Participation Fund

Thank you for your interest in the FRNY Participation Fund. The FRNY Board wants all members to be able to participate in running events, regardless of financial ability. Events that are eligible for the Participation Fund include the Front Runners New York Pride Run, Reach the Beach Relays, FRNY Out of Town Races, training expenses (including Armory track workouts, memberships and swim cards,) and all NYRR Club Points races. Certain other club-supported races may also be eligible for the participation fund; please email the Participation Fund Committee for more information.

Please review the Participation Fund Guidelines and fill out your contact information and answer the questions below. Your information and answers will be kept confidential. If you have any questions, you may email the Participation Fund Committee at participationfund@frny.org.

2024 Participation Fund Guidelines

FRNY wants all members to participate in club-supported activities regardless of financial ability. We are pleased to announce the club's guidelines for the awarding of funds. Funds are available to anyone who has been a member for at least 3 months and can provide a statement of purpose.

Members can apply for four categories of participation funds, with a total annual limit of $500 per member across all categories:

1. NYRR Club Points Races: For all NYRR Club Points races, the club will pay up to 50% of the registration fee, for a total of up to $250 per member in this category. The member can apply either for this entire category of races or for a particular race.

2. Relays: the club will pay up to 50% of the registration fee of any relay that counts for the relay bucket of the FRNY Participation Award, or up to $200 total for Reach the Beach or the Ragnar Relay. Max per year for this category is $200 per member. Due to the shared expense nature of Reach the Beach and Ragnar Relays, the receipt confirmation requirement is extended to 4 weeks following the race and can include proof of reimbursing another member if the direct costs were not paid by the applicant. The request for funds must still occur prior to the race.

3. Other Eligible Races: This category includes any race that does not fall into Categories 1 and 2 above, as long as it is a race that is eligible for the FRNY Participation Award (for example, a marathon, multisport event, the FRNY Track Meet, or a local running club's race). The club will pay up to 50% of the early-bird entry fee (or equivalent), and may, at the Committee's discretion, include a portion of expenses in addition to registration fees. For out of town races and/or events, this can include other costs such as hotels, travel, etc. The annual maximum for other races is $250.

4. Training: The club will pay up to 50% of the cost of any fees for training or necessary memberships, such as the Armory pay-as-you-go fee, swim cards, USMS Membership, etc. up to an annual maximum of $250.

It is suggested that members apply for participation funds before registering for a race, although this is not necessary. It is however required that members apply for funds for a race before the race has occurred. If approved, the member has until two weeks following the date of the race to submit the receipt.

Decisions will be made within seven days of submission. If approved, the member must register and pay for the full fee and provide FRNY with the proof of payment or registration. For approved requests, checks will be mailed at the end of the month in which the request was received. If you have questions about a particular fund category, please email the Participation Fund Committee.