Coaches

Thank you to the dedicated coaches at our partner schools! We know coaching is a labor of love and we are so thankful for you!

Grants are designed to create and elevate speech and debate teams in our region’s middle and high schools. Through sponsorship grants, teams can supplement existing fundraising efforts to participate in more competitions. Grant funding is available to schools in Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and the City of Richmond.

Grant funding is generally awarded for the following:

• Supplies and materials
• Membership fees to speech and debate leagues/associations
• Entry fees for competitions
• Travel and meals
• Other items with pre-approval

Applications for grant funding are accepted on a rolling basis based on the availability of funding. Apply for a grant today.

To be considered for a grant award, the following items are required:

• Submit a grant application.
• Provide a student roster and update as students add/drop.
• Completed media release for all participating students and coach(es) to be emailed or shared with sandra(at)richmondforum.org

To maintain eligibility to receive grant funding, teams are required to submit an end-of-year report, due in May.

The Initiative is interested in how teams grow and perform throughout the years.

Coaches are required to submit an end-of-year report accounting for the sponsorship dollars, and reporting on overall team statistics, including team size, participation, and performance at local and national competitions.

In addition, teams may be asked to participate in pre and post assessments to track student outcomes.

We were pleased to have awarded the following schools grants since the beginning of the Initiative:

With help from our partners, we work to remove any financial obstacles that might prevent coaches from being able to take advantage of these and other resources.

Support can take many different forms, including sponsoring coaches to attend conferences and sponsoring and/or hosting conferences and workshops.

We have proudly partnered with the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) and the Virginia Association of Forensics, Theater, and Debate Coaches (VAFTDC) to support professional development and networking opportunities.