Wasserman Schultz Announces $3.5 Million Available in Pool Safely Grants for State, Local and Tribal Drowning and Drain Entrapment Prevention Efforts

Washington, February 16, 2023
“Drowning prevention and pool safety issues have been top priorities throughout my career, and I’ll continue to fight these preventable tragedies through laws like the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act,” said Wasserman Schultz.

Washington, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced this week that it is seeking applications for its Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP) to assist state and local governments in reducing deaths and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment incidents. This program will award up to a total of $3.5 million in two-year grants, and serves as an essential part of its national campaign to prevent drownings and drain entrapments, an effort that U.S. Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) has spearheaded nationally throughout her career.. 

The grant program is authorized through the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety (VGB) Act, which was originally authored by Wasserman Schultz and first signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007. The VGB Act was reauthorized in 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden. This legislation helps state, local, and tribal governments with education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements, as well as anti-drowning efforts. Since the Act’s passage in 2007, CPSC has provided nearly $6 million in funding to 24 recipients.

“Drowning prevention and pool safety issues have been top priorities throughout my career, and I’ll continue to fight these preventable tragedies through laws like the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act,” said Wasserman Schultz. “This legislation creates lifesaving grants across the country to increase the layers of protection for all our children. I am extremely proud that it was reauthorized in the FY23 government spending package with extended eligibility for grants to Native American Tribes. I will always carry the drowning prevention banner and take comfort in knowing that our continued work means one more child’s life can be saved.”

Prospective applicants can review the solicitation on Grants.gov, under grant opportunity CPSC-23-001 or at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346160. Applications will be accepted through April 30, 2023. Additional resources can be found at the PSGP’s website, www.PoolSafely.gov.


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