BRISTOL, R.I. (May 21, 2025) – Sailing centers throughout the country have been awarded grants to grow youth sailing through STEM and environmental education with the US Sailing’s Reach Initiative. The Reach Initiative Youth Engagement Grants provide non-profit sailing centers with funds and resources to further their Reach program goals and increase STEM opportunities for students in their community.
The Reach Initiative utilizes sailing as an educational platform that challenges youth to embrace education, establish a love of learning, and explore productive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) based careers. Combining educators, sailing instructors, engineers, and scientists with today’s youth, the Reach Initiative provides a one-of-a-kind, authentic learning experience where students can apply classroom learning in a cooperative work environment.
The following programs were selected for 2025 US Sailing Reach Youth Engagement grants. These grants were made possible by support from Rolex and US Sailing donors. Congratulations to the 2025 recipients!
Bluegrass Sailing Club (Gilbertsville, KY)
The Bluegrass Sailing Club (BSC) fosters leadership and academic success in underserved youth in western Kentucky and provides maritime education and recreation to the community at large. BSC has been running STEM-based programming since its founding in 2023, partnering directly with public schools to offer an after-school program (STEM-2-STERN) built on the math and science of sailing. During the summer, BSC brings the Reach curriculum to over 20 kids during Sailing Camp, a week-long sailing and STEM camp where kids enjoy summer on Kentucky Lake.
Learn more about Bluegrass Sailing Club
Community Boating Center, Inc. (New Bedford, MA)
In the Fall of 2013 CBC launched its Sailing into Knowledge program, based on Reach, US Sailing’s STEM education program. The weather above, the water below, everything in between and on the boat can provide daily, real-world science lessons. Using boating as a medium, our program provides youth with hands-on learning opportunities in physics, biology, robotics, technology and more. Our STEAM instructors work with thousands of students annually. Sailing into Knowledge goes directly into CBC’s most core value, that the kids come first and they are the focus of each and every activity, using inquiry-based instruction that places students at the helm of the learning process and assigning teachers the role of learning facilitator, coach and modeler. We are collaborating with local schools to offer programs teaching ocean stewardship, rowing, sailing, seamanship and how they are connected to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. CBC has teamed up with New Bedford Public Schools, Global Learning Charter Public School, Nativity Preparatory School, Anchor Academy, and Our Sisters’ School to offer programs to their students during and after school. The programs are tailored to each school’s values and expectations of their students.
Learn more about Community Boating Center, Inc.
Community Sailing New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)
Community Sailing New Orleans incorporates US Sailing’s Reach curriculum into our STEM Design+Build+Sail program as well as STEM-based field trips and group outings. The STEM Design+Build+Sail program uses the Reach curriculum to reinforce concepts students learn in their classrooms and provide a real-world understanding. All STEM-based programming utilizes the Reach curriculum to create interactive activities and opportunities for kinesthetic learning while on the water. Participants range from the middle school ages (grades 5-8) through early high school (grades 9-10). Most youth participants have little to no sailing experience before attending programming, but many continue to participate in this program consistently as well as other programs we offer.
Learn more about Community Sailing New Orleans
Edison Sailing Center (Fort Myers, FL)
Edison Sailing Center is a community boating center focused on teaching the children of SWFL the love of sailing along with youth development through our 3 R’s: RESPECT, RESILIENCE & RESPONSIBILITY. Founded in 1983, Edison Sailing Center has taught more than 17,000 children since its inception. While sailing and safe power boating are our focus, children don’t realize the life changing skills they are learning along the way. We are proud to be a job incubator for the marine industry. We are also excited to announce the launch of Edison Sailing Center’s STEAM Academy in the fall of 2025. Guided by the Reach principles, we will offer programs tailored for various age groups and learning levels that include engaging lessons, activities, and hands-on learning that simplify complex marine concepts. We specialize in connecting academics and sailing through authentic learning experiences while inspiring children to become environmental stewards and socially responsible individuals.
Learn more about Edison Sailing Center
Havre de Grace Youth Sailing Program (Havre de Grace, MD)
Havre de Grace Youth Sailing will utilize the Reach Grant to enable the program to expand access to youth in Harford County and surrounding areas through new curriculum resources, instructor training, and upgraded equipment. The scholarship supports organizations that align with Reach’s mission: to engage youth and enhance career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Environmental Stewardship through authentic learning experiences. “This scholarship is a game-changer for our program and the youth we serve,” said Nicole Sikowitz-Buscemi, Director and US Sailing Certified Instructor of the Havre de Grace Youth Sailing Program. “We are excited to integrate Reach’s STEM-based curriculum into our programming and give students a new lens through which to engage with both sailing and science.”
Learn more about Havre de Grace Youth Sailing Program
Jolly Madison Sailing Club (Grand Rapids, MI)
Jolly Madison Sailing Club (JMSC) breaks down barriers of participation in the sailing industry. Carrying out this mission by providing fully funded sailing and STEM based education camps to underserved youth and teens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. JMSC was established in 2019, partnering with local non-profit groups including: New City Kids, Young Life, Boys and Girls Club, and YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin to engage our direct community. Throughout their time at “Jolly” sailors engage in Reach based STEM curricula with hands-on experiments, engineering, and science made: fun! As well as engaging in sailing lessons and a Sustainable Sailors Pledge. Leaving with the ability to captain their own vessel and knowledge to be a steward both on and off of the water: as a sailor on and for the sea!
Learn more about Jolly Madison Sailing Club
Milwaukee Community Sailing Center (Milwaukee, WI)
The Milwaukee Community Sailing Center’s (MCSC) mission since 1979 has been to promote sailing and make Lake Michigan available to everyone in the Milwaukee community through quality programming. MCSC has been teaching the science of sailing to local schools and organizations since 2013, and brought the Reach curriculum into schools in 2018, reaching at least 100 students every summer. This year they are excited to have 145 students in the STEM & Sailing program, from four different Milwaukee-area middle schools. The majority of the students in MCSC’s Reach Program come from historically under-represented groups in Milwaukee; for many, the field trip at the end of the in-class educational piece is the first time they have been on Lake Michigan.
Learn more about Milwaukee Community Sailing Center
Sheridan Shore Sailing School (Wilmette, IL)
Sheridan Shore Sailing School is located in Wilmette, Illinois. We run programming out of Wilmette Harbor on Lake Michigan. Sheridan Shore has provided high-quality sailing education to communities on Chicago’s north shore and beyond for more than 80 years. We are an accredited US Sailing Community Sailing Center, passionate about providing our students with an exceptional learning experience in a positive and encouraging environment. The US Sailing Reach Curriculum will be implemented in our regular summer programming and local elementary and middle schools during the school year, to make sailing more accessible to all members of our surrounding communities.
Learn more about Sheridan Shore Sailing School
The Cleveland Foundry (Cleveland, OH)
The Foundry Community Rowing and Sailing Center is charting a new course for youth in Cleveland, Ohio by combining hands-on rowing and sailing experiences with STEM education throughout year-round programming. Located along the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, The Foundry partners with schools and youth-serving organizations through its dedicated Row. Sail. Dream. outreach team. This team of rowing and sailing coaches focus on providing introductory experiences that spark interest and engagement among youth. The Row. Sail. Dream. team uses the US Sailing Reach STEM curriculum to bring sailing-themed STEM activities to Cleveland area youth during classroom takeovers, field trips, and after-school programs. Thanks to the success of STEM-based sailing offerings for students in grades 6–12, The Foundry has expanded its reach to include elementary students, in grades 3-5. Coaches adapt lessons to connect STEM concepts to sailing on Lake Erie and beyond. Students achieve STEM program learning outcomes that help them move into more advanced programs with a better understanding of the how and why behind sailing. The Foundry uses sailing STEM curriculum to empower students to envision themselves as sailors and develop lasting love for both science and sailing.
Learn more about the Cleveland Foundry
Youth Sailing Virginia (Hampton, VA)
Youth Sailing Virginia is a community sailing center dedicated to eliminating socio-economic barriers to sailing, making the sport accessible to everyone. YSV collaborates closely with local school systems to offer impactful STEM education courses, which explore the technical aspects of sailing and introduce students to maritime career opportunities.
Learn more about Youth Sailng Virginia
Click here (https://www.ussailing.org/education/youth/reach/) to learn more about the US Sailing’s Reach Initiative and for information on you can get involved.
Click here (https://www.ussailing.org/news/us-sailing-releases-2024-reach-impact-report/) to see the impact of US Sailing’s Reach Initiative in 2024