LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 21, 2026
TNYA provides two forms of financial aid to those who wish to swim with us but are unable to afford the practice fees.
First, for TNYA members who cannot afford to swim with us doing conventional practices, we offer support through the Paul Fortoul Fund, named in memory of our beloved late coach, swimmer and mentor Paul Fortoul (1958-2007).
Second, for any New Yorker learning to swim, we offer support in the form of a 95% discount on the usual price of registration through the ALTS Support Fund.
Both Funds are supported by donations, 100% of which are tax deductible. To contribute to the Funds, you can donate to TNYA!
Application Process
Both Fortoul and adult learn to swim programs use the same application process on the same timetable.
For adult learn to swim (ALTS), we offer close-to-free 8-class courses to persons with demonstrated financial need. ALTS applicants need not be TNYA members or join TNYA after receiving aid.
To apply for Fortoul financial aid you must have completed a minimum of two free trial practices (Step 1 of the joining process), or be a paid member of Team New York Aquatics. We ask all non-member, non-ALTS applicants swim with us at least twice to ensure they are willing and able to make use of the Fund’s support if awarded. Use of Fortoul financial aid is conditioned on becoming a member of TNYA if you receive an award.
Support from both Funds is awarded once a quarter, with applications opening for a 10-day window before each funding period on the following schedule:
- March 1-10, for support covering April 1 to June 30
- June 1-10, for support covering July 1 to September 31
- September 1-10, for support covering October 1 to December 31
- December 1-10, for support covering January 1 to March 31
Applicants may apply, and be funded, any number of times, and in any amount. Aid is designed to run for three months; we encourage repeat applications. While an application window is open, you may apply by completing the application form embedded below (and at the link). The form will not accept responses between application windows. To be sure you don’t miss an application window, you can sign up for our financial aid newsletter below. Applicants who apply during a window will be notified of funding decisions shortly before the start of the next support period.
Although TNYA aspires to fund all applications, financial limitations mean we can only fund practice fees, not membership fees, and may not be able to fund all applicants depending on available funds and demand.
Applications are evaluated using an objective points-based system in which the primary considerations are the applicant’s demonstrated financial need and maximizing the number of members the Team can support. Secondary considerations, invoked only when the primary criteria do not provide a sufficient basis to distinguish between candidates, include service to the Team and to the NYC LGBTQ+ community more generally.
Get alerts when financial aid applications are open!
If we are between cycles, you can sign up to a special listserv to get alerts and a link to the application form for subsequent cycles. Don’t worry, this list only connects to financial aid; to sign up for our general alerts, check out the Splash Card.