Purpose of the Youth Grant

The purpose of the Youth Grant shall be to assist Junior and Youth sailors in attending Championship Hobie Cat events, including, but not limited to:

• Youth events sanctioned by the Hobie Class Association of North America
• Youth events sanctioned and organized by the International Hobie Class Association and held in conjunction with other IHCA Worlds events

These Youth Grants shall be issued without financial obligation on the part of the receiving teams, however, the Youth Grants shall be subject to the terms and conditions as set forth in these guidelines.

Grant Request Guidelines

The following parameters are those that have been set forth by the HCA Executive Council as the minimum criteria to be met by youth teams wishing to apply for a financial grant for attending eligible events.

• Both skippers and crews must be HCA members.
• Skippers must sail in at least three (3) HCA-sanctioned events during the qualifying season prior to petitioning for a grant. Exceptions may be made at the HCA Council’s discretion when seasonal considerations justify such action. They may sail as a skipper or crew in those events.

Teams must submit the following documents to apply for an HCA Youth Grant:

1. An essay explaining why they should receive the Grant.
2. A resume of sailing training and experience.
3. Planned expenses for the event in question.
4. A list of HCA sanctioned regattas attended in the current year and finish positions.
5. A personal reference (parent or coach, for example) must be named to provide assistance in administration, disbursement and management of the Youth Grant.

At the conclusion of the event the following must be submitted:

• A detailed expense report outlining expenditures and disbursement of the Youth Grant monies, signed by the reference individual.
• An article about their experience in the event in question, to subsequently be submitted to the HOTLINE through the HCA Youth Chairperson.

Selection Process

All Youth Grant requests shall be submitted to the current HCA Youth Chairperson 60 days prior to the event. No requests subsequent to that date will be considered for that year. 

Youth Grant requests shall be reviewed by the HCA Council and awards to qualified teams shall be announced a minimum of 30 days prior to the event. To be considered for a Youth Grant, all information requested must be provided by the due date, without exception. 

Youth Grants shall be awarded based on several factors, including but not limited to: funds available, number of requests received, needs of the individual teams, and requirements of established youth programs serving a number of Youth teams. 

Questions should be directed by e-mail to the current HCA Youth Chairperson: Chris Bradsaw hobieyouth@gmail.com

The requirements above not withstanding, any HCA Youth members that race in the 16 Youth Championships or other major Hobie event, (North American Championship, any size class) can receive Grant money to help with expenses. Simply write a letter/email to Chris Bradshaw with: the event name, your HCA member number, and an amount you would hope to receive. A receipt for gas, campground, or hotel, would be super but is not necessary. Deadline is two months prior to the selected event. The amount awarded will depend upon the number of requests and funds available.