Following the successful 1998 International Lacrosse Federation World Championships hosted and coordinated by US Lacrosse, an endowment was established to support an ongoing US Lacrosse Youth Grant Program. The purpose of the fund is to award annual grants of equipment to first-year girls and boys youth (ages 15 and under) lacrosse programs with demonstrated financial need in developing lacrosse areas throughout the country. A team with financial need is defined as a program for which participant financial contribution cannot fully cover associated start-up costs. A developing lacrosse area is defined as a state or region where lacrosse teams, leagues, camps, etc. are currently limited or absent.

Although the fund’s size currently limits the number and amount of grants awarded each year, US Lacrosse and the US Lacrosse Foundation seek to build the size of the fund in an effort to increase its ability to support youth lacrosse development nationwide. If this is a program you’d like to support, please contact Sally Ratcliffe, Director of Development, at [email protected]. The equipment grants are made possible in part by the generosity of the lacrosse equipment industry. Our appreciation is extended to Bacharach, Brine, deBeer, Lax World, Shamrock Lacrosse, STX and Warrior Lacrosse for their continued participation, and we thank new contributors Sports Her Way and Tuskewe Krafts/Patterson for their generosity.

For the 2003 grant cycle, fourteen (14) US Lacrosse Youth Grants will be offered, up from six last year, including four girls’ equipment packages (for 25 players), four boys’ equipment packages (for 25 players) and six girls’/boys’ combination equipment packages (for 20 girls and 20 boys). Sticks, balls, all protective gear and a set of goalie equipment are offered as part of each package. Groups representing 22 states applied for last year’s US Lacrosse grants.

Click here to download an application in PDF format or e-mail the Director of Programs and Services for a Microsoft Word file.

2002 Youth Grant Recipients: Palega Youth Lacrosse of San Francisco (CA) and the City of Largo (FL) were this year’s recipients of the combination grants. The girls’ grant recipients were the Seattle Girls’ School (WA) and Sacred Heart School (Washington, D.C.), both servicing girls of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. YMCA Cookeville (TN) will also move forward on a boys’ program with the help of a US Lacrosse grant. The second boys’ grant was awarded through the Lance Holden Memorial Fund, established by Lance’s business partner, Jim Darcangelo of Lax World, to perpetuate Lance’s lifelong contribution to lacrosse. The City of Decatur Department of Recreation and Community Services (GA) received this year’s Lance Holden Grant.

Congratulations to all grant recipients! US Lacrosse looks forward to working with these and many other programs to make their first year a success.