Row to Succeed Youth Rowing Program

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Executive Summary

Row to Succeed Youth Rowing Program is a nonprofit in Washington that gives young people ages 13 to 18 from families with low incomes a free path into competitive rowing, one of the most effective sports for earning a college scholarship. We provide a USRowing certified coach, real training shells, competition support, academic mentorship and guidance through the college recruiting process. Everything is free to participants.

Most young people in our community have never seen a rowing shell. The sport is invisible in underserved neighborhoods, the equipment is expensive and the clubs that exist serve families who can pay. Yet college coaches at selective schools actively recruit rowers and recruiting windows open as early as ninth and tenth grade. A young person who has never heard of the sport cannot be found.

With this grant we will serve about 40 young people in Year 1, training at a partner boathouse on a local waterway, entering three USRowing sanctioned regattas and meeting individually with an academic mentor each month. We do not promise any young person a scholarship or a college placement. We promise serious coaching, real competition and an adult who shows up.

Our Year 1 budget is about $175,000, growing to about $302,000 by Year 5 as we add coaches and athletes. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year.

We are asking the Pacific Northwest Community Sports Fund for $60,000 for a head coach, assistant coach stipends, oars and safety equipment and competition fees, for July 2027 through June 2028. USRowing, the city, alumni and other grants also give, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Jordan Reyes, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Row to Succeed Youth Rowing Program is a nonprofit organization in Washington. We are governed by a volunteer board of directors, with a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews and approves.

Our mission. Every young person who has the drive to compete in rowing should have a coach, equipment and a real shot at a scholarship, whatever their family's income.

How we started. Two years ago a USRowing coach who had seen athletes from well-funded programs earn college offers started a small free clinic at a community center. Thirty-one young people came to the first day. Twelve stayed through a full training block. Four of those twelve received college recruiting contacts. Our board formed to turn that start into a sustainable program.

What we do.
- Run a full competitive season with on-water and indoor training, leading to USRowing sanctioned regattas.
- Provide equipment, transportation and entry fees for every athlete.
- Assign an academic mentor to each athlete for monthly one-on-one meetings.
- Help athletes build rowing profiles, connect with college coaches and understand the recruiting timeline.
- Run a learn-to-row day each season so new young people can try the sport.

What we do not do. We do not promise a scholarship, a college placement or a specific regatta result. We do not allow any adult to communicate privately with young people outside of program channels. We do not share athlete information with college coaches without written family permission.

Where things stand today. We have a signed facility use agreement with a boathouse partner. Our head coach holds a USRowing certification and has worked with our athletes for one full season. Two school counselors have written letters of support.

Problem & Opportunity

Rowing offers one of the most reliable paths to a college scholarship, and most young people in underserved communities have never had a chance to step into a shell.

Invisibility. Soccer and basketball are everywhere in our community. Rowing is not. Young people who might be exceptional rowers grow up not knowing the sport exists.

Equipment and access. A set of training shells costs more than most families earn in a month. Without a club, a coach and a boathouse, there is nowhere to learn.

The recruiting window. College coaches begin recruiting rowers as early as ninth and tenth grade. A student who starts in eleventh grade is already late for many programs. Without early exposure, the window closes before it opens.

Academic pressure. Many of our athletes carry heavy academic loads and work part-time. They need a program that takes their school seriously, not one that treats it as a distraction.

Travel and fees. Competition requires boats, vehicles, entry fees and hotel stays. Families who cannot cover those costs cannot compete.

What we hear.
- A school counselor says she has students who are ideal rowing candidates and no way to connect them to the sport.
- A parent says his son is 6 feet 4, motivated and has never heard of rowing.
- A college coach says she would recruit from underserved communities if there were programs there to find athletes.
- An athlete who found us through a clinic says no one had ever told her she was built for an Olympic sport.

We do not claim rowing is a guaranteed path to college. We say it is a real one, and we want every young person with the drive to have a fair shot at it.

Products & Services

Row to Succeed gives young people a full competitive rowing program, a coach who knows the recruiting landscape and an adult who stays in their corner.

How the program works.
1. Recruitment. We visit schools, meet with counselors and hold a learn-to-row day each season where any young person can try a shell for free.
2. Season. Athletes train on the water three days a week and on ergometers indoors two days a week through a full competitive season. A USRowing certified head coach and part-time assistant coaches run every session.
3. Competition. We enter athletes in three USRowing sanctioned regattas each season, covering entry fees, equipment transport and travel.
4. Academic mentorship. Every athlete meets with a trained academic mentor once a month to review grades, plan coursework and set goals.
5. Recruiting support. Athletes who want to pursue college rowing get help building a rowing profile, contacting coaches and understanding the recruiting timeline. We connect willing families with college coaches who have asked us to send candidates.
6. Showcase. At the end of each season we hold a family day and a time trial so families can see their athlete compete.

Safety. Every athlete wears a personal flotation device during drills and swims a safety test before rowing alone. Two adults are present at every session, and athletes are released only to adults named by their families.

What we do not promise. We do not promise a scholarship or a college placement. We promise serious coaching, consistent adults and real opportunities to compete.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Young people ages 13 to 18 who live near our partner boathouse, who have the drive to train and whose families have low incomes. We give priority to students with strong academic standing, because those students are most likely to benefit from college recruiting. No young person is turned away for lack of experience.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. Thirty-one young people came to our first clinic without any marketing. Our Year 1 plan is for about 40 athletes. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 100 athletes and add a second training group.

Who else benefits.
- Families, who gain a safe place, serious adults and exposure to a college pathway they may not have known existed.
- Schools, which gain a positive activity to recommend to motivated students.
- Our boathouse partner, which gains new young rowers and goodwill in the community.
- College coaches, who gain access to athletes they would not otherwise find.

How young people find us.
- Referrals from school counselors and athletic directors.
- Our learn-to-row clinics, held at the boathouse each season.
- Friends who bring friends.
- USRowing's diversity and access programs.

Capacity. Each training group is capped at the number of athletes our boats and coaches can safely handle. We add coaches before we add athletes beyond that limit.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Other rowing clubs. Most clubs in our region serve families who can pay membership fees, buy uniforms and cover competition travel. We fill a gap those clubs leave open.

2. USRowing diversity programs. USRowing has national initiatives to expand access. They are not yet present in our city. We plan to work with them, not duplicate them.

3. Other youth sports programs. Basketball, soccer and track programs serve many of the same young people. We see those programs as complements. Some of our athletes play multiple sports, and we schedule around their seasons when possible.

4. No rowing program. Most young people in our community simply have no option today. We are not replacing anything. We are starting something.

What makes us different.
- A USRowing certified coach with a track record of connecting athletes to college coaches.
- Free participation, equipment, competition fees and travel.
- Academic mentorship built into the program, not added as an afterthought.
- A college recruiting support process that families in underserved communities rarely have access to.

What we will not do. We will not overstate scholarship odds or promise outcomes we cannot control.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people, families and partners will find us.

Reaching young people and families.
- Schools. We will work with counselors and athletic directors at five schools to share sign-up information and speak at assemblies.
- Community centers and libraries. We will hold information nights and learn-to-row clinics, with food and bilingual materials.
- Families. We will hold a short parent meeting before each season, with an interpreter when needed, so families understand the program and its expectations.
- Word of mouth. Athletes who earn college interest tell their friends and younger siblings. We will invite each current athlete to bring one friend to a learn-to-row clinic.

Reaching partners and funders.
- USRowing. We will register with their diversity and access programs and ask for equipment support and coaching resources.
- College coaches. We will introduce ourselves to coaches at ten schools in the first year, share our program structure and ask them to consider our athletes when they recruit.
- Businesses and alumni. We will invite local businesses and rowing alumni to sponsor an athlete's season.
- Foundations. We will apply for grants that match our goals and send honest, specific reports on results.

How we will know it is working. We will track athletes recruited, regattas entered, academic mentor meetings completed, college contact requests from coaches and how many athletes return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the head coach and assistant coach, buy equipment, complete background checks, finalize consent forms and safety plan with our attorney and confirm our boathouse schedule.
- Month 3 (September): Hold the learn-to-row clinic and begin the fall competitive season.
- Months 3 to 7: Train three days on water and two days on ergometers each week. Enter three regattas.
- Month 8 (April): Hold a family showcase and time trial. Survey athletes and families.
- Months 9 to 12: Indoor training continues. Academic mentorship runs year-round.

Where we train. Our partner boathouse provides dock access, storage for shells and a room for indoor training on ergometers. We bring oars, safety equipment and ergometers we own.

Safety. Every athlete passes a swim test and wears a personal flotation device on the water. Two adults are present at every session. Athletes are released only to adults named by their families. We keep first aid and water rescue equipment at the dock and have a written emergency plan.

Privacy. Athlete names, grades and contact information are kept in a secure system that only staff can see. We never share photos or names without written permission.

Measuring results. We track attendance, regatta results, academic mentor meetings, college contact requests from coaches and athlete retention. We share results with partners and funders each quarter.

Staffing. In Year 1 we have an Executive Director, a Head Coach and one part-time assistant coach and academic mentor. We add a second assistant in Year 2 and a part-time family liaison in Year 2 as well.

Management & Organization

Jordan Reyes, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting to funders. I came to this work because I watched our head coach turn a free clinic into four college recruiting contacts in one season, and I knew it could be bigger. I will complete the same safety and conduct training that our coaches complete.

Head Coach. Our head coach holds a USRowing certification, ran the original clinic and knows each of our athletes from the first season. He stays on as the lead on-water and training coach.

Assistant Coach and Academic Mentor. This part-time role runs the ergometer sessions, supports the head coach on the water and meets with each athlete once a month for academic mentoring. We hire someone with coaching experience and familiarity with the college application process.

Family Liaison. Starting in Year 2, this part-time role helps families sign up, answers questions in English and Spanish and keeps schools informed.

Our board. Our volunteer board includes a college admissions counselor, a high school athletic director, a rowing alumni who competed at the Division I level, a nonprofit finance volunteer and an attorney. The board meets monthly and approves all budgets and policies.

Outside help. A bookkeeper, paid by the hour, keeps our books. An accountant reviews them each year. Our attorney helped write our consent forms, privacy policy, safety plan and boathouse agreement. An insurance agent helped us choose the right coverage for the water.

Pay. I am paid $52,000 a year, and the Head Coach is paid $42,000. Both are included in the budget. We pay fair wages and do not rely on unpaid labor to run the program.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 40 young people in one training group.
- Enter three USRowing sanctioned regattas.
- Have at least 80 percent of athletes complete the full season.
- Complete at least one academic mentor meeting per athlete per month.
- Receive recruiting contact from at least one college coach for at least four athletes.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 80 percent of families on safety and communication.

How we measure. Attendance records, regatta results, mentor meeting logs, coach contact records and surveys from athletes and families.

Year 2 (about 55 athletes):
- Add a second assistant coach and a part-time family liaison.
- Enter five regattas and host a small invitational at the boathouse.
- Start a mentorship alumni network so athletes who earn college placements can support those who come after.

Year 3 (about 70 athletes):
- Add a second training group for younger athletes.
- Partner with a second high school for recruitment.

Years 4 and 5 (about 85 and 100 athletes):
- Sustain two full training groups with trained coaches.
- Report results publicly each year and ask an outside reviewer to assess our program.
- Build donor and sponsor support so that no one grant covers more than 40 percent of the budget.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $60,000 from the Pacific Northwest Community Sports Fund for a head coach, assistant coach stipends, oars and safety equipment and competition fees, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Head Coach salary and assistant coach stipends, $42,000 (other funds add $16,000).
- Supplies: Oars, life vests and practice equipment for new athletes, $10,000 (other funds add $4,000).
- Other: Competition entry fees, travel and athlete safety gear, $8,000 (other funds add $3,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 55% of our Year 1 grant income. USRowing and athletic foundation funding, a city youth sports contract, individual and alumni donations and other grants pay for everything it does not cover. If we receive less than we ask for, we will reduce the number of regattas we enter and ask for in-kind equipment support to close the gap.

Year 1 budget: about $175,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,800 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $110,000; USRowing and Athletic Foundation Funding $35,000; City Youth Sports Contract $18,000; Individual and Alumni Donations $12,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $52,000; Head Coach (USRowing Certified) $42,000; Assistant Coach and Academic Mentor (part-time) $20,000; Boat Maintenance and Equipment Upkeep about $18,000; Competition Fees, Travel and Waivers about $14,000; Coach Training and Background Checks about $4,000; Administration and Insurance about $12,000; about $7,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $34,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $22,000 for four training shells (two doubles and two quads); $3,000 for attorney review of consent forms, waivers and the privacy policy; $0 for background checks and first insurance payment; $4,000 for equipment safety gear (life vests, safety launches); $3,000 for bilingual outreach materials and a simple website; $2,000 for transportation for first season competitions.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($34,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $40,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $74,500. We start with $10,000 from our founding board and $68,000 in startup support from a rowing foundation and a community donor, $78,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $175,000 in Year 1 to about $302,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $110,000, $132,000, $148,000, $162,000 and $174,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as well: athletic foundation funding from $35,000 to $62,000, the city youth sports contract from $18,000 to $36,000 and individual and alumni donations from $12,000 to $28,000. We add athletes and coaches each year and grow from one training group to two. Our surplus is planned at about $7,800 in Year 1, about $4,800 in Year 2, about $2,600 in Year 3, about $4,000 in Year 4 and about $23,000 in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $58,000, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,000 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per athlete. In Year 1, our total costs are about $4,400 per athlete, which includes setting up the program and entering three regattas. By Year 5, with more athletes and a trained team, that falls to about $3,000 per athlete.

After the grant. Alumni who earn college placements become donors and mentors. Rowing alumni in our city have already expressed interest in supporting the program. We are building a network where the program pays forward to itself.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An on-water accident. Swim tests, personal flotation devices, two adults on the water, waivers and insurance.
- Our boathouse partner changes its schedule. We keep a backup site identified and a relationship with a second facility.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of certified backup coaches and share all training plans in writing.
- Low athlete retention. We address barriers early, including transportation, schedule conflicts and academic pressure.
- Equipment damage. Rowing shells are expensive; we carry equipment coverage and train athletes in handling.
- A grant ends. We keep savings, grow alumni and sponsor support each year and avoid taking on costs we cannot cover.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one neighborhood, a handful of participants and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from school counselors and your boathouse partner.
- Your boathouse facility use agreement and insurance certificate.
- Your parent consent, privacy policy, safety plan and swim test records.
- Your coach certifications and background check policy.
- Your season outline and academic mentorship plan.
- Quotes for shells, oars and safety equipment.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and Head Coach.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $110,000 in Year 1, growing to $174,000 in Year 5.
- USRowing and Athletic Foundation Funding: $35,000 in Year 1, growing to $64,000 in Year 5.
- City Youth Sports Contract: $18,000 in Year 1, growing to $36,000 in Year 5.
- Individual and Alumni Donations: $12,000 in Year 1, growing to $28,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Executive Director $52,000; Head Coach (USRowing Certified) $42,000; Assistant Coach and Academic Mentor (part-time) $20,000; Family Liaison (part-time) $22,000; Program Coordinator (part-time) $32,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Boat Maintenance and Equipment Upkeep $18,000; Competition Fees, Travel and Waivers $14,000; Coach Training and Background Checks $4,000; Administration and Insurance $12,000. These grow between 4% and 8% a year.
- Equipment: $26,000 at the start, then $3,000 to $4,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $34,000, paid once from $78,000 in startup money.
- Athletes served: about 40 in Year 1, growing to about 100 in Year 5.
- Training groups: one in Year 1, growing to two by Year 3. Each athlete trains five days a week and enters three regattas per season.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs