BRISTOL, R.I. (May 15, 2026) – 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 2026 US Sailing Reach Youth Engagement grants. These grants were made possible by support from Rolex and US Sailing donors. Congratulations to the 2026 recipients!
Alameda Community Sailing Center (Alameda, CA)
Alameda Community Sailing Center (ACSC) “provides opportunities to participate in sailing on San Francisco Bay through access and education.” Since 2016, ACSC has integrated US Sailing’s Reach curriculum into its youth programs, including “Science Fridays” during summer camp, where over 125 campers per session engage in hands-on STEM activities like building anemometers, testing water quality, and exploring buoyancy and simple machines. ACSC serves approximately 350 youth annually through summer camps and year-round programs, with scholarships and community partnerships expanding access and fostering environmental stewardship.
Learn more about Alameda Community Sailing Center (www.sailalameda.org)
Bourne Community Boating (Bourne, MA)
Bourne Community Boating, Inc. (“BCB”) was founded in 2006 to provide an opportunity for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to enrich their lives through on-the-water educational and recreational experiences. A focus for BCB is the year-round, full-time resident youth population of Bourne, MA, and neighboring towns, many of whom would not have the opportunity to learn to sail without BCB’s programs. BCB works to introduce these students to sailing, boating and marine science in a friendly, fun and inclusive environment. Through our signature program, “Belly Biology”, our Marine Biology and STEM class, BCB provides a curriculum that blends sailing skills with environmental stewardship. Our goal is to foster a new generation that not only navigates our waters but also understands and respects them. The Belly Biology curriculum includes exploration of the marine habitat around Phinney’s Harbor, in the Buzzards Bay watershed, field trips and visits by local experts.
Learn more about Bourne Community Boating (www.bournecommunityboating.org)
Community Sailing School Foundation (Orchard Lake, MI)
The Community Sailing School Foundation is dedicated to building character through sailing education by providing accessible, high-quality programming for youth across the region. As Michigan’s first and only US Sailing Accredited Community Sailing Center, CSSF serves over 500 children annually through learn-to-sail classes, scholastic racing teams, and leadership development initiatives.
Programs are designed to be inclusive and progressive, welcoming beginners with no prior experience while offering advanced pathways for competitive sailors. Through hands-on, STEM-based learning on the water, students develop confidence, teamwork, and decision-making skills that extend far beyond sailing. CSSF’s impact continues year-round with after-school and summer programming that prepares young people for success both on and off the water.
Learn more about Community Sailing School Foundation (https://communitysailingschool.org/)
Englewood Sailing Association (Englewood, FL)
Englewood Sailing Association (ESA) builds confidence, character, and community through sailing. As an all-volunteer organization, ESA has offered sailing and maritime education programs to youth and adults from all walks of life since 2002. ESA summer camps teach over 90 students per year the basics of sailing, including an understanding of the physical forces involved in sailing. In 2011 we began offering our Seagrass Adventure program in summer camp, in which students collect flora and fauna from Lemon Bay in Englewood to understand how these crucial elements work to keep our waters clean and safe. Moving forward, ESA plans to increase STEM programming in its fall and spring programs, equipping kids with analytical skills they’ll need in the future.
Learn more about Englewood Sailing Association (www.englewoodsailing.org)
Minneapolis Sailing Center (Minneapolis, MN)
Minneapolis Sailing Center’s (MSC) mission is to foster an inclusive, sustainable community and to teach sailing to all. Through our Youth Day Camps and Community Partnership Program (CPP), over 1,000 students are exposed to Reach curriculum modules each summer. This season, MSC will expand our CPP to implement free four-day summer camps that engage youth from underrepresented communities in the Twin Cities in sustainable Reach programming. The implementation of Reach modules within our four-day camp program and our traditional day camps enhances place-based STEM learning and immerses students in the natural space of Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis and in the craft and science of sailing.
Learn more about Minneapolis Sailing Center (www.sailmpls.org)
North Star Junior Sailing (Harrison Township, MI)
Located on the smallest of the Great Lakes, Lake Saint Clair boasts the beginnings for some of the biggest names in sailing including our very own Dawn Riley. Despite this notoriety, we found ourselves dangerously close to hanging up the Opti rudders for the last time after COVID sucked the air out of our sails and that of much of our community as well. STEM has provided us a path forward. Working with our local YMCA to help us reach out to more of our community’s disadvantaged youth, along with other funders to provide scholarships, we are showing students that there is more to summer than video games and showing parents how their children can get a leg up on learning and have fun, make friends, and build confidence in the process. We are looking forward to taking our STEM program integration to the next level and the Reach grant makes this possible in ways we could only have dreamed of.
Learn more about North Star Junior Sailing (https://www.northstarsail.org/junior_sailing.php)
Oregon Youth Sailing Foundation (Portland, OR)
Oregon Youth Sailing Foundation (OYSF) aims to keep sailing alive and active in Oregon by making it accessible to young people, with a focus on those who otherwise would not have the opportunity to be on the water. The programs we support connect youth to the joy of sailing and the life skills and confidence it helps build. Since 2020, our flagship Build & Sail program for youth from traditionally underrepresented communities in the Portland metro area has served 200+ students for nearly 1,000 hours of sailing instruction over 50 summer weeks, all at no cost to participants. These camps give teens the chance to learn essential STEAM-based wooden boat building skills while completing US Sailing’s Reach curriculum and exploring the Willamette River under sail and paddle.
Learn more about Oregon Youth Sailing Foundation (oregonyouthsailing.com)
Sail Her Dreams – Great Lakes Sailing (Chicago, IL)
We are incredibly grateful to US Sailing for awarding Sail Her Dreams the Reach Grant!
This support is more than funding. It is an investment in the future of our girls academy and the young women we serve. Because of this grant, we can continue to grow our mission to encourage, empower, and create opportunities for girls both on and off the water.
Through Sail Her Dreams, we are building more than sailors. We are building leaders. From our podcast conversations that amplify inspiring voices and authentic stories, to hands-on STEM programming that connects sailing with innovation, to mentorship that gives girls guidance, confidence, and community, this support helps make it all possible.
Learn more about Sail Her Dreams (www.greatlakessailing.us)
Sailing Education Adventures (SEA) (San Rafael, CA)
Sailing Education Adventures (SEA) is a non-profit community sailing organization in San Rafael, CA. SEA believes sailing is a unique experience that builds lifelong character, teaches invaluable skills, and fosters a positive active community. SEA is dedicated to promoting sailing through affordable on the water instruction and increasing access for all. To continue our mission of affordability and access, the Reach grant will help provide scholarships to local youth with financial barriers that restrict participation at SEA. This support will also equip our instructors to have the tools to incorporate STEM education into every class offered for over 200 students that participate in SEA’s year round programming.
Learn more about Sailing Education Adventures (seasailing.org)
Sarasota Youth Sailing (Sarasota, FL)
Sarasota Youth Sailing (SYS) is dedicated to inspiring young sailors to experience the joy of sailing in a safe and fun environment. Through its programs, SYS teaches the fundamental skills of sailing while fostering teamwork, self-reliance, sportsmanship, and respect for the marine environment. SYS has expanded its educational offerings by incorporating the US Sailing Reach STEM curriculum into its programs and partnering with schools throughout the Sarasota-Manatee area to provide youth with hands-on sailing and STEM education. With support from the US Sailing Reach Grant, SYS is excited to further integrate Reach curriculum into its summer camp programs, which serve more than 350 youth annually, as well as its growing homeschool sailing program.
Learn more about Sarasota Youth Sailing (www.sarasotayouthsailing.org)
Syracuse Sail & Power Squadron (Syracuse, NY)
The Syracuse Sail & Power Squadron (SSPS), operating as America’s Boating Club Syracuse, advances public boating safety, education, and community service through partnerships that expand access to hands‑on, experiential learning on Onondaga Lake. In collaboration with Onondaga Yacht Club, SSPS supports the Youth Sailing Reach/STEM Program, which integrates sailing instruction with inquiry‑based STEM education for the public including inner-city youths. Now entering its third year, the program applies U.S. Sailing’s Reach curriculum to connect science, engineering, and environmental learning to real‑world sailing experiences through classroom lessons, land‑based activities, and supervised on‑the‑water instruction. By using sailing as a living laboratory, the program builds problem‑solving skills, teamwork, confidence, and an understanding of natural forces while introducing students to safe boating practices and lifelong engagement with the maritime environment.
Learn more about Syracuse Sail & Power Squadron (usps.org/localusps/syracuse/)
Click here to learn more about the US Sailing’s Reach Initiative and for information on you can get involved.