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Road to Nationals

    Tate “Road to Nationals” Fund

    The Road to Nationals Fund, founded by the William Woods Tate, Jr. Memorial Fund (often called “the Tate Fund”) is designed to help students attend the high school National Speech & Debate Tournament. The Road to Nationals Fund provides financial assistance to schools who are lacking financial resources to attend the National Tournament. 

    The 2024 Road to Nationals application will open in the spring of 2024. Enter your email address and be the first to know when the application opens.

    Enter your email address and be the first to know when the 2024 Road to Nationals application opens »

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    Group of students standing together in a hallway at a tournament smiling.

    The Road to Nationals Application

    On average, the Road to Nationals Fund will provide awards ranging from $250-$1,000 with $1,000 being the maximum grant amount. We anticipate that the average award amount will be around $500 per school.

    Only schools with high school students competing in the 2024 National Tournament are eligible to apply. Although others are welcome to help with application responses, we ask that each school submit only one application via a coach on record for the school.

    2023 Wiliam Woods Tate, Jr., Memorial Fund Impact

    Tate Road to Nationals Fund. $112,000, 250 Schools

    This would be the first time in my three years coaching the team that anyone has traveled to Nationals. While we have qualified peope in the past, students have declined attending due to the cost. As a team where the majority of our students come from an economically disadvantaged home, I think knowing it is possible to attend Nationals would give my other students hope that they could actually do the same.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    a

    I am a coach for a middle school program, can I apply?

    At this time, funding is reserved for high school teams attending the National tournament.
    a

    I am a coach for multiple schools, how can I apply for them?

    a

    I am a student, can I apply?

    Students are welcome to help draft verbiage for applications in partnership with coaches, however we ask that a coach on record for the school submit the final application.
    a

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    Navigate to this page, select “log in” at the top right. Then select the “forgot your password?” option. Please note that the password reset email might send to your spam. If you do not receive an email within 5 minutes, you may need to add the following emails to your safe sender list. 

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    If you submitted an application for the KWMF School grant in the fall of 2022, you should already have an account with the Apply platform. If you are still having trouble, please contact the site via this link.