U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation launches Team USA Service & Hope Award Program to recognize athlete contributions to their communities
by U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, in partnership with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, today announced the launch of the Team USA Service & Hope Award Program, which will recognize Olympic and Paralympic athletes for their commitment to serving and bettering their communities through nonprofit work. The award program was made possible through the generosity of USOPF donors.
The foundation will award grants on an annual basis, with as many as four $25,000 grants available in each grant term. Half of the grant will go to the awarded athlete, while half will be directed to the athlete’s nonprofit of choice.
Athletes who have competed at the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American or Parapan American Games, or athletes who are currently representing Team USA at an internationally competitive level, are eligible to apply. The application process opens after the conclusion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, and award recipients will be announced in December 2021.
“Our communities are our most vital support systems, and the Team USA Service & Hope Award Program honors athletes for their work in youth sport as they share the Olympic and Paralympic values with the next generation of Team USA,” said USOPF President Christine Walshe. “We also want to give athletes the platform to raise awareness about causes that are meaningful to them, while celebrating the spirit of service that inspires and unites us.”
To be eligible to receive a grant, applicants and their respective organizations must have a demonstrated connection to youth sport, health or well-being, while illustrating how their work embodies the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, and the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
The award program selection committee includes representatives from the USOPF, the Athletes’ Advisory Council and U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association, with a National Governing Body representative selected by the NGB Council.
To learn more about the Team USA Service & Hope Award Program, including details on eligibility and selection, please visit go.teamusa.org/ServiceAndHope.