We've talked in this space many times about the ongoing success of the MidwayUSA Foundation's cash grant program. This year, the charity can tout its grants in a factor of 10: The latest grant cycle is paying over $5.4 million ... and since its creation, the Foundation has now paid out 54.5 million. The 2024 cycle includes cash grants that have been paid to nearly 1,000 youth shooting sports programs. Combined, the latest grants are paying over $5.4 million to assist with expenses youth shooting teams and organizations incur regularly.
Doug Lindner, Warroad Warriors Trap Club Board President in Warroad, Minnesota, spoke about the importance of their annual MidwayUSA Foundation grant. “This grant opportunity has helped us lower fees for our shooters, add summer camps, purchase shooting vests, as well as safety and training equipment. We also hold an annual pheasant hunt for our athletes.” Warroad Warriors is a MidwayUSA Foundation rockstar team that added $56,107 to its team endowment in 2023 through fundraising and continued community support.
As a program’s endowment grows, the annual cash grant grows. Each shooting program’s grant is 5% of their MidwayUSA Foundation endowment balance and thanks to the endowment model this is funding that is available in perpetuity. The Foundation offers various resources to help shooting teams increase their endowment. Every youth shooting program can receive donations directly to their endowment through the MidwayUSA Foundation website. Those tax-deductible donations are also matched, thanks to Larry and Brenda Potterfield, owners of MidwayUSA, who fund the Foundation's Matching Program.
“Our fees are approximately half of what they were when we started. With the added costs of shooting sports, I can only imagine what fees would be today without the Foundation,” added Warroad’s Doug Lindner. The Warroad, Minnesota Trap Club is a grant recipient in the most recent grant cycle. A full list of youth shooting teams receiving a cash grant in March 2024 can be found here. Cash grants are paid twice per year. The next grant cycle opens on April 15.
