Apply for Grants page located at www.USTAFloridaFoundation.com/apply-for-grants.

Unfortunately, at this time, due to limitations of our grant management system, we are unable to offer applications in Spanish.

The following items are required when submitting your grant application:

• The organization’s EIN Number or School’s UEI Number
• If working with Youth, SafePlay Certificates for each staff member involved in the program. Find out more at USTA.com/SafePlay.
• Copies of your evaluation tools
• IRS letter of Determination of Tax Status
• IRS Form 990 or applicable tax documents
• W9
• Current list of officers and members of the Board of Directors
• Organizational operating budget
• Program budget information

If you are applying for an Equipment Grant, please complete the Equipment Order Form in advance to include with your application.

Notification of a grant award will be delivered via email through the Submittable grant management system within 30 – 45 days after an application has been received. This timeline may vary depending on the number of applications received at one time and if additional information is needed for an incomplete submission.

Yes, an organization may apply for more than one grant type for the same program. Additionally, an organization may apply for more than one grant if the subsequent grant request is for a new program, or expansion of an existing program due to extremely rapid growth, or for an existing program starting up at a new site for which additional support is necessary. Grantees are encouraged to seek additional sources of support to ensure the continuation of the program after grant funds have been spent.

No, matching funds are not required; however, applicants are strongly encouraged to have additional funding sources to ensure the project’s success.

Yes, all grantees are required to complete an Accountability Report, noting successes and challenges experienced and lessons learned. Notification with instructions on how to access and complete the report inline will be emailed to grantees nearing the end of their program. A guide for completing Accountability Reports can also be found under the Application Resources section of our website.

Funding is made possible by generous donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations, along with the revenue from the Play Tennis! specialty license plate and through our recurring donor program. All Floridians are encouraged to show support for tennis with an individual Play Tennis! license plate or committing to donations through our recurring donor program. For more information, please visit www.USTFloridaFoundation.com/get-involved.

• To donate online, go to USTAFloridaFoundation.com/recurring-donations.
• To donate by mail, please make check or money order payable to the USTA Florida Section Foundation and mail to:

USTA Florida Section Foundation
Attn: Kelly Scalise
12005 Performance Drive
Orlando, FL 32827

To donate by phone, please call Jeffrey Lato at (407) 664-3694

info@ustafloridafoundation.com