Athlete Career and Education

Athlete Career and Education

About the Simon Grant

The William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes was established in 1998 by Mr. William E. Simon, Sr., former U.S. Olympic Committee President and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Grants for training and competition are awarded to high performing athletes showing financial need. By creating this fund, Mr. Simon recognized the importance and many personal benefits of participating in sports.

KEY DATES AND DEADLINES

Applications Open: To be announced, early 2021

HOW TO APPLY

Online Application Process

Applications are now closed. Details for the 2020 Simon Grant will be provided on this page once they are finalized. 

If you have questions, please reach out to ACE at ace@usopc.org.

GRANT DETAILS

General athlete eligibility requirements:
  • U.S. citizenship and eligible/intend to compete for the United States
  • Athlete 
  • Currently in training and competition; athletes with performances that indicate likelihood to compete in Tokyo or Beijing are encouraged to apply
  • In good standing with National Governing Body/High Performance Management Organization
  • Demonstrated financial need in order to continue training
  • ACE registered and eligible

Athletes from both the Olympic and Paralympic delegations are eligible to apply for/receive a grant.

There is no charge to apply for this grant. A deadline for the 2020 Simon Grant application will be provided when available.

Items to have easily accessible include:

  • Athletic competition history
  • Upcoming competition/event info
  • USOPC financial support records (including Direct Athlete Support, Elite Athlete Health Insurance, etc.)
  • Personal monthly budget/expense info
  • Sponsorship details (if applicable)
Grants are intended for training and competition expenses.
Because training and competition costs vary widely, these grants are intended to provide only partial support.
While this is possible, multiple grants to a single individual would be rare.

The chances of receiving a grant depend on the number and quality of applications; however, the Trustees have discretion in approving final grant recipients and award amounts.

During the review process, information included in each application may be verified by a variety of sources including internet searches and NGBs. If information is found to be missing, misleading or inaccurate, the application will be rejected and will jeopardize future consideration.

The endowment does not have a set grant amount. The endowment funds are invested, and a portion of the earnings is used for awards. Amounts will vary depending on available funds in a given year, the number of qualified applicants, and the meritorious circumstances of a particular applicant. Note: There have been years where the grant was not awarded due to declines in the value of the endowment.
The USOPC’s Athlete Career and Education (ACE) department handles the distribution and processing of the application information, as well as the program implementation and management. Funds are invested by the U.S. Olympic Endowment. General responsibility for management of the endowment, including final award decisions, resides with a Board of Trustees. Awards are made once a year.
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