HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | The United States Tennis Association (USTA), with support from the Tennis Industry United and the USTA Foundation, has awarded the Alabama A&M University Tennis program with two grants to support the team and their facilities. The name of the grant is the USTA David N. Dinkins HBCU Coaching Grant.
 
The second grant, together with the ITA, the USTA offers a one-time grant of up to $10,000 awarded to the athletic departments that operate their tennis facility as a new "Collegiate Community Hub"

"We are very thankful to the USTA for their supports and we look forward to many years of cooperation"- said by AAMU Tennis Coach Willis Mbandi
 
The grant is aimed at encouraging and enabling HBCU players (and current uncertified college coaches) to become certified coaches, providing a valuable personal and professional development opportunity, and an important step to a potential career path in tennis or other sports. This grant reinforces and expands the tennis industry's commitment to supporting HBCU collegiate tennis and increasing diversity among certified coaching professionals.
 
Funding from the grants can be used towards expenses to support the HBCU tennis program, such as: team travel expenses, recruitment costs, uniforms and equipment.
 
Grant Details:

• USTA Collegiate and USTA-U, in partner ship with the ITA, will offer free, in-person workshops for HBCU players for level 1 coach certification. These workshops will be hosted on their college campus or a nearby city, held for 1.5 days.
• In order to receive the grant, each university will commit to a minimum of five players (and/or coaching staff, if not already certified) who will complete the workshop and certification requirements.
• The HBCU tennis program must also be a current ITA member in good standing.
• Participants who successfully complete the workshop and related certification requirements will be eligible to receive a Level 1 coach certification from both the PTR and USPTA.
• The UTSA Diversity and Inclusion Department and USTA Foundation will offer up to twenty-five hundred dollars ($2500) per eligible tennis program upon completion of the grant application. Individual grant amounts will be tiered based on the number of participants:
• A Minimum of Five participants receives $1500
• 10 participants = $2000
• 15 participants = $2500
• The grant process will be administered by the UTSA Foundation, the official Charity of the USTA and US Open.

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