Washington Tennis & Education Foundation

Mission Statement

The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) was founded in 1955 as an organization designed to help disadvantaged youth through tennis. Since then, it has evolved into an organization that provides academic help to at-risk children, by helping them to apply the lessons learned on the tennis court in the classroom and beyond. Today, WTEF is a leader in the best practice of providing academic enrichment, supplemented by tennis and life skills instruction, as a means for developing the skills necessary to achieve academic and personal success.

WTEF’s goals are:
(1) to keep children off city streets and engaged in productive activities that instill self-pride and discipline;
(2) to provide opportunities for children to improve their academic performance and help them make choices that enrich rather than endanger their lives; and
(3) to provide opportunities for at-risk children to go to college and obtain academic and athletic scholarships. For those not college bound, WTEF helps them join the work force and make constructive life choices.

Click here to view WTEF's most recent newsletter.

Click here to view WTEF's 2008 Annual Report.

News

WTEF’s Executive Director wins EXCEL Award

WTEF's very own Executive Director Eleni Rossides was one of three winners of the Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman EXCEL Award, recognizing and honoring outstanding nonprofit leaders.

WTEF Celebrates Another Successful Year at 2009 Tennis Ball Honoring Sheila Johnson and Andrea Jaeger

The 2009 Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) Tennis Ball was held on May 8th at The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC. The event was a great success for WTEF, raising over $775,000. The evening consisted of a live, mini-live and silent auction, dinner and program. A special thanks to the over 600 attendees who joined us for the evening to support both WTEF and our honorees Sheila C. Johnson and Andrea Jaeger.

USTA Selects Washington Tennis & Education Foundation as one of its Community Partnership Investment Grant Recipients for 2009

The USTA today announced that the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation in Washington D.C. has been awarded an inaugural Community Partnership Investment Grant (CPI). The grant, in the amount of $50,000, is one of eight grants awarded by the USTA which total $295,000. The grants are designed to support community based organizations who build tennis communities through collaborative and lasting partnerships. The organizations that were selected met the following criteria: increasing tennis participation, supporting tennis programming and fostering diversity with both participation and programming.

Andrea Jaeger: Pro Tennis Player, Children’s Cancer Foundation Founder & WTEF Tennis Ball Honoree

The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) has announced professional tennis player Andrea Jaeger as an honoree at the 2009 WTEF Tennis Ball. The event will be held on Friday, May 8, beginning at 6:00 pm, at The Ritz-Carlton (1150 22nd Street, NW in Washington, DC).

2009 Tennis Ball Honoring Sheila Johnson

The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) has announced
Sheila Johnson will be honored at the 2009 WTEF Tennis Ball, which will be held on Friday, May 8th, at the Ritz Carlton (1150 22nd Street, NW, in Washington, DC). WTEF will present Johnson with the William H.G. FitzGerald Distinguished Service Award. The WTEF Tennis Ball is the major annual fundraiser for WTEF, and all proceeds benefit WTEF, its programs, and the children it serves.

Washington Tennis & Education Foundation Named Winner of the Washington Post 2008 Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management

The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) was recognized on May 21, 2008 by the Center for Nonprofit Advancement as the 2008 winner of The Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. WTEF will receive a $10,000 cash grant and a scholarship for one person to attend the Georgetown University Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership’s Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program.

WTEF Breaks Records at 2008 TENNIS BALL Honoring Agassi & Case

The 2008 Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) Tennis Ball held on April 11th proved to be a record-setting night thanks to the over 750 people who came out to support WTEF along with honorees Andre Agassi and Steve Case. The event raised over $1 million for WTEF, breaking all previous records for fundraising.

Steve Case Joins Andre Agassi as Honoree at the 2008 WTEF TENNIS BALL

Washington, DC - The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) has announced the addition of Internet innovator Steve Case as an honoree at the 2008 WTEF Tennis Ball, which will be held on Friday, April 11, beginning at 6:30 pm, at the Hilton Washington (1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW in Washington, DC).

Click here to review sponsorship opportunities available at the 2008 Tennis Ball and become a sponsor!

For sponsorship opportunities, click here.

The 2008 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management recognizes WTEF for its “outstanding board involvement, diversified fundraising practices, effective use of employees and volunteers, and sound financial management practices.”

WTEF Joined Facebook!

Click icon below to see our page and "Become a Fan"

"I first joined WTEF when I was four years old. That seems like a really long time ago! Raised by my grandmother, I grew up in a neighborhood in Washington that was filled with drugs, crime and violence."