LAST UPDATED JULY 15, 2026
TNYA provides financial aid to those who wish to swim with us but are unable to afford the practice fees through the Paul Fortoul Fund, named in memory of our beloved late coach, swimmer and mentor Paul Fortoul (1958-2007).
The Fund provides financial assistance to team members without means to participate in our programs as well as support for New Yorkers to take part in our adult learn to swim classes. The Fund is supported by donations, 100% of which are tax deductible. To contribute to the Fund, you can donate to TNYA!
Application Process
For adult learn to swim (ALTS), we offer free 6-class courses to persons with demonstrated financial need. ALTS applicants need not be TNYA members or join TNYA after receiving aid.
To apply for non-ALTS financial aid from the Fund you must have completed a minimum of two free trial practices (Step 1 of the joining process), or be a paid member of the team. 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.
Support from the Fund 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 Fund 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.