The United States Fencing Foundation is the philanthropic arm of USA Fencing, dedicated to fueling the pursuit of excellence for fencers at every stage — from those picking up a weapon for the first time to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, to veteran athletes who carry a lifetime of passion for the sport. By investing in athletes, teams, and programs, the Foundation helps build champions and ensures fencing’s legacy for generations to come.
Founded in 1986 from the success of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the Foundation has always existed to strengthen fencing’s future. In 2022, we became the official philanthropic partner of USA Fencing, streamlining efforts to maximize impact. Today, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our sole mission is to support USA Fencing in growing the sport and giving every athlete the resources and opportunities to thrive.
Every gift of every size makes an impact.
We invite you to explore the initiatives below and join us in supporting the future of fencing, ensuring that every touch, every athlete, and every dream has the chance to shine. Thank you for your support!
Give Once
Make a one-time gift to support USA Fencing athletes and programs. Your generosity helps fuel dreams on the strip and beyond.
Recurring
Join our community of sustaining donors with a monthly gift. Your ongoing support provides reliable resources that empower fencers year-round.
Donating stock is a powerful way to support the U.S. Fencing Foundation while receiving potential tax benefits. When you give appreciated securities, you may avoid capital gains tax and still receive a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the stock. Your gift of stock goes directly to fueling the future of fencing.
Leave a Legacy Through Planned Giving
Planned giving is a powerful way to support the sport you love while making a lasting impact for generations of fencers to come. By including the U.S. Fencing Foundation in your estate plans, you can ensure your legacy lives on by strengthening programs, supporting athletes, and expanding opportunities for the future of fencing.
There are many ways to make a planned gift. Some of the most common include:
- Bequests: Name the Foundation in your will or trust.
- Retirement Assets: Designate the Foundation as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement plan.
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): If you’re 70½ or older, make a gift directly from your IRA to reduce taxable income and satisfy required minimum distributions.
- Life Insurance: Name the Foundation as a beneficiary of your policy.
Planned gifts cost you nothing today but create an enduring legacy tomorrow, ensuring fencing continues to thrive in the United States for decades to come.
Ready to Make A Gift?
We encourage you to consult with your legal, tax, or financial advisor to determine a legacy gift plan that best fits your situation and giving priorities. The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be considered tax, legal, or accounting advice.
Once your plans are in place, we invite you to complete and return the Legacy Gift Intention Form. You may share as much detail as you are comfortable with, and you may update your gift intention at any time.
Notify Us of Your Bequest
If you have already included the U.S. Fencing Foundation in your plans, we would love to thank and recognize you. Please take a moment to let us know about your bequest
A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows individuals aged 70½ or older to make a tax-free gift directly from their IRA to a qualified nonprofit, like the U.S. Fencing Foundation. This option can count toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) and may reduce your taxable income, all while supporting the future of fencing.
Making a gift through your qualified charitable distribution. (Watch a video about how this works.)
Please talk with your tax adviser or other financial professionals to determine whether a QCD could benefit you.
Key features of a qualified charitable distribution:
- You must be at least 70 ½ years old.
- You may transfer up to $108,000* per year directly from your traditional or Roth IRA to US Fencing Foundation or other qualified charitable organizations.
- Married couples can gift up to $108,000* per person, per year, from their IRA if each meets the requirements above. Other gift limitations apply; please contact us for details.
- You may not receive any goods or services in return for your gift.
- You may use your QCD to fund a life income gift, such as a charitable gift annuity.
- New legislation effective in 2023 makes it possible to use qualified charitable distributions to fund life-income gifts like charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts.
- For gifts made in 2025. Maximum gift limits are scheduled to increase in coming years.
A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a simple, flexible, and tax-efficient way to support the USA Fencing. With a DAF, you can make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to the Foundation over time.
If you already have a DAF through Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, or another provider, you can easily recommend a gift to USA Fencing.
Your support through a DAF helps ensure athletes have the resources they need today while building a strong future for fencing in the United States.
USA Fencing’s High-Performance athletes are among the best in the world: Olympians Paralympians, World Champions, and rising stars whose precision, speed, and discipline allow them to pursue excellence on the sport’s biggest stages.
Your gift supports:
- Coaching and training programs to sharpen skills and elevate performance
- Travel funding so athletes can qualify and compete against the world’s best
- Sports science, recovery, and mental wellness resources to keep them strong, resilient, and performing at their peak.
- Adaptive equipment such as specialized fencing chairs for our Parafencing athletes
Your generosity can be as targeted as your touch. Considering a gift of $25,000 or more to foil, epee, saber, or parafencing? Contact Meghan DeFord (m.deford@usafencing.org) to create a gift that matches your goals.
Annual out-of-pocket costs for National Team athletes often exceed $50,000. The En Garde Alliance allows donors to directly partner with an athlete, ensuring they have the resources to train, travel, and compete at the highest level.
Giving Opportunities
- Four-Year Named Fund – $250,000
- One-Season Named Fund – $50,000
- Multi-Year Pledge – $50,000 over four years
Donor Recognition
- Personalized updates and notes from your athlete
- Recognition at USA Fencing competitions or Foundation events
- Opportunities for virtual meetups and deeper connection
Join the En Garde Alliance and directly support their journey to the podium. Contact Meghan DeFord (m.deford@usafencing.org) to create a gift that matches your goals and to be matched with an athlete.
For those who want to create a permanent legacy in the sport, naming opportunities link your name -or honor a loved one - with the programs and leaders shaping fencing’s future.
Opportunities Include:
- Name and Endow the CEO Position – $2M
- Name and Endow National Coach Positions – $1M each
- Name and Endow Outreach Programs – $3M
Each naming opportunity includes recognition across USA Fencing platforms, communications, and a formal unveiling at a national event or gala. Contact Meghan DeFord (m.deford@usafencing.org) to create a gift that matches your goals.
Bringing fencing to more NCAA campuses means more scholarships, more visibility, and more student-athletes gaining the chance to pursue their education through sport.
Giving Opportunities:
Launch a New NCAA Varsity Program – $150,000
Funding supports the recruitment of coaches, upgrades to facilities, competition travel, and scholarship opportunities for student-athletes.
Your gift expands the number of schools sponsoring fencing, creating new pipelines for national and international competition, and elevating the sport’s profile within collegiate athletics. By investing in collegiate programs, you’re opening doors for student-athletes to train, compete, and lead, strengthening both fencing’s future and the opportunities it provides on campus and beyond.
Contact Meghan DeFord (m.deford@usafencing.org) to create a gift that matches your goals.
The HBCU Fencing Incubator is a historic initiative to establish the first-ever NCAA varsity fencing programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by 2028. This groundbreaking effort will expand opportunity, strengthen diversity, and support collegiate fencing in the United States.
Your gift to the HBCU Fencing Incubator creates more opportunities in NCAA fencing by increasing the number of competitive programs, opening doors for student-athletes who have historically been underrepresented in the sport, and building sustainable programs with national reach. Together, we can write a new chapter in collegiate fencing—one that reflects the strength, diversity, and excellence of our entire community.
Giving Opportunities:
Launch the first HBCU Fencing Program – $150,000
Funding supports the recruitment of coaches, upgrades to facilities, competition travel, and scholarship opportunities for student-athletes.
Contact Meghan DeFord (m.deford@usafencing.org) to create a gift that matches your goals.
Fencing has the power to transform lives, but like so many sports, access to fencing is limited by financial, cultural, or geographic barriers. Fencing the Gap is USA Fencing’s initiative to change that. Together, we can ensure that every athlete, especially those from underrepresented communities and those facing financial hardship, has a clear path to participation and excellence.
Your gift fuels programs such as:
- GRACE Program: Provides competition fee waivers for families facing sudden financial hardship, ensuring athletes can continue to compete at nationally sanctioned events.
- Community Impact Fund: Mini-grants for clubs working with under-resourced communities to engage new youth athletes, support diverse coaches, and build access to the fencing pipeline.
- Diverse Coaches Grant: Supports the recruitment and training of coaches from underrepresented backgrounds, growing the sport by making leadership more reflective of its community.
- Support Fund Scholarships: Awards $1,000 scholarships to BIPOC athletes and clubs, helping cover the costs of equipment, coaching, and competition so they can enter and stay in the sport.
When you invest in Fencing the Gap, you’re not just supporting athletes—you’re creating equity, opportunity, and a stronger future for our sport.
Bridge Builder – $50,000+ Become a visionary leader in access and equity. Your gift provides 10–12 scholarships, supports 5–7 community access grants that reach hundreds of athletes, and powers national outreach programs with impact across the country.
Bridge Builders are honored as champions of equity in fencing. Supporters at this level receive recognition on the USA Fencing website and an annual report on impact of support.
Contact Meghan DeFord (m.deford@usafencing.org) to create a gift that matches your goals.
Your generosity empowers fencers, coaches, and community leaders while expanding fencing’s reach to new neighborhoods, schools, and training centers. Programs like GRACE, Community Impact Fund, Diverse Coaches Grants, and Support Fund Scholarships are transforming the sport, making fencing more inclusive.
This isn’t just about access. It’s about legacy. Together, we can ensure that fencing reflects the excellence of everyone with the passion to compete.
Click each drop-down to learn more.
Carla-Mae Richards Legacy Fund
At every North American Cup (NAC), you can see the legacy of Carla-Mae Richards at work. As USA Fencing’s first full-time executive director, Carla-Mae transformed our sport from a volunteer-driven operation into a professionally organized, internationally respected institution. She didn’t just shepherd the North American Cup concept, she invented it.
Her impact lives on in the people behind the scenes: the Bout Committee, Armory, referees, and national tournament staff who support thousands of athletes, coaches, and families every season. Carla-Mae believed that to elevate the sport, we had to elevate the experience for everyone. Consistency, integrity, and care on the strip drive excellence in fencing. The Carla-Mae Richards Legacy Fund ensures that the people who make fencing possible have the resources, training, and care they need to deliver world-class events.
What the Fund Supports
- Education & Development: Training, certification, and mentorship for referees, Bout Committee members, and tournament staff — including online courses, exams, and a certification pathway.
- Wellbeing & Event Care: Creating a thoughtful, supportive environment for tournament officials with rest areas, quality meals, and recognition that reflects their professionalism.
- Sustained Excellence: Investments in the systems and standards that keep USA Fencing events running smoothly — now and into the future.
Ways to Support
- All contributions directly fund referee development and event support programming.
- Leadership gifts of $50,000+ may be recognized through special naming opportunities or annual honors.
- To explore giving options, contact Meghan DeFord at m.deford@usafencing.org
By making a planned gift to the U.S. Fencing Foundation, you can ensure that future generations of athletes have the chance to dream, train, and compete. Some of the greatest legacies in sport are written not in medals and records, but in the generosity by those who believe in something bigger than themselves.
Planned giving allows you to make a lasting impact while also meeting your personal financial and estate-planning goals. Ways to give include:
- Bequests: Include the Foundation in your will or trust.
- Retirement Assets: Name the Foundation as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement plan.
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): If you’re 70½ or older, you can make a tax-free gift directly from your IRA, which may also count toward your required minimum distribution.
- Life Insurance: Designate the Foundation as a beneficiary of a policy.
Donors who make these commitments are recognized in the American Fencing Legacy Society, a community of visionaries who are ensuring fencing’s future for decades to come.
Every legacy gift helps create opportunities for athletes at every stage of their journey.
We encourage you to consult with your legal, tax, or financial advisor to determine the planned gift option that best fits your goals. Once your plans are in place, we invite you to share them with us by completing the Legacy Gift Intention Form. You may share as much detail as you are comfortable with, and your plans can be updated at any time.
By letting us know, we can thank you today for the legacy you are building for tomorrow.
U.S. Fencing Foundation Fête
The annual Fête brings together athletes, alumni, coaches, and supporters from across the fencing community for an unforgettable evening of celebration and impact. This signature event raises critical funds to support USA Fencing programs while honoring the people who make our sport extraordinary.
You can be part of the Fête by supporting through sponsorship, donating auction items, or joining the Organizing Committee to help bring the night to life!