U.S. Figure Skating is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025-26 Community Development Grants, awarding a combined $12,000 to six U.S. Figure Skating member clubs, Learn to Skate USA® programs or Aspire programs that will use the funds to attract, involve and inspire new generations of figure skaters.
U.S. Figure Skating Community Development Grants are presented to applicants who successfully demonstrate plans that embody U.S. Figure Skating’s mission to create and cultivate opportunities for participation and achievement in figure skating as well as promote diversity, equity and inclusion through the development of community-based programs or events.
Below are the six recipients and their plans for the grant:
- 7 Rivers Figure Skating Club: Plans to use the funds to develop the Everyone Skates 7 Rivers Scholarship. Recognizing the fact that numerous families – specifically military families – struggle with the financial hardship of paying for lessons, the scholarship will provide 10 $50 scholarships for introductory Learn to Skate USA® classes (Basic 1-2) and 10 $50 scholarships for Basic 3-6 and freestyle skaters to significantly reduce a barrier of participation due to cost.
- Chicago Youth Foundation: Aims to engage over 1,750 inner-city low-income youth in a free ice sports program that involves both figure skating and ice hockey and provides free high-quality skating equipment. The grant would also support its Pathfinders program, which provides social-emotional and health-fitness education through monthly off-ice, interactive workshops.
- Detroit Skating Club: Proposed a free eight-session Learn to Skate USA® summer camp for the children served by Grace Centers of Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals and families facing homelessness and hardship. The proposed summer camp will provide significant developmental, emotional and social benefits to children in underserved communities with limited access to enrichment opportunities, such as specialized sports like figure skating.
- Friends of Fort Dupont: Will use the funds to develop its Kids On Ice®, Learn To Skate USA® and Aspire programs this season. Kids On Ice® provides marginalized groups with affordable, accessible sports-based youth development opportunities and promotes increased participation of girls in ice sports so they can develop important life skills such as teamwork, leadership and confidence through skating.
- Snoqualmie Figure Skating Club: Aims to increase the participation and retention of boys in figure skating through targeted outreach, peer-based events and a regional seminar focused on visibility, connection and community-building. This plan includes a "Bring a Friend to Skate" campaign and a “Boys on Blades” seminar designed to create regional collaboration across skating clubs. By inviting boys from other clubs throughout Washington and Oregon to foster a broader peer network, this plan aligns with U.S. Figure Skating’s emphasis on interclub partnership and regional programming.
- Philadelphia Figure Skating Club: Will host its third annual “Skate Together: Community Day.” This free community event aims to introduce figure skating to local underserved youth and families while building relationships with neighbors and creating a welcoming environment. The cost of hosting the event includes equipment rentals, giveaways, an exhibition by skaters of color and awarding the Josh Soto Memorial Scholarships to children from the neighborhood who are recommended by Neighbors Helping Neighbors.
This year’s pool of applicants comprised of 33 total proposals from clubs and programs nationwide. The six recipients were selected by a panel of judges based on the criteria of clarity of the proposal, the proven benefit to the community, engagement strategy, timeline and feasibility, budget and resource use and additional considerations such as innovative approaches that expand participation and sustain the impact beyond the grant funding period.
For the first time, one of the six recipients of the 2025-26 Community Development Grant will receive a $10,000 Leave Your Mark Impact Grant, which will be awarded in the spring of 2026 based on the club or program’s ability to demonstrate the lasting impact their work will have on the community. This additional funding was made possible through community engagement at the ISU World Figure Skating Championship 2025 to inspire community and inclusion within the sport.
The Community Development Grants were established in 2010 by the Robert V. Hauff and John F. Dreeland Foundation with the purpose of providing funding to eligible member clubs, Learn to Skate USA® programs and Aspire programs throughout the United States.
Click here to learn more about U.S. Figure Skating’s Community Development Grants. To learn more about how you could support funding for the Community Development Grants, email giving@usfigureskating.org.
