USTA Foundation Distributes Cycle 1 Grants for 2021

Experienced corporate lawyer Dyan Gershman serves as a partner with Gershman Law, PLLC, a New York City practice that offers personalized and high-quality legal services to mid-market US and non-US companies. An avid tennis player, Dyan Gershman competed for four years as a member of a local United States Tennis Association (USTA) team.

In July, USTA, through its USTA Foundation, launched the Cycle 1 Grants for 2021. More than 100 National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters from 36 states and the District of Columbia will share over $1 million the USTA Foundation will release for Cycle 1. About $100,000 is earmarked for 20 new NJTL chapters in 12 states.

Every year, USTA Foundation award grants in two grant periods. For this year’s Cycle 1 grants, community-based programs that serve approximately 60,000 young people, half of them holding a tennis racquet for the first time, will benefit from the grants.

The entire network of NJTL chapters serve over 160,000 under-resourced youth, giving them low-cost or free tennis and education services. In addition to 56,000 hours of education services, the network is also expected to render 95,000 hours of tennis services in 2021.

USTA Grants Awarded to Wheelchair Tennis Programs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York City-based attorney Dyan Gershman is the founder of Gershman Law, PLLC, where she provides legal counsel to corporations on matters such as mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property licensing, and joint ventures. In her free time, Dyan Gershman enjoys playing tennis and is a former member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

As the national governing body for tennis in the United States, the USTA works to support the sport’s growth via a variety of measures, including the promotion of diversity and inclusion. As part of those efforts, the organization oversees numerous grants programs, including the USTA Wheelchair Tennis Grassroots Grants program.

In January 2020, this program awarded 33 grants totaling more than $50,000 to programs in 19 states. Since the establishment of these grants in 2008, the USTA has donated in excess of $650,000 to domestic wheelchair tennis programs.

Among the organizations that received funding for their wheelchair tennis programs were HSC Community Services, Inc. (Connecticut), Desert Ability Center (California), Bowling Green Parks and Recreation (Kentucky), and the Dwight Davis Tennis Center (Missouri), the latter of which hosted the USTA US Open Wheelchair Championships. Grant amounts were based on respective programs existing budget and their future programming requirements. Money is generally used to pay for tournaments and camps or to provide equipment and coaching.