Maternity Grant Program
Supporting elite athletes as they navigate pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and the journey back to competition.
— MATERNITY GRANT —
HOW THE MATERNITY GRANT SUPPORTS ATHLETE MOTHERS
Motherhood should not force an athlete to choose between family and career. This program provides critical financial support so elite competitors can continue pursuing excellence.
Pregnancy & Postpartum Support
Financial assistance helps cover medical care, physical therapy, pelvic floor rehabilitation, and essential recovery services during and after pregnancy.
Training & Return to Competition
Funding supports coaching, childcare, travel, and training resources so athlete mothers can safely transition back to elite-level performance.
Protecting Athletic Careers
The Maternity Grant ensures that motherhood does not interrupt long-term competitive goals, preserving opportunities for national and international success.
— ATHLETE VOICES —
GRATITUDE FROM OUR ATHLETES
The USATF Foundation Maternity Grant has been game-changing in my first year as a mother-athlete. I’m immensely grateful for supporting mothers like me, whose babies make our continued pursuit of athletic goals a bit more challenging but immeasurably richer, too.
Becky (Wade) Firth
Marathon — Team USA
The maternity comeback is going well — I’ve raced 5 times and have been at close to full training load for 8 weeks. The grant helps offset childcare costs, which is the biggest change maker. Without it, I simply wouldn’t be able to train.
Molly Huddle
10,000m — Team USA
This Foundation literally pours into us athletes. For them to see a need in new mothers who are elite athletes and address it with this grant is amazing and appreciated beyond words.
Christina Clemons
100m Hurdles — Team USA
The return to training has gone better than expected and my fitness has returned quicker than I anticipated. This grant allowed me to get extra physical therapy during my return to running journey and even allowed my husband and son to travel with me to races so I don’t have to leave him for extended periods.
Marisa Howard
Steeplechase — Team USA
Receiving the maternity grant this year has been so helpful for our family. We found out our professional club was dissolving in 2026 and I was left as a pregnant professional athlete with no support for my running career. This grant has helped me come back into training postpartum, covering pelvic floor physical therapy which is costly but necessary after childbirth.
Tristin V. Colley
10,000m — Team USA
— TAKE ACTION —
READY TO APPLY?
The Maternity Grant supports elite athlete mothers through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and their return to competition.