Athlete Funding Program

For decades, the Sailing Foundation of New York has helped talented American sailors get where they needed to go … and that work remains at the heart of what we do.

For youth, developing and Olympic-class athletes, earning a place at a major championship or international training camp is only the beginning; the cost of getting there can be a significant barrier.

SFNY provides direct financial support for the essentials that make competition possible. From travel, lodging and entry fees to boat charters, coaching, sails and foils, the SFNY athlete funding program helps cover the critical costs that allow sailors to train, compete and progress.

Whether it is a young team heading to its first World Championship or an Olympic-class athlete competing against the world’s best, this support help ensure that opportunity is determined by talent, commitment and potential – not an athlete’s ability to pay.

Turning Opportunity Into Access

International sailing is expensive. A single championship can require airfare, housing, entry fees, boat or equipment charters, ground transportation, coaching and weeks away from home. For younger sailors in particular, those costs can rise quickly as they progress from local and national competition to events overseas.

SFNY helps close that gap. Our athlete funding program provides practical, targeted support so sailors can train with stronger competition, race at important international events and continue progressing through the sport. In 2026 alone, SFNY funding has helped athletes compete at Youth and Junior World and European Championships, Olympic-class regattas, World Championships and specialized training camps across the United States, Europe, Mexico and Australia.

The support varies according to the athlete and the opportunity. It can mean helping a 29er team cover a $2,000-plus boat charter for a European championship, assisting a youth sailor with travel and housing for a World Championship, providing coaching support to a 49er team at Worlds, or helping an Olympic-class athlete get to the international regattas that are essential to becoming more competitive. These are not “extras.” They are the real costs of pursuing excellence in an international sport.

Athlete Support in Action

SFNY funding reaches sailors at different stages of the competitive pathway.

• Youth sailors taking their first international steps. SFNY has helped American youth teams compete at events including the 29er Youth Worlds and Europeans, Nacra 15 Youth Worlds, ILCA Youth and Junior Championships and iQFOiL Youth Worlds. Support has helped cover expenses such as boat charters, travel and housing…costs that can otherwise put international competition out of reach.
• Developing athletes gaining critical experience. SFNY supports sailors traveling to international training camps and championships where they can train alongside and race against stronger fleets. Recent support has included squad training programs in Portugal and Mexico, foiling events at Lake Garda, and World and European Championships across multiple classes.
• Olympic-class athletes competing internationally. SFNY continues to support athletes outside of America One Racing who are building competitive campaigns of their own. For the 2026 Olympic Classes Regatta alone, SFNY committed approximately $140,000 in grants to non-A1R athletes across multiple Olympic disciplines.

From charter fees and airfare to housing, entry fees, coaching, sails and foils, SFNY funding is designed to solve the practical problems that can stand between an athlete and an important competitive opportunity.

Why Your Support Matters

Talent can open the door. Getting through it often requires financial support. For American sailors pursuing international competition, progress depends on being able to show up: at the training camp that accelerates development, the European regatta that provides stronger competition, or the World Championship that tests an athlete against the very best. Those opportunities are essential, but they come with substantial costs.

That is where SFNY donors make a direct difference. Contributions to the Foundation help athletes meet those costs and keep moving forward, whether they are young sailors beginning an international campaign or experienced competitors pursuing the highest levels of the sport.

Your support helps put American sailors on the starting line.