USRowing Releases 2024 Annual Report

USRowing is pleased to release the 2024 Annual Report.

Readers are encouraged to review this document for details, data, and context regarding the organization’s performance in 2024. The 2024 Audited Financial Statement and USR FY24 Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) will be available by no later than November 2025. All available historical versions of these documents can be found on our Financials page. 

USRowing Board Chair Kirsten Feldman, and Chief Executive Officer Amanda Kraus penned a joint letter (included in the Annual Report) highlighting key achievements accomplished last year, across the three strategic pillars of Performance, Experience, and Inclusion, as well as the organization’s operating performance: 

Dear Rowing Community,

2024 was a banner year for USRowing—one that built on the momentum of 2023 and pushed us further: onto the podium, into more communities, and toward a stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable future for our sport.

In this annual report, you’ll see the impact of our work across all three strategic pillars — Performance, Experience, and Inclusion — and how it is positioning us to thrive as we look ahead toward the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

PERFORMANCE: Our Senior National Team made history with Olympic gold in the men’s four — the first U.S. win in that event since 1960 — and a return to the podium for the men’s eight with a bronze. We were also proud to see nine of our 12 Olympic boats better their previous Olympic finish. Our Para rowers extended their Games medal streak with a third consecutive silver in the PR3 Mixed 4+, while our Beach Sprint athletes delivered their best World Finals performance to date. With a clear high-performance strategy in place, we’re building depth and setting our athletes up to succeed on the world stage in LA2028.

EXPERIENCE: For a second year running, USRowing served more paid members than ever before, with a record average of 72.6k individuals. We sanctioned (designated as meeting the highest standards of fairness and safety) a record 286 regattas, supported 1,411 organizations—a near-record total—and saw a 7% increase in SafeSport compliance. Our education platform, The Launch had its first anniversary and welcomed over 8.5k new users while powering 12.7k hours of learning. National Championship events continued to shine, including our Youth National Championships winning the Florida Sports Foundation’s 2024 Best Event of the Year - Mid-Market Award.

While we have made great strides here, we’ve also heard your feedback—especially around coaching compliance and organizational standards. In response, we delayed implementation, extended free access, and opened a transparent conversation with the community about how we align with global coaching standards while staying grounded in the needs of our members.

INCLUSION: In 2024 we launched our first United We Row Grant Program, awarding $70k to nine organizations and reaching over 800 rowers. We awarded more than $200k in scholarships to athletes and coaches, launched a mentorship program for underrepresented coaches, and hosted our first United We Row Summit, which earned high marks from attendees. For the fourth year, we were honored with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee DE&I Choice Award, reinforcing that inclusion is not just a value, but embedded in everything we do.

OPERATIONAL STRENGTH: Behind the scenes, we’ve continued to invest in people, and strengthened our management team with Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Director of Development hires. We have also improved our internal operations and systems to add more rigor around staff performance and reviews, goal setting, and key results in order to build a more effective, efficient organization.

Thanks to disciplined expense management and smart capital investments, we ended 2024 in a strong financial position. We raised a record $8.1M in contributions, grants, and USOPC funding — including two $1M gifts, each tied for the second largest in our history. With $19.6M in total revenue and a $489k operating surplus, 2024 was our second-strongest financial year in over a decade. This surplus goes toward a strategic board reserve that allows us to continue to invest in our members from grassroots to our Olympians and Paralympians.

None of this progress would be possible without the people who power our sport: our athletes, coaches, referees, regatta directors, volunteers, donors, partners, and you –– our community. We are grateful for your belief in this sport and for your engagement with us.

There is still plenty of work ahead, but today, USRowing is more prepared, more resilient, and more unified than we’ve ever been. We are proud of what we’ve accomplished together and energized by what is ahead. We would also like to extend a special thanks to outgoing board member Sara Hendershot for her service and leadership.

Together, we are growing rowing — and ensuring its future is brighter, stronger, and more inclusive than ever.

See you on the course,

Kirsten Feldman        Amanda Kraus
Board Chair               Chief Executive Officer