Funding Your Mission: A Guide to Grant Writing for Aquatic Fitness Professionals
- Jenni Lynn Fitness
- Sep 19
- 4 min read
If you’ve ever dreamed about expanding your aquatic fitness programs but felt overwhelmed by the costs, you’re not alone. Pools, equipment, training, and marketing all add up.
The good news? There’s a powerful resource that can help you grow without draining your savings: grants.
But where do you even begin?
S'WET™ Instructor Melissa Plumeau — Boise-based aquatic fitness professional, PE teacher, and AEA Aquatic Training Specialist — recently shared her journey into grant writing. Her insights can help fitness professionals like you start turning vision into funded reality.
ACTIVE SQUAD MEMBERS: You can watch Melissa's full presentation on the Quarterly Meeting page under your Instructor Portal. Below are some of the major takeaways from the discussion.
You can now enjoy an audio version of this article with Deep Dive: An AI Podcast, powered by S'WET™
Step One: Define Your Vision and Mission
Before you start searching for grants, you need clarity on why your program exists. Funders don’t just want to know what you’re doing — they want to believe in it.
Melissa put it this way: "Funders support your purpose, not just your programs." Ask yourself:
What impact do you want to create?
Who are you serving, and why?
What problem are you solving, and how will you sustain it long-term?
Having a compelling vision and mission will give you the foundation for every grant application and help you stand out to potential funders.
Step Two: Assess Your Strengths and Needs
Think about the big picture of your organization:
What populations are you serving now—and who are you missing?
Are you making the most of your pool time?
What equipment do you already have, and what’s still needed?
What unique expertise do your instructors bring?
Melissa emphasizes that while equipment and programming are important, people stay because of how you make them feel. Funders want to see both the emotional impact and the data-driven evidence behind your work.
"People buy into how we make them feel and the experience that they carry with them."
Step Three: Create a Strategic Plan
Once you know your purpose and your needs, it’s time to build a roadmap. A good strategic plan should include:
Funding goals – What will this grant make possible?
Priorities – What’s essential now vs. what can wait for later?
Budget details – Every penny should have a job (instructor pay, advertising, equipment, admin).
Measurable objectives – Three to five specific outcomes you can track.
Melissa recommends using the VMOST strategy:
Vision – Your big picture.
Mission – Why you exist.
Objectives – What you’ll achieve.
Strategy – How you’ll achieve it.
Tactics – Step-by-step actions.
"Take the vision that you have with your business, align your mission and then those objectives that are going to directly support it, then the strategies that you plan to use to support what you're doing and then the tactics."
Step Four: Find the Right Funders
Here are some starting points:
Federal & State: grants.gov, Small Business Administration, Department of Parks & Recreation.
Nonprofits: Foundation Directory (often available at local libraries).
Local/Community: Regional family and business foundations.
Women-Owned Businesses: Amber Grants.
Fitness-Oriented: Nike, ACSM.
When you’re researching funders, check:
Do they fund in your area?
What do they typically fund (and not fund)?
What’s their usual grant size?
Do they require an invitation to apply?
Melissa reminds us that relationship-building matters: sometimes your next supporter might be sitting in your class.
Step Five: Document Everything
Grant writing is detail-heavy. Keep careful records of:
Application deadlines and requirements.
Every expense (from instructor wages to pool noodles).
Program outcomes and participant stories.
Funders want proof that their money made a difference—and that your work is sustainable beyond one grant cycle.
Start Small, Think Big: Grant writing can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re an independent contractor or just starting out. But as Melissa says, "You don’t have to heal the entire world right now. Narrow down exactly what you can do with the time, funding, and skill set you have."
Your aquatic fitness mission is worth funding. With a clear vision, strong plan, and the right partners, you can bring more movement, health, and joy to your community.
Action Step for Aquatic Fitness Pros:
This week, take 20 minutes to draft your vision statement. Keep it short, compelling, and focused on the impact you want to create. That’s your first step toward writing — and winning — your next grant!
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