The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced that it has awarded $1,850 Tennis Venue Services grant to Forest Hills Tennis Center and Walterboro Tennis Association.
The grant is used for windscreens for the courts.
The USTA’s Tennis Venue Services grant program is designed to enhance existing tennis venues and construct new ones in order to provide increased playing opportunities in communities across the country. The significant funding was made possible by the expansion of the grant program in 2025 in order to meet the increasing demand for tennis courts as tennis
participation continues to rise nationwide.
The Walterboro Tennis Association re-launched in 2025 and immediately began taking advantage of the many programs available through USTA. This is the first tennis venue project they have applied for, with plans to secure more funding for other courts in Colleton County, according to WTA President, Michelle Strickland. Thanks to coordination of City of Walterboro Parks Director Jonathan Burroughs, the branded windscreens were purchased and installed just in time for the Colleton County Rice Festival Tennis Tournament.
“We want to make tennis accessible for everyone who wants to play,” Strickland said. “This is just the first step in our effort to grow the tennis community in Walterboro and Colleton County."
Since 2005, the USTA’s TVS grant program has awarded more than $34 million in TVS grants, including more than $16 million in 2025, which supported nearly 300 projects impacting more than 2,500 courts.
“We are committed to supporting the enhancement and construction of tennis facilities in communities across the country,” said Theodore Loehrke, Managing Director, Section Partnerships, USTA. “Investing in the development of tennis facilities nationwide helps support the USTA’s mission of growing tennis to inspire healthier people and communities
everywhere.”
In order to ensure communities have access to safe, appealing and functional tennis environments, grant recipients also receive start-to-finish project management assistance from the USTA’s Tennis Venue Services team which provides industry-leading experience in tennis court and facility design, as well as technical assistance, including construction document review and business development insight to ensure the facilities can deliver tennis at a highlevel.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended
annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 120 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA
Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
