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The Hellman Foundation has awarded a $2.5 million grant to the USA Cycling Foundation to fund its women’s programs.
This grant will increase resources to USA Cycling’s high performance women’s programs and operations across the Olympic cycling disciplines of road, mountain bike, track, BMX racing, and BMX freestyle, as well as the Paralympic cycling disciplines of road and track.
“The Hellman family has been a longtime supporter of USA Cycling, and they have been especially supportive of our women’s track endurance program,” said USA Cycling CEO Brendan Quirk. “Today’s announcement marks their incredibly ambitious and generous approach to women’s cycling and women’s sport in general.
“This gives USA Cycling a huge boost in momentum as we finalize our plan to earn 10 medals at the LA28 Olympics, and we’re eager to kick off the Women’s Cycling Fund matching campaign to ensure strength and stability for our women’s program for decades to come.”
The grant will have two components. $1 million is specifically earmarked to support women’s programming in 2025-2028 that is focused on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The additional $1.5 million will go toward creating a long-term Women’s Cycling Fund that will support USA Cycling women’s programs from 2029 to 2043.
However, the grant for the Women’s Cycling Fund will require a 1:1 match, which would ultimately result in a $3 million fund to support women’s high performance programs.
The Hellman family has been a major supporter of the USA Cycling Foundation since 2000. Over the years, their support has fueled successes in women’s cycling, culminating in a record-breaking summer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where American women claimed a historic six medals for USA Cycling, including three gold medals.
“The Hellman Foundation is thrilled to support the USA Cycling Foundation’s women’s programs to help develop the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” said Mick Hellman of the Hellman Foundation. “We hope the Women’s Cycling Fund will inspire and empower elite women cyclists to build on the amazing progress they have achieved in recent years.”
The Hellman Foundation was established in 2011 and is committed to building equity and opportunity in the San Francisco Bay Area by investing in community-led initiatives through cross-sector collaboration. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $310 million in grants.
