Wilson Community Growth Grant Archives

2024 Iain Wilson Award Applications Now Open

For the past 10 years, the Wilson Awards, in partnership with Orienteering USA, have supported young, developing orienteers through the Iain Wilson Character through Competition Awards for outstanding character in orienteering. The award is intended to assist with the cost of education, training, and travel to local, regional and international orienteering events. For 2023 the Wilson awardees were Ben Brady from Cascade Orienteering Club and Alex Merka from Quantico Orienteering Club. Both athletes were subsequently chosen to compete for TeamUSA at the Junior World Championships in Romania this past July.

Ben writes “Orienteering, especially in the United States, is a difficult sport logistically as often times races will be on opposite ends of the country, and getting valuable orienteering experience in unfamiliar terrain requires many expensive plane flights and hotel accommodations. This fact is made even worse if you want to travel overseas. Through the Iain Wilson Award’s generosity, a large portion of my recent trip to Romania was funded, giving me the support to not only have an incredible orienteering experience, but also to improve my skills in the sport.”

After JWOC concluded, Alex came back to the US briefly to compete in the North American Orienteering Championships for TeamUSA as well as teaming up with her mother to compete in the 24 Hour World Rogaining Championships at Lake Tahoe.
In early August Alex moved to Czechia to study at Charles University and broaden her orienteering opportunities, competing for TeamUSA in the 2nd round of the Orienteering World Cup in Czechia days after arriving there.
Read more about Alex’s adventures since moving to Czechia in this TeamUSA blog post.

Ben and Alex both made excellent use of their ’23 Wilson Awards and applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Character through Competition Award as well as the 2024 Wilson Community Growth Grant which supports programs that bring orienteering to youth around the country.

Online forms as well as printable versions for both programs are available now on the Orienteering USA website. Visit this Application Link to apply today. Applications are due by February 15th, 2024.

Information and press releases on previous award recipients can be found in this document from the OUSA Library.

2023 Iain Wilson Community Growth Grant Winners Announced

The Wilson Awards, in partnership with Orienteering USA, are proud to announce the
winners of the 2023 Iain Wilson Community Growth Grant. The $1,000 grant has been awarded to two
deserving programs that will use the funds to initiate and expand their orienteering programs.

The first recipient of the grant is the Los Angeles Orienteering Club’s (LAOC) newly formed Youth Development Team. In its first year, the team will utilize this grant and matching funds to assist team members with preparing for and attending training camp and participating in events beyond the local Los Angeles region.

Team members will be supported by parents and LAOC members providing additional training opportunities and transportation to events. LAOC seeks to develop youth ambassadors for the sport who will spread enthusiasm to a larger group of potential young orienteers. The program will be headed by John Phillips, with a supporting committee of board members to assist with training.

The second recipient is the Southold Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (NJROTC) in Long Island. This unit includes cadets from Southold, Mattituck and Greenport High Schools in Eastern Long Island and is led by Captain Timothy McAllister, a retired Captain in the United States Navy.

The grant will be used to initiate an orienteering team for the unit and provide 198 cadets access to orienteering skills and classroom instruction. 100 cadets will participate in “hands-on” orienteering competitions and an additional 25 cadets will be able to attend NJROTC regional competitions.

Additionally, funding will be used to initiate a permanent orienteering course at a local park and host the NJROTC Area 4 Championships next fall. McAllister’s goal is for the team to increase interest in orienteering, leadership, teamwork, and STEM-related careers.

Read more in the Official Press Release

’23 Wilson Community Growth Grants

So many of you are deeply dedicated to growing youth involvement in Orienteering. We know the critical role that these same youngsters have in spreading the word and inspiring their peers. That’s why we created the Wilson Community Growth Grant. The grant provides $1,000 to projects and organizations dedicated to growing youth Orienteering.

One need only look at the growth of Navigation Games, a 2017 Wilson Community Growth Grant Winner, led by Barb Bryant. As the organization matures, we begin to see alumni of its program being the next generation of coaches and leaders. Awards have also funded construction of permanent courses including at the Madison School Forest (WI) and our 2022 awardee, Scout Troup 4090 of Washington State.

Scout Leader Eric Stone writes enthusiastically “Being located on an isolated island (San Juan Island, WA), an hour’s boat ride from mainland Washington, provides enough challenges for our local youth community to participate in orienteering meets and competitions. The Wilson Grant Foundation has provided us with all of the tools and navigational aides necessary for us to run a multi-faceted Orienteering, land navigation program.”

“The Wilson Community Growth Grant enabled us to not only obtain compasses, orienteering flags, stamps, and cards, but has allowed us to begin laying out permanent long distance courses connecting our two US National Historic Parks at opposite ends of the island.”

The Troop is planning an April 2023 inaugural event, “We will be inviting teams of scouts to navigate a course through the neighboring national park. We already have our patches in hand, and will start advertising soon.”

Applications for the 2023 Wilson Community Growth grants are currently being accepted and will close on February 1st, 2023.

2022 Iain Wilson Award Applications

Iain “Dawg” Wilson was an accomplished orienteer who represented the USA in the World Cup in Norway and Denmark, in the Swiss Alps for the World Student Champs, and in the Scottish 6 Days. Although his life was cut tragically short in 2008, his legacy survives through the annual Iain Wilson Character Through Competition Award and Wilson Community Growth Grants.

Now entering its ninth year, the $1,000 Iain Wilson Character Through Competition Award is now accepting applications. This award recognizes junior athletes who demonstrate a competitive spirit, friendship and qualities that leave others feeling good about the world. Funds may be used to support travel and training opportunities.

Applications for the $1,000 Wilson Community Growth Grant are now being accepted. This grant helps to “develop and implement programs aimed at expanding access to orienteering for youth.” Applicants of all ages partner with an Orienteering USA-affilitated club, OrienteeringUSA or a registered nonprofit organization, which will disburse and administer funds. Funds may be used for equipment, transportation and other appropriate uses.

Applications are now being accepted for both awards and will be open through March 31st, 2022. More information about both awards can be found on the Recognition page and includes links to both online and downloadable applications.

Please contact Marc at iainwilsonaward@nullcomcast.net for additional details. Contributions may be tax-deductible and are administered by Orienteering USA.