SMART makes $7 million allocation, additional $1 million to Pell Grant Match
February 14, 2024
ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress Scholarship Management and Account Reporting for Tenpins (SMART) program is making an investment earnings allocation of $7 million to provide additional scholarships for youth bowlers in 2024.
The $7 million allocation is consistent with funding provided in 2022 and 2023. This allocation matches the largest investment earnings allocation in SMART history.
In addition to the earnings allocation, SMART is allocating an additional $1 million to the SMART Pell Grant Match program.
Due to policies adopted in 2021, a portion of the allocation will immediately go to new scholarships for youth bowlers. SMART is progressively paying more benefits for students every year. In 2023, SMART processed the largest total disbursements in program history, reaching $11.4 million.
Included in this allocation (approximate numbers):
The federal Pell Grant is a national program that helps students and families with the greatest financial need pay for college. The SMART Pell Grant Match maximizes the power of this federal program for bowlers by matching it dollar for dollar. The SMART Pell Grant Match will be available to any student with at least one season of USBC Youth participation and two seasons of overall USBC membership.
Students can request the SMART Pell Grant Match by visiting BOWL.com/SMART.
“We are seeing interest in the SMART Pell Grant Match program grow and clearly meeting a need within our bowling community,” said Frank Wilkinson, chair of the USBC SMART Committee. “We want the awareness to continue to spread and encourage more kids to learn about SMART and take advantage of the resources available to them.”
In 2021, the USBC Board of Directors approved a series of policy changes for SMART, designed to increase scholarship benefits for SMART Recipients. The new policy allocates a portion of investment gains to be awarded as new scholarships in SMART Recipient accounts.
The $7 million allocation is consistent with funding provided in 2022 and 2023. This allocation matches the largest investment earnings allocation in SMART history.
In addition to the earnings allocation, SMART is allocating an additional $1 million to the SMART Pell Grant Match program.
Due to policies adopted in 2021, a portion of the allocation will immediately go to new scholarships for youth bowlers. SMART is progressively paying more benefits for students every year. In 2023, SMART processed the largest total disbursements in program history, reaching $11.4 million.
Included in this allocation (approximate numbers):
- $2.55 million in bonus scholarships to the 6,344 active SMART Recipients. These are students who used SMART funds in 2023. Each student will immediately receive a new $400 SMART scholarship.
- $1.9 million in new SMART deposited unassigned funds for Providers to allocate toward future scholarships. This is in addition to the new $3.2 million SMART deposited unassigned funds Providers received for allocation in December from expired Recipient accounts.
- $2.55 million is set aside for the SMART Pell Grant Match program for the 2024-2025 academic year.
The federal Pell Grant is a national program that helps students and families with the greatest financial need pay for college. The SMART Pell Grant Match maximizes the power of this federal program for bowlers by matching it dollar for dollar. The SMART Pell Grant Match will be available to any student with at least one season of USBC Youth participation and two seasons of overall USBC membership.
Students can request the SMART Pell Grant Match by visiting BOWL.com/SMART.
“We are seeing interest in the SMART Pell Grant Match program grow and clearly meeting a need within our bowling community,” said Frank Wilkinson, chair of the USBC SMART Committee. “We want the awareness to continue to spread and encourage more kids to learn about SMART and take advantage of the resources available to them.”
In 2021, the USBC Board of Directors approved a series of policy changes for SMART, designed to increase scholarship benefits for SMART Recipients. The new policy allocates a portion of investment gains to be awarded as new scholarships in SMART Recipient accounts.