The Renee Powell Grant will be awarded through The LPGA Foundation and the LPGA Renee Powell Fund. Established in 2020, the objective of the Renee Powell Grant is to provide need-based grants to LPGA*USGA Girls Golf programs that are inclusive of Black communities as part of their initiatives. The grants will provide access, instruction, equipment and additional expenses required to be introduced to the game of golf and stay engaged with the sport. Through this effort, The LPGA Foundation will further its commitment to creating an engaging, safe, inclusive and diverse environment to empower, inspire and transform the lives of all women and girls through the game of golf.
About Renee Powell
Renee Powell is an American professional golfer who played on the US-based LPGA Tour and is currently head professional at her family's Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio. She was the second African American woman ever to play on the LPGA Tour. The daughter of golf course entrepreneur Bill Powell, Renee grew up in Ohio and took up golf at an early age. Following her retirement in 1980, she appeared as a television commentator and became the head professional of the Clearview Golf Club in 1995.
Awarding the Renee Powell Grant
Thanks to the support of the golf industry’s recent Race Fore Unity efforts, The LPGA Foundation raised $50,000 toward the newly established Renee Powell Grant which will support LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs that serve Black communities. The purpose of the Renee Powell Grant Program is to assist current and prospective Girls Golf sites in bridging the funding gap toward creating partnerships and outreach opportunities with youth organizations serving Black girls.
In 2020, The LPGA Foundation awarded $25,000 in grant funding to select LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs actively operating in Ohio, Renee Powell’s home state. In 2023, we awarded an additional $25,000 to programs across the nation.
Below is a list of sites who were awarded $5,000 in grant funding in 2023:
• LPGA*USGA Girls Golf - Dreams of Lois (College Park, GA)
• LPGA*USGA Girls Golf - Miami (Miami, FL)
• LPGA*USGA Girls Golf - Orange County at SCGA Junior (Santa Ana, CA)
• LPGA*USGA Girls Golf -She STEAMS (Henry County, GA)
• LPGA*USGA Girls Golf - First Tee - Upstate (Greenville, SC)
It is The LPGA Foundation’s expectation that sites direct Renee Powell Grant funds to the following areas:
• Financial aid for Girls Golf members
• Community outreach
• Partnerships with local youth groups
• Securing golf course access
• Transportation to/from the golf course or facility
• Increase staffing
• Purchase of equipment
The sites listed were selected based on their geographic location, current LPGA*USGA Girls Golf membership demographics and longstanding commitment to engaging Black/African-American girls in their program.