DEM Offering $75K in Grants to Communities and Organizations to Provide Free Swimming and Paddlecraft Lessons to Low-Income Youth

Published on Friday, November 08, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – Responding to the accidental drownings that impact families every year in the Ocean State, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is again offering grants to communities and organizations that provide swimming or paddlecraft safety lessons to children and teens to support additional participation in their programs. Formal swimming and paddlecraft lessons are a preventative measure that can reduce the risk of drowning. In addition to swimming and paddlecraft lessons, children should always be supervised by an adult near bodies of water including beaches and pools. 

Proposed in Governor Dan McKee’s (FY) 2025 budget and approved by the General Assembly, the $75,000 Water Safety Grant Program, will be awarded to eligible applicants for lessons next summer. DEM is seeking proposals from qualified entities to provide scholarships for students under the age of 18 who come from low-income households and who are learning to swim or paddle. Applicants must be either a municipality, non-profit organization, or company which already provides swim or paddlecraft lessons to students under the age of 18 or an organization that provides funding for free lessons. The grant funds must be used to provide scholarships for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and the awarded entity must have a method for determining students’ eligibility. Eligible students should have 100% of lesson costs covered by this grant funding. DEM will accept applications for grants from $5,000 to $75,000 to qualified applicants based on demonstrated need, to be issued no later than June 30, 2025. Applications will be open starting Monday, Nov. 18 until 4 PM on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. For full information on eligibility criteria, details about the program, and to apply, please visit dem.ri.gov/swimgrants.

“The Ocean State is known for its outstanding beaches and over 400 miles of coastline, highlighting the importance that all Rhode Islanders have equitable access to swimming lessons, which is why I supported this funding in the FY2025 budget,” said Governor Dan McKee. “I encourage communities and organizations to apply for this funding to help our state’s youth learn the skills needed to stay safe in the water.”

“Rhode Island has amazing beaches and freshwater resources that draw people to the water,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “DEM wants to support people who want to cool off, explore, and enjoy the water by guiding them to have fun and be safe. This includes working to decrease the risk of drowning by offering these grants. Our focused goal with the Water Safety Grant Programs is to save lives. We want swimming to be accessible to more Rhode Islanders, and that starts with safety training.”

DEM issued over $70,000 in Water Safety Grants to 10 organizations during FY2024. Grantees have already provided almost 600 students with free lessons and will continue to award lessons through the end of 2024. In FY2025, DEM is encouraging paddlecraft safety organizations to apply for the grant in attempt to increase safety knowledge throughout the state. The remaining $10,000 in the FY2025 line item will be used to purchase lifesaving equipment, such as life rings, for Rhode Island’s network of state parks and beaches.

Among other evaluation criteria, applications will be assessed for their location within one of DEM’s environmental justice (EJ) communities as part of DEM’s commitment to EJ, so that all Rhode Island residents, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, or national origin, have access to natural resource opportunities in their communities. 

Drowning deaths are on the rise in the United States, following decades of decline, according to a recent US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs report. Over 4,500 people died due to drowning each year from 2020 - 2022, 500 more per year compared to 2019. The report found over half of adults in the United States have never taken a formal swimming lesson. The report also shows disparities when broken down by race and ethnicity, with two out of three black adults and three out of four Hispanic adults reporting never having taken a swimming lesson. Making swimming lessons more accessible can save lives.

Paddling fatalities continue to increase nationally according to United States Coast Guard (USCG) statistics, rising by five percent in 2023, accounting for nearly one-third of the total boating fatalities recorded last year. Wearing a life jacket while paddling in Rhode Island is no longer optional; it is required, according to boating safety regulations announced by DEM last year. 

For questions or technical assistance for applying to the Water Safety Grant Program, please contact Troy Langknecht at troy.langknecht@dem.ri.gov or (401) 537-4150.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter/X (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates. Sign up here to receive the latest press releases, news, and events from DEM's Public Affairs Office to your inbox.