31 Aug USA Track & Field Foundation Awards Maternity Grants to Jalaysi’Ya Smith and Anna Camp-Bennett
Returning to elite sport after childbirth requires far more than determination. It requires time, support, and resources that allow athlete mothers to recover, rebuild, and continue pursuing excellence on the world stage. Through its Maternity Grant Program, the USATF Foundation is committed to helping elite track & field athletes navigate this critical transition while continuing to chase their competitive goals.
The USATF Foundation is pleased to announce Jalaysi’Ya Smith and Anna Camp-Bennett as the newest recipients of the Foundation’s Maternity Grant.
Smith is an elite 100-meter hurdler whose rise through the sport has included representing Team USA at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships and advancing to the semifinals of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. During the 2024 season, she ran a personal best of 12.75 seconds, finishing the year ranked No. 19 in the United States and No. 49 in the world in the 100-meter hurdles. Smith welcomed her first child in February 2026 and is currently rebuilding toward a return to elite competition with aspirations of representing Team USA at future World Championships and Olympic Games.
“Becoming a mother didn’t change my dream; it gave me an even greater reason to chase it,” said Smith. “This grant represents more than financial support; it represents the belief that motherhood and elite competition can coexist!”
Camp-Bennett is one of the nation’s top middle-distance runners, specializing in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters, and 5,000 meters. Throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, she competed professionally at both the national and international levels, earning a place among the top 50 in the world in the 1,500 meters according to World Athletics while consistently ranking among the top 20 Americans in her event. After recently welcoming her first child, Camp-Bennett plans to return to elite training and competition.
“I am incredibly grateful to the USATF Foundation for awarding me a Maternity Grant,” said Camp-Bennett. “These funds will help with childcare, recovery, and training costs. This support will help me better pursue both of my goals: becoming the best athlete I can be and the best mother I can be.”
She continued, “I love that the USATF Foundation is investing in female athletes and mothers in this way and helping to retain some of the best talent in the U.S. I can’t express how grateful I am for this grant. I just want to say the biggest THANK YOU I can!”
The USATF Foundation Maternity Grant was established to help eliminate some of the financial barriers that athlete mothers face while recovering from childbirth and returning to high-performance sport. Funding can be used for expenses such as childcare, coaching, training, travel, medical care, and other resources that allow athletes to remain competitive while balancing the demands of motherhood.
The USATF Foundation remains committed to investing in elite athletes throughout every stage of their careers, ensuring they have the opportunity to continue pursuing excellence both on and off the track.