USA Football’s equipment grant program, which is offering $1 million in resources to benefit young athletes, is still open until this Monday, March 9 at 5 p.m. ET. All youth, middle school and high school football programs that are 501(c)(3) compliant are encouraged to apply online at usafootball.com/grants now through Monday’s deadline. Grants awarded are based on need, merit and a program’s commitment to coaching education and implementing best practices.

The grants are valued at up to $1,000 and provide the opportunities for both youth and scholastic teams to upgrade equipment. Here are some testimonials from previous grant recipients:

“Not only has the USA Football grant funding allowed us to revitalize our Lancaster City youth football program, but it has also played a huge role in ensuring our kids are equipped with safety as the main priority. The grant helps us build a program every year that always results in a stronger sense of pride and community.” Audra Landers, Director of Athletics and Recreation, Lancaster Recreation Commission

"The USA Football Grant helped to elevate our football program immensely! We were granted tackling tubes, step over dummies, and knee pads from Riddell. The equipment allowed us to teach form tackling without physical contact, the step over dummies helped us to improve our overall team agility and the knee pads provided additional safety for our football players. We are forever grateful to USA Football and Riddell for awarding us this grant!" Darren Myles, Athletic Director & Head Football Coach, Carver Early College High School (Ga.)

“The grant provided my team with a well-needed boost in getting a new organization running. Communication with the company (Gilman Gear) was excellent, and they helped me get the most out of the grant. Today, my organization is better prepared to train and conduct our daily operations because of the blessings provided to us. We are forever grateful.” Coach Al Hawkins, Cibola District (N.M.)

“I have won several equipment grants over the past few years. This past year I won my first grant at my new school, York Comprehensive High School. We used our grant with Gilman Gear and purchased QB step-over bags. These bags helped our team tremendously, and the USA Football grants have been instrumental in helping our football program. It’s so important that I apply every year.” Dr. Dean Boyd, Head Football Coach, York Comprehensive High School (S.C.)

The following resources are provided by official USA Football partners:

• Tackle football equipment from Riddell
• Field and practice equipment from MVP Robotics and Gilman Gear
• Portable field lines from Port-a-Field
• Background checks from Peopletrail
• Wearable technology from Catapult

Since 2006, USA Football’s grant program has awarded more than $15 million in grants to both school-based and youth football programs. In that time, the equipment grants, which are made possible through the NFL Foundation, have benefitted more than 500,000 youth and high school football players from more than 9,500 programs across all 50 states.