USA Fencing Announces Five Fencing the Gap Grant Recipients for 2026

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Fencing has selected the five clubs that will receive 2026 Fencing the Gap Club Grants, each earning $5,000 to expand access to fencing in their communities.

This year's recipients are:

• Blade Runner Fencing Club, Staten Island, N.Y.
• Academic Magnet High School Fencing Club, North Charleston, S.C.
• Fencers Club Inc, New York, N.Y.
• Four Corners Fencing Club, Durango, Colo.
• Boston Fencing Club, Boston, Mass.

More than 60 clubs applied for this year's grant cycle, the first since Fencing the Gap shifted from individual grants to club-level awards in a move designed to broaden the impact of every dollar invested. Applications were scored on a 100-point scale across four categories: equity alignment, program impact, community rootedness and accountability readiness. A geographic diversity check also ensured funding did not concentrate in just one or two regions.

Each of the five winning clubs is expected to reach at least 30 to 50 youth through programming that addresses barriers to participation, whether those barriers are financial, geographic, cultural or physical. The $5,000 grants can be used for equipment, coaching stipends, facility rental, youth scholarships, transportation, outreach events and adaptive equipment.

Fencing the Gap is made possible thanks to the U.S. Fencing Foundation and generous donors who support its mission. To support these efforts, please consider making a gift here.

Congratulations to this year's Fencing the Gap grant recipients, and thank you to every club that applied.

Fencing the Gap applications for the 2027/28 Season will open in the Spring of 2027.