$3.0 Million Available in Pool Safely Grants to Help State, Local, and Tribal Governments Prevent Drownings and Drain Entrapments; Apply Now

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges state, local, and tribal governments to apply for up to $3.0 million in grant funding for the Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP or grant program). The two-year grants are to be used to reduce deaths and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment incidents in pools and spas. The PSGP is an essential part of CPSC's national campaign to prevent drowning and drain entrapment. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death among young children.  

“Drowning continues to be a devastating issue for families across the country. I encourage state, local, and tribal governments to apply for this grant program to make an impact in their communities,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “The funding can be used for drowning education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements, as well anti-drowning education.”

The grant awards will range from $50,000 to $400,000 each. The grant program is authorized through the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act). Since 2016, CPSC has provided more than $7.7 million in Pool Safely grants to 35 recipients who have used it for a variety of drowning prevention activities, including to train their pool safety enforcement officials and to run swim safety education programs in their communities.

“We must do all we can to prevent drownings, the leading cause of preventable death for America’s youngest children,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25). “We can avoid these devastating tragedies by adding common-sense layers of protection around bodies of water, like teaching children to swim, ensuring pools have the right safety equipment and are properly constructed and inspected, and educating parents and communities on the vital importance of supervising children in and near the water. And these grants are critical tools to help us accomplish all those goals.” Rep. Wasserman Schultz authored and championed the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act in Congress, which was later signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007.

Grant applicants must be a state, local government, Indian Tribe, or U. S. Territory that has enacted or amended a law that meets the requirements of the VGB Act (15 U.S.C. 8001), sections 1405 and 1406. 
Prospective applicants can review the solicitation on Grants.gov, under grant opportunity CPSC-24-001. Applications will be accepted through July 12, 2024.

CPSC's website, PoolSafely.gov, has more information about the Pool Safely Grant Program and the VGB Act. PoolSafely.gov has free, downloadable information for the general public, state and local officials, the swimming pool and spa community, and the media.

This child safety law has helped reduce the risk of drowning and drain entrapment by requiring public pools and spas to install new safety drain covers, and through federal grants and education programs to encourage states and localities to require residential pools and spas to utilize physical barriers, such as a fence completely surrounding the pool, with self-closing, self-latching gates. See additional pool safety tips at PoolSafely.gov.

Jurisdictions can contact CPSC’s Grants Management Specialist Harvey Kincaid at hkincaid@cpsc.gov or 301-504-7525, or Program Manager Jonathan Midgett at jmidgett@cpsc.gov or 301-504-8120 for more information.

Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.