Update on 2025-26 Women and Girls Programming Grant Applications

US Chess is pleased to announce that a record-breaking number of affiliates, clubs, and organizations applied for the 2025-26 Women and Girls cycle of programming grants. These grants are supported by our partnership with the Saint Louis Chess Club, which began in 2019. 

For the 2024-25 cycle, US Chess announced 17 grant awards (up from seven the year before) under the US Chess Women’s program. This was out of 38 applicants (up from 12 in 2023-24). Recipients used this funding for developing mentorship programs, educational series, and special events geared towards promoting women and girls' chess (read more about last year’s winners here).

With 68 applicants for this cycle, we anticipate distributing the funding among an even larger number of recipients this year. Because of this, the process of reviewing applications has taken longer than expected. We thank all applicants for centering women and girls in their programming, and for their patience as we finalize the award distributions. Your dedication to supporting women and girls’ chess has greatly contributed to the growth of our program!