Deadline is Saturday for USATF Challenge Grant applications

Saturday is the deadline for applying for a chunk of change from USATF. It’s the Challenge Grant process, mentioned back in late March. Here’s what USATF says: “The deadline of May 15, 2010 is fast approaching but applications are still being accepted and considered for USATF’s Excellence Challenge Grants. USA Track & Field will fund a total of $220,000 in Excellence Challenge Grants to support advancing performance excellence in five specific areas: Race Walking, Youth, Masters, Long Distance Running and Disabled Athlete Programs. The objective of these grants is to stimulate innovative proposals that will result in sustained improvement in competitive excellence across these disciplines, consistent with USATF’s strategic plan.”

The USATF press release continued:

“We believe that these grants will have an profound impact on the Youth, Masters, Race Walking, Long-Distance Running and Disabled disciplines of our sport and will revolutionize how programs are created and administered”, USATF CEO Doug Logan said. “Groups that may in the past have felt overlooked, or at least under-funded, will each have between $20,000 and $50,000 in grant money earmarked for them.”

Any member of USATF is eligible to apply for a grant, with the amounts ranging from $20,000-$50,000. Proposals must be for a one-time expenditure such as a capital expenditure, seed money for a subsequently self-sustaining endeavor, funding for a one-time event, etc. and applications must be submitted in electronic format only using the online application form.

The application deadline for the Excellence Challenge Grants is May 15, 2010 and the grant recipients will be announced June 28, 2010.

For more information and to apply online, visit http://www.usatf.org/about/programs/challengeGrants/index.asp.

Just curious: Has anyone in Mastersland applied for this money?