ACE is committed to advancing the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) among all exercise professionals and health coaches, including our ACE Certified Professionals and ACE Employees. In partnership with the Women In Fitness Association (WIFA), ACE is expanding our EDI efforts by supporting women and the advancement of their careers in the health and fitness industry through the WIFA Growth Grant.
Creating and supporting growth opportunities for women in the fitness industry is more important than ever. According to a recent report analyzing U.S. Census data, women make up 58% of the recreation and fitness workforce, but only earn 86 cents to every dollar earned by men in the same occupation.
Globally, women only make up 29% of senior leadership positions (e.g., CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, CMO). In a sector in which women outpace men in health club memberships consumption, women should be equally represented to acknowledge and celebrate their contributions to the industry. WIFA and ACE believe this is possible through investing in women exercise professionals and health coaches.
As the only global non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women in the health and fitness industry, WIFA provides its members with unparalleled career development and networking opportunities. Proudly funded by ACE, the WIFA Growth Grant was created to provide eligible health and fitness professionals with a 1-year WIFA membership to accelerate their career. This opportunity is open to current ACE Certified Professionals who are, or identify as, a woman. ACE and WIFA believe that when everyone feels included and respected, there will be progress, innovation and success in the industry. Learn more about the ACE and WIFA partnership here.
Grant Details
WIFA membership offers women in health and fitness access to a global community, networking events, peer-to-peer mentoring, skills building and so much more.
Each grant award includes a 1-year WIFA membership with the following benefits:
+ Quarterly virtual meetings
+ Monthly Actionable Career Toolkits
+ Annual live meetings
+ Peer-to-peer Mentorship pairing
+ Networking
+ Featured on the WIFA website
+ Speaking and presenting opportunities
+ Blog contribution
+ Speaker and Writers Academy (coming soon)
+ Discounts to WIFA Retreats, events and other programs
Eligibility
To be eligible for a WIFA Growth Grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Be a woman or identify as a woman
2Be an exercise professional or health coach with a current ACE Certification at the time of the award
3Submit an application to include:
Short answer questions on how you envision your future contributions as a WIFA member and which women advocacy causes you are most excited about (e.g., enhanced pay, increased representation in top leadership roles, stronger presence in the conference-speaking world, etc.).
How to Apply
To apply for a WIFA Growth Grant, please submit the online application on the WIFA website.
Awarded applications will be notified within 30 days of application submission.
Applications must be submitted by October 31, 2021 5:00 p.m. PT.
For questions and guidance on submitting your application, please review our Frequently Asked Questions.
Apply TodaySelection Criteria
WIFA representatives will review all eligible applications and prioritize those that they believe fully address the essay prompt: "How do you envision your future contributions as a WIFA member? Which women advocacy causes are you most excited about (e.g., enhanced pay, increased representation in top leadership roles, stronger presence in the conference-speaking world, etc.)?"