USRowing wins the USOPC DE&I Choice Award

For the fourth time since the inception of the award in 2015, USRowing has been selected as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee's recipient of the NGB Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Choice Award for the United We Row grants program.

Voted on by the USOPC member national governing bodies (NGB) and high-performance management organizations (HPMO), the DEI Choice award recognizes a single diversity, equity, and inclusion best practice or a series of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices each year. A USOPC internal selection committee narrows down the submissions, with the winner being selected by the NGBs and HPMOs.

USRowing's United We Row initiative earned this year's honor among NGB representatives in the $10 million-plus annual revenue category. The program received a $5,000 grant and Amanda Kraus accepted the award in Colorado Springs, Colorado on November 14. 

"It's an honor to be recognized by the USOPC and our fellow NGBs for the work we are doing with United We Row," said Amanda Kraus, CEO of USRowing. "This recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our entire team and community, and it inspires us to continue pushing to make rowing more diverse and accessible to everyone.”

The United We Row initiative focuses on supporting rowing programs, coaches, athletes, and anyone interested in advancing the sport of rowing to diversify and grow their programs. Athletes and coaches scholarships are handed out throughout the year to help offset the costs of camps, education and expenses. Nine grants totaling $70,000 were handed out this past year to clubs working to make rowing more accessible to their communities. One grantee, Atlanta Rowing Club received a grant for their work with adaptive and Para rowing. Recovery on Water is a team for breast cancer survivors and their grant is used to help reach a diverse population of survivors in Chicago. To see what four of this year's grantees have been achieving, click here. 

USRowing previously won the DE & I Choice Award in 2015, 2016, and 2022. Ellen Minzner won the 2023 USOPC Para Coach of the Year. 

To support United We Row, consider donating today or on Giving Tuesday, December 3.