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 |
