Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation is proud to offer its Grants-in-Aid program to its Members. 

Through the generosity of member donors the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Foundation generates income that we distribute in Grants to our members. No member dues are part of funding the Grants-in-Aid program.  It is funded by the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Foundation. The purpose of Grants-In-Aid program is to allow Lake Michigan racers to keep up with the latest developments in the sport of sailing. By traveling away to events, sailors learn the latest, then bring that knowledge base back to our.Region.  By becoming certified instructors, we develop more sailors and eventual racers.  By hosting major events, we bring high skilled sailors to our Region, giving our competitors exposure to elite competition. 

What sorts of Grants have been awarded?  Funding for:

• Sailing Instructors to become certified.
• Youth, individuals or teams to travel to “away” championships.
• A Coach for a clinic for Youth events.
• A Coach for an Adult racing clinic.
• Member Clubs hosting a national, continental or world championship.
• Try us on other ideas!

Membership Requirement

Grants are a benefit of LMSRF membership! Grant applicants, whether an Individual, Skipper with Boat Crew Team, Yacht Club, Sailing School, or Sailing Organization must be current year Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation Members in order to be eligible for a grant.  The complete boat crew team members shall be Individual Members, just to be clear. Use Join link above. The LMSRF Office confirms membership status before the Committee evaluates applications.

Grants for Instructor Scholarships

Reimbursement shall include registration fees for those attending US Sailing Instructor Training programs.  In exceptional cases, reimbursement may include travel, housing, and meals.

Applications must be submitted in writing prior to commencing or attending any recognized program (this includes the on-line learning segment of US Sailing Instructor Training). Applications must be submitted before any training is started. The club/organization where the instructor will teach and the instructor candidate shall both be current year Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation Members in order to be eligible for a training grant. Use Join button above for yacht club/sailing organization and individual membership. 

Instructor training grant payments will made upon applicant’s completion of the program which is evidenced by the candidate submitting a written report with a photo of the candidate at the training venue by email to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please submit your report within two weeks of the events' conclusion describing what was learned to share that new knowledge base with our fellow sailors in the Region to be included in the LMSRF e-newsmagazine, Lake Michigan SuRF.. Reports must be submitted within six weeks of completing the program or the grant shall be canceled. The written report shall be a separate doccument from the grant application and identify the candidate, what training was taken, where it was taken, the dates of the training, and what the candidate learned to aid in the instructon process. 

Preference will be given to those persons who have no other source of financial assistance (funding from their club, other foundations, etc).

Administration of the Program

Please use the appropriate Grants-in-Aid Application form (click link in right column navigation) for all submissions. Download a fresh application form for each submission. Choose the proper form:  Instructor; Sailor/Team, or Yacht Club/Organization. You may only submit a document attachment, either as a Word attachment or a .pdf of the Word document. No images accepted. Do not use Google docs, Pages, or other program.

Applications must be submitted in writing before starting any training (including on line) or prior to the date of any event for which a grant is being sought. 

The Grants-In-Aid Committee will review all applications for grants, scholarships and training. The amount of funding granted will be based upon the Committee’s analysis of the qualifications of the applicant and upon monies available in any given year for distribution through the program.  

All submission and eligibility requirements must be met within three weeks of original application submission or it shall be declared automatically invalid.

An annual report of all grants (grantee, amount requested, amount granted) shall be made to the Board of Directors at the first Board Meeting of the calendar year.