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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The USTA Foundation (USTAF), the national charitable organization of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), announced today that it has reached the $25 million mark in total giving to grass-roots tennis and education programs since its inception, including $10 million over the last three years.

As a result, the USTA Foundation’s investment has generated significant impact on the growth and development of hundreds of National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters across the country.

In 2016, the USTA Foundation developed a plan that would shift its focus and approach to developing the under-resourced youth it serves. USTAF plans to align its financial resources, technical assistance and academic programs to help NJTL chapters around the country improve their educational, social and health outcomes of youth.

By continuing to engage support from private individuals, corporations and other foundations, USTAF will generate the help needed to accomplish this national effort, as well as surpassing its three-year campaign goal of $15 million by the end of the first quarter.

In 2016, USTAF awarded more than $2.8 million – the exact total is $2,831,893 – in grants and scholarships. That included the Foundation’s year-end funding cycle of $1,108,515 in adaptive, capacity-building and program grants to 61 organizations nationwide.

Those organizations were awarded funds to support their efforts in providing quality tennis and education programming to under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities as well as to build capacity and program infrastructure. Also in 2016, the Foundation’s capacity-building initiative helped 29 NJTL chapters increase youth participation from just over 74,000 in 2014 to close to 80,000. Moreover, 32 NJTL chapters also grew in 2016.

In all, 92 percent of all USTAF scholarship recipients graduate from college. Seventy NJTL chapters currently deliver the Academic Creative Engagement™ (ACE) curriculum – a classroom and an out-of-school academic curriculum using the sport of tennis as a model to teach geometry and literacy at the 3-5 grade elementary school levels. ACE has had a statistically significant impact on kids’ behaviors toward math and literacy.

As the fastest-growing demographic in the country, the Hispanic population has been greatly impacted by the Foundation’s efforts. Between 2013 and 2015, USTAF applicants for grants and scholarships more than tripled, and recipients of funding have more than doubled amongst Hispanic youth. In the last three years, well over $1.1 million in grants have been awarded to programs located in the top 25 Hispanic cities around the country.

This year, the Foundation plans to utilize the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando as an opportunity to increase its efforts to engage NJTL chapters. The facility will serve as the ideal location to gather NJTL leaders to discuss best practices, increasing participation levels and preparing students for college and beyond.

“For the first time in a long time, the USTA Foundation has streamlined its approach in producing significant impact through tennis and education,” said Dan Faber, Executive Director, USTA Foundation. “We know that in order to better serve youth from under-resourced communities, we must continue to expand our programming on and off the tennis court. This will in turn help the USTA Foundation acquire increased investments that will allow us to continue to serve more kids for years to come.”

To date, the USTA Foundation has awarded more than $25 million in grants and scholarships to hundreds of community-based, grass-roots programs, benefitting thousands of children through tennis, education and health programming, primarily through the NJTL network. This network features more than 350 chapters that reach more than 220,000 youth on an annual basis, providing free or low-cost tennis and education programming to 47 of the largest 50 markets in the U.S. – nurturing future leaders and enabling kids in need to succeed on the court, in the classroom and in life.

USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the USTA, brings together the powerful combination of tennis and education to change lives of under-resourced youth. The Foundation utilizes financial grants, scholarship opportunities, curricula, technical assistance and training to make a lasting difference, and it’s with a primary focus is to develop and ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. The NJTL network features more than 350 chapters that reach more than 220,000 youth on an annual basis. The Foundation raises money and public awareness to support these life-changing programs through private donations, corporate sponsorships and foundations, as well as its special fundraisers held throughout the year, including the US Open Opening Night Gala, the US Open Paver program, World Tennis Day and a series of Pro-Ams on both coasts, to name a few. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $25 million in grants and scholarships to more than 270 programs, helping to serve up dreams for thousands of children and adults throughout the country. For more information on USTA Foundation, visit ustafoundation.com. Or stay connected through Facebook at facebook.com/USTAFoundation, and on Twitter at @USTA_Foundation.