Open nowRolling / open intakeAward: Varies
IM Program
water safety educationlearn-to-swim instructionmental wellness+3 more
Who can apply: Applicants must confirm they meet the eligibility criteria; details were not provided on the page.
About Michael Phelps Foundation
The Michael Phelps Foundation provides water safety education integrated with mental and physical wellness programs to give children and families the skills and confidence to stay safe in the water and thrive in life.
Focus Areas
water safety educationswim lessons / learn-to-swimyouth mental health / emotional wellnessphysical health / healthy livingyouth developmentcoach training and capacity building
Who They Fund
Boys & Girls Clubs youth (general youth participants)Special Olympics athletes / people with intellectual disabilitiescompetitive swimmers with financial needaquatics professionals (scholarship recipients)summer camp attendees
About Michael Phelps Foundation
The Michael Phelps Foundation’s largest recent grants show a clear operating model: it channels major support into the IM Program through national intermediaries and partner organizations. In 2025, Boys & Girls Clubs of America received a $510,000 grant for IM Program implementation, following a $400,000 grant in 2024 and a $200,000 grant in 2023 for the same purpose. That pattern points to sustained support for a program that combines water safety education, swim instruction, mental and physical wellness, and youth development. The foundation also backs Special Olympics through the IM Program, including a $130,323 gift in 2024 to support local teams. Across the recent grant list, the same program structure appears in club networks, summer camps, and community organizations, often with training and materials attached. Other funding reaches athlete support and aquatics professional development, but the recurring center of gravity is the IM Program and its delivery through established partners. The grants suggest a foundation that works through program partnerships rather than one-off event sponsorships, with a consistent emphasis on children, youth, and inclusive aquatic access.
What Michael Phelps Foundation Funds
Water safety and swim instruction sit at the core of the foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $510,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2025 and described the award as support for IM Program implementation across clubs nationwide. A similar grant of $130,323 to Special Olympics in 2024 supported the IM Program with local Special Olympics teams. The foundation also funds inclusive programming for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Its IM Program partnership with Special Olympics includes coach training, and the grant list shows support going to Special Olympics Arizona and Special Olympics as program partners. Youth wellness is another repeated theme. The foundation awarded $5,000 to The Nemours Foundation for the Raising Resilient Kids series, and $15,000 to Mental Health Association in Forsyth for mental health programming. For summer settings, Girl Scouts of Maine received $16,000 in 2025 for the IM Program at summer camps.
How Michael Phelps Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster at modest-to-mid levels: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $20,000. The recent list also includes several larger program grants, with a few six-figure awards tied to national IM Program delivery. The pattern is repeat funding rather than isolated gifts: Boys & Girls Clubs of America appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Special Olympics appears multiple times as well. The foundation is a regular funder and not a donor-advised fund, with program-specific grants, pass-through disbursement, and direct service support all visible in the record. Unsolicited applications are accepted for several IM Program pathways.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$540K
Total Assets
$1.4M
Total Revenue
$1.3M
Total Expenses
$1.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
Geographic Reach
National9 states funded
About 19% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MICHAEL F PHELPS II
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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