Southern Pickleball Academy expands youth programs with $15,000 grant

A $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area gave Southern Pickleball Academy a bigger runway for its youth pipeline, funding five First Paddle programs in 2026 for children ages 9 to 14. The nonprofit said the money will support school-break camps and weekly sessions, with openings for both youth served through partner nonprofits and children from the general public.

First Paddle is built as more than an introduction to pickleball. Southern Pickleball Academy said the program uses certified pickleball professionals, mentors, professional-grade equipment and scholarships to keep financial barriers from shutting kids out. The academy ties the instruction to life skills such as conflict resolution, fair play, integrity, teamwork and perseverance, making the court a classroom as much as a playing surface.

The scale of the youth push is already visible. WJBF reported the academy has donated pickleball equipment to 28 schools, while the organization says its school grant program has supplied requested equipment to 20 elementary, middle and high schools since September 2023. Southern Pickleball Academy says those donations total more than $21,000 in nets, paddles and balls, and that it has invested more than $20,000 in gear for local middle and high schools.

The academy has also tried to give young players an entry point into competition. It hosted the region’s only junior pickleball tournament, Battle of the Paddles, on May 17, 2025, at Gregg Park Civic Center, giving youth ages 9 to 18 first-time tournament experience. That event, along with the First Paddle program, has become part of a broader effort to turn casual exposure into steady participation.

Southern Pickleball Academy said it began four years ago in Aiken County and has since built partnerships with youth-focused groups including Aiken’s Salvation Army Red Shield Youth Center and the Edgefield County Youth Empowerment Center. The academy says it has already expanded youth pickleball access across Aiken and Edgefield counties and wants to grow into other school districts across the Southeast.

The Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area said its 2026 Community Grants Program awarded more than $735,000 to 59 nonprofits across Richmond, Columbia, Burke and McDuffie counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina. The foundation said the program has been awarding grants for nearly 30 years and has distributed more than $12 million across the region, giving Southern Pickleball Academy another boost in a sport where access now matters as much as talent.