(March 24, 2018) — Having fun, mixing and mingling with friends while attending or playing in a charity golf tournament can be exciting. And with many of these tournaments, there is an alliance with a charity or community or civic goal. Golf and charity in the United States go together like peanut butter and jelly. In fact, every major PGA and LPGA tour event that is held is purposely designed to benefit charitable causes. The USGA (United States Golf Association) upholds its philosophy on philanthropy by way of its “Good of the Game” grant programs. Although some distribution of the grants to charitable groups, there are many other grants which are focused towards the growth of the game of golf in the United States. A National Alliance for Accessible Golf Program funded by the USGA. Here are a few of the categories:
Junior Golf Program Grants
Nonprofit organizations which provide services to young golfers can apply for these grants. The USGA supports efforts with grants that cover costs associated with youth learning such as golf course and driving range access, instruction, golf equipment and transportation. Some of the organizations that receive these USGA grants are the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf sites and Hook A Kid On Golf clinics. More than 900 nonprofit groups, serving more than 2.5 million youth golfers received this grant, as of 2012. Youth grants of this type have totaled more than $60 million, according to the USGA, while some of their other grants are provided through partnerships with the LPGA Foundation and the National Alliance for Youth Sports.
The First Tee
A fact that many organizational leads may not know is that the USGA is the largest contributor to The First Tee. The First Tee was founded by the USGA in conjunction with a few other golf organizations in an effort to attract and grow the number of youth golfers to the sport. The First Tee does this by providing affordable play at youth-welcoming facilities where young people can feel safe and comfortable while learning to play.
Accessible Golf Program Grants
Donations to more than 150 nonprofit groups have totaled more than $5 million, according to the USGA. These proceeds have gone to serve upwards of 75,000 disabled golfers. For the program, the USGA works with the National Alliance for Accessible Golf which aids to distribute the grants to worthy organizations. The focus for the USGA Alliance grants is primarily on programs that serve individuals with disabilities while they play alongside golfers without disabilities. The ultimate goal is to bring these two golfing communities together. The Special Olympics’ national invitational golf tournament also gains some assistance from the USGA in this grant sector and it draws more than 100 golfers to tournament competition each year.
Matching Program
This grant program matches donations. Say, for example, that a nonprofit program (based in the United States) has its young golfers raise money for a good cause, i.e., Special Olympics to medical research to youth golf programs. In 2010 the USGA began matching money raised through the nonprofit AJGA’s Leadership Links, and provided the organization with a maximum match of $1,000 per donation. Double the money was raised for the organization using this USGA Matching Program.
Other Grants
Golf association can apply for USGA grants to serve a variety of purposes. For example, to hire an intern(s) to assist with the administration of golf tournaments. In 2012, an $8,000 grant given to the Missouri Women’s Golf Association for this purpose. USGA Grant funds can also be sought for conducting environmental and research projects, in 2012, for example, when the USGA offered approximately $1 million to more than 60 such projects.
