INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA is awarding approximately $750,000 in women’s basketball grants to 12 Division I institutions and five conferences as part of the newly established NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Grant Program.
The grant program is designed to foster the growth of women’s basketball on NCAA member campuses and within NCAA member conferences.
“We want to grow the game of women’s basketball at the grass roots level,” said NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Vice President Sue Donohoe. “We hope these grants will give schools and conferences the extra resources they need to enhance their women’s basketball program.”
More than 70 member schools and conferences submitted proposals in the first round of the three-year pilot program. National office staff and representatives from the NCAA women’s basketball marketing consultant firm Hawkeye Sports and Entertainment evaluated the proposals. A call for the second round of proposals will be issued this fall for the 2009-10 academic year.
“We were thrilled with the response from the membership but would encourage every conference and institution to submit a proposal for next year,” said Donohoe. “We want to help our members create a buzz about women’s basketball on their campus and in their communities.”
Following the Women’s Final Four, the women’s basketball staff at the national office will be available to offer advice and counsel on how to submit grant proposals and how to make them stand out from others, Donohoe added.
“Once we narrowed the list, the competition became very intense. We were very pleased with some of the initiatives submitted by our schools and conferences. We’re excited and can’t wait to see the results,” said Donohoe.
The program itself will undergo yearly evaluations to determine if the program objectives are being met. The grants are awarded on a one-year basis and are not automatically renewed. Grant recipients are required to submit a monthly progress report as well as a final summary report.
Institutional award recipients:
Arizona State University
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Columbia University
East Tennessee State University
Florida State University
University of Louisville
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Oklahoma
San Diego State University
Texas Tech University
University of Washington
Western Kentucky University
Conference award recipients:
Big Ten Conference
Conference USA
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Northeast Conference
Patriot League
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