William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes awards 2018 grant funding to 10 U.S. athletes

COLORADO SPRINGS – The United States Olympic Committee today announced that the trustees for the William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes have awarded $70,000 in 2018 grant funding to 10 men and women pursuing their dreams of representing the United States at future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Established in 1998 with a gift of $1 million from its namesake, William E. Simon, the William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes provides financial aid to underwrite a portion of athletes’ training and competition expenses. Funds are invested with the U.S. Olympic Endowment and are administered by the USOC, and grants are awarded annually.

Members of the Simon family serve as trustees for the Simon Endowment, as well as for the William E. Simon Foundation. Since the program’s inception, nearly $1 million has been awarded by the USOC to more than 200 athletes. 

The 2018 recipients are:

• Samantha Barlow, canoe/kayak (San Diego, California)
• Amanda Bluford, taekwondo (Miami, Florida)
• Tyler Carter, Paralympic alpine skiing (Topton, Pennsylvania)
• Lauren Gibbs, bobsled (Lake Placid, New York)
• Jessica Heims, Paralympic track & field (Swisher, Iowa)
• Jessika Jenson, snowboarding (Rigby, Idaho)
• Jesse Lishchuk, canoe/kayak (Newtown, Pennsylvania)
• Scott Patterson, cross-country skiing (Anchorage, Alaska)
• Joy Rondeau, Paralympic Nordic skiing (Granby, Colorado)
• Josh Welborn, goalball (Salt Lake City, Utah)

For nearly four decades, Simon was dedicated to advancing the goals and ideals of the Olympic Movement in the United States. He served as treasurer of the USOC from 1977 to 1981 and as its president from 1981 to 1985, including during the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and Sarajevo. In 1985, Simon co-founded the U.S. Olympic Foundation, now the U.S. Olympic Endowment (USOE), using surplus funds generated from the Los Angeles Games to further the mission of the USOC. He served as the USOE’s chairman until 1997.

Simon received the Silver Award of the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee in 1985, and in 1991, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

In addition to his success in business, Simon was appointed the 63rd Secretary of the Treasury by Richard Nixon in 1974, a post to which he was reappointed by Gerald Ford and which he held until 1977.

For additional information, please contact the USOC at simon.grant@usoc.org.