USA WEIGHTLIFTING LAUNCHES ENTRY FEE HARDSHIP FUND AND SCHOLARSHIP FUND

USA Weightlifting is conscious of the need to attempt to serve as many members of the weightlifting community as possible. With costs constantly rising, USA Weightlifting is implementing an event fee hardship fund to support those in our community who have fallen on challenging times. The primary goal of the fund is to enable those who would not otherwise be able to participate in USA Weightlifting events to do so.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Member of USA Weightlifting in good standing.
- RTP Lift Clean membership for minimum of 6 months.
- USADA Athlete Advantage.
- US Citizen with eligibility to compete for the United States.
- Aged 25 or younger.

Reasons to apply for the hardship fund:
- Low household income (below the Federal Poverty Level).
- Death in the family resulting in a loss of significant income.
- Unexpected uninsured medical expenses caused by severe illness or injury.
- Uninsured losses caused by fire, crime, flood or other disasters.
- Unexpected uninsured expenses for the care of a sick family member.
- Job loss of a family household member at no fault of their own.
Funding will be limited to $2,000 per year and no more than three awards per year per USAW Club.

Click here to apply for the event entry fee hardship fund. Applications will be reviewed by the USA Weightlifting Competition Committee.

Similarly, USA Weightlifting has for many years faced the need to balance the retention of athletes, their educational and coaching needs. The goal of the USA Weightlifting Scholarship Fund is to retain our elite and talented athletes who are transitioning from high school to college by providing an environment that is appropriate to their continued development in the sport. For example, attending a college which provides both their academic and coaching needs.
USA Weightlifting has allocated $36,000 to the scholarship fund and is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2019 fiscal year and 2019-2020 Academic year. While we accept applications at any time, the deadline for 2019-2020 applications is 31 March 2019. Click here to apply. The evaluation committee has the right to award partial scholarships.
Requirements for Consideration:- USA Weightlifting Member in Good Standing.- Minimum of 6-month membership in Lift Clean RTP.- Minimum of 1 international representation of the USA
Rubric for Objective Criteria

Points	Academics	Athletics (Double Pts)	Letter of Athlete	University/Coach Relationship
5	GPA or equivalent of 3.5	Youth World Championship Medalist	Athlete displays good written communication skills, a sincere desire to compete for Team USA and a clear focus for their academic endeavor.	University allows athlete to pursue appropriate academic program and retain Coach of Record
4	GPA or equivalent of 3.0	Youth World Championship Top 5	Athlete displays sincere desire to compete for Team USA and a clear focus for their academic endeavor.	University allows athlete to pursue appropriate academic program and work with an International or Snr International Coach within 10 miles.
3	GPA or equivalent of 2.5	Youth World Championship Top 10	Athlete displays sincere desire to compete for Team USA.	University allows athlete to pursue appropriate academic program and work with a National coach within 10 miles
2	GPA or equivalent of 2.0	Youth World Championship Participation	Athlete displays a desire to continue to improve their Weightlifting but is focused on career matters	University allows athlete to work with a University employed Coach
1	Any other academic qualification	International participation	Athlete displays an interest in their career after athletics.	Athlete will follow remote programs.

*Collegiate Committee has the right to split the fund between two or more athletes.
**Fund includes second-fourth year students. Previous awards do not guarantee further funding.