Frances Tiafoe and The USTA Foundation Announce Inaugural Grants From the Frances Tiafoe Fund

The USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the United States Tennis Association Incorporated (USTA), today announced that it awarded grants to two youth tennis players from the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Md. Nicholas Pedraza and Sydney Wright each received a $5,000 individual player grant from the USTA Foundation’s Frances Tiafoe Fund. Tiafoe, a top-ranked American tennis player who is a JTCC alum, shared the news with the recipients via video call.

Individual player grants have a competitive nomination process and are awarded to youth ages 10-18 who participate in the USTA Foundation’s flagship National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, which includes JTCC. The network, created in 1969 by tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, provides over 150,000 under-resourced youth with access to free or low-cost tennis and academic programming to help prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of life.

Individual player grants help support the tennis and educational improvement of players who excel in school, train and compete in tournaments year-round, and meet certain ranking or GPA requirements. These grants help fund travel, training, equipment expenses, and other academic support needs.

“We are incredibly proud of these student-athletes and their commitment to their education and the sport of tennis,” said USTA Foundation CEO Ginny Ehrlich. “They were selected not only for their on-court talent but also their ability to balance their competitive tennis schedules with strong academic performance. We’re confident they will continue to excel and accomplish great things on and off the court.”

The USTA Foundation’s mission is to use the powerful combination of tennis and education to change lives. For three decades, the USTA Foundation has helped to make tennis more inclusive and accessible to young people, regardless of race, gender, or economic circumstance.

To learn more about the USTA Foundation, its NJTL network, and ways to get involved, please visit ustafoundation.com and follow @USTAFoundation on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.