The Summer Swim Team Scholarship Program addresses critical concerns such as limited access to quality swimming facilities, the high costs associated with competitive swim programs, and a scarcity of resources that could benefit Black swimmers.
By providing scholarships, BKS aims to dismantle these barriers, allowing young Black athletes to pursue excellence in swimming.
Eligible swimmers and parents may apply online by filling out our online application and essay starting around May, 2025.
More information and details read our Terms and conditions
Scope: The program focuses on identifying financially disadvantaged Black children who demonstrate a passion and talent for swimming but are hindered by the lack of resources.
Goals:
Deliverables:
Our Mission: To create equitable opportunities for Black children in competitive swimming by providing financial assistance that enables participation in summer swim team programs.
Our Vision: A swimming landscape where Black children are adequately represented, supported, and celebrated at competitive levels, leading to a generational shift in the participation and success rates of Black swimmers.
The landscape of competitive swimming reveals significant disparities in representation and accessibility for Black children. These disparities are driven by economic, social, and infrastructural inequalities that BKS’s Summer Swim Team Scholarship Program seeks to address.
By recognizing and tackling the intertwined challenges of access, affordability, and targeted support, the project is positioned as a crucial step towards inclusivity in swimming.
Meet Reuben & Aaron Williams, recipients of the scholarship in 2019, committed to Division 1 swim programs Rider University and Lehigh University in 2022 respectively. Read their story.
Meet the 2024 Summer Swim Scholarship Program Winners!
Do you have any success stories that we can add to the list? Share them with us.
Black Kids Swim (BKS) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Maryland, dedicated to changing Black people’s relationship with water.
BKS serves as an online community and platform aimed at dispelling the myth that Black children do not participate in swimming while encouraging them to enter, remain and excel in the sport. The organization’s mission extends beyond swimming however, focusing on using the water to develop Black children into dynamic and confident leaders with an international mindset.
Write one or two short paragraphs about what you want to accomplish and perhaps brief of origin of this campaign, past campaigns, and feature key people and events that will enspire people to give to your cause.
Through the Summer Swim Team Scholarship Program, Black Kids Swim not only addresses immediate disparities in swimming participation but also lays the groundwork for a future where Black excellence in the sport is normalized and celebrated.
