The Swim4Elise Foundation

What The Swim4Elise Foundation does

The Swim4Elise Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Southlake, Texas, founded in 2016 by Lori Cerami following the drowning death of her 13-year-old daughter Elise Cerami during a club swim practice on June 20, 2016. The foundation's mission is to raise awareness of water safety and prevent drowning through three programmatic pillars: free in-person water safety education delivered directly into Dallas/Fort Worth daycare and preschool facilities; scholarship programs for North Texas competitive swimmers, divers, and coaches covering lifeguard certification, swim camps, and college tuition; and the annual Run4Elise 5K/1 Mile community fundraising event (now in its 10th year, scheduled for May 9, 2026). Cumulative impact since founding includes more than $100,000 in scholarships and water safety education funded by business sponsors, 100+ lifeguards certified through the Lifeguard Challenge, and 6,800+ children reached through daycare outreach in summer 2024.

The foundation operates a hybrid funding model built on four revenue streams: voluntary individual donations (one-time and recurring) via its website; race registration fees for Run4Elise priced $25-$40 on a tiered schedule; corporate sponsorships at six tiers from $300 (Bronze) to $5,000+ (Title), with named partners including The Little Gym, Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, Fidelity Investments, Gwynn Group, Texas Health Resources, and Southlake Style; and an annual online silent auction with themed baskets and Buy It Now pricing. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-anchored: direct outreach into daycare operators, a self-serve online scholarship application portal, and earned media coverage in Fox 4 News, Southlake Independent, Community Impact, and Southlake Style. All programming is geographically restricted to North Texas, with scholarships restricted to swimmers registered with the North Texas Swimming LSC. Technology footprint is limited to a WordPress website and a third-party event registration platform (thedriven.net); there are no proprietary software products, no AI/ML capabilities, and no app. The organization holds no patents or trademarks of record and has undergone no mergers, acquisitions, or institutional funding rounds.

Name

The Swim4Elise Foundation

Legal name

Swim4Elise Foundation

Website

https://swim4elise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Swim4Elise Foundation is a Southlake, Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that provides free water safety education to DFW-area daycares, scholarships for North Texas competitive swimmers, and operates the annual Run4Elise 5K fundraiser.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Safety & Drowning Prevention Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lifeguard, Water Rescue & Aquatic Safety Training (EDAOAMAJ)

Keywords

• Water safety education
• Drowning prevention programs
• Swimming scholarships
• Nonprofit foundation services
• Lifeguard certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Southlake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations received through the organization's website, both one-time and recurring. The Swim4Elise Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
2. Race Registration Fees: Registration fees for the annual Run4Elise 5K and 1 Mile fun run event. Fees range from $25-$40 depending on registration timing.
3. Business Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at multiple levels ($300-$5,000+) that help fund scholarships and community outreach programs, providing sponsors visibility and promotional benefits.
4. Silent Auction: Annual online silent auction featuring donated goods and services, with themed baskets and Buy It Now pricing options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Swim4Elise Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free water safety and drowning prevention outreach to daycare-age children across the Dallas/Fort Worth area and awards scholarships (camp, college, and American Red Cross lifeguard certification) to North Texas competitive swimmers. Its signature fundraiser is the annual Run4Elise 5K/1 Mile fun run, supported by tiered business sponsorships and individual donations.

Product overview

The Swim4Elise Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering a suite of water safety and swimming scholarship programs. The core offerings include: the Daycare Outreach Program providing free water safety education to daycare centers across North Texas; the Lifeguard Challenge Program offering full scholarships for American Red Cross lifeguard certification to competitive swimmers, divers, and coaches; Camp/Clinic Scholarships for University of Texas swim camps; College Scholarships for tuition support; and the annual Run4Elise 5K fundraising event. Additionally, the organization provides water safety educational resources including research reports and prevention guides. These programs work together to fulfill the foundation's mission of raising awareness of water safety and preventing drowning through community outreach, education, and swimming scholarships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elise Cerami Memorial College Scholarship: College scholarship program for 10th-12th graders who are USA Swimming Athletes or competitive High School/TAAF swimmers in North Texas.
• Elise Cerami Memorial Swim Camp Scholarship
• Lifeguard Challenge
• Daycare Outreach

Products and services

• Daycare & Preschool Outreach Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,800+ children reached through daycare outreach in single summer
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• The Little Gym (Keller, TX)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor for the 2026 Run4Elise event. Provides venue for packet pickup and supports the foundation's water safety mission through event sponsorship.
• Cornerstone Wealth StrategiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier sponsor and host of packet pickup location. Title sponsor for previous Run4Elise events.
• Southlake StylecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial media sponsor for the 2026 Run4Elise event, providing media coverage and promotional support.
• Fidelity InvestmentssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier sponsor supporting the foundation's scholarships and outreach programs.
• Gwynn GroupsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier sponsor supporting the foundation's mission and Run4Elise events.
• Texas Health ResourcessecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier sponsor including Texas Health Southlake and Breeze Digital locations supporting the foundation.
• American Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred certification organization for lifeguard training. The foundation partners with American Red Cross to provide lifeguard certification scholarships through their programs.
• North Star LifeguardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred vendor for American Red Cross lifeguard certification courses. Scholarship payments are made directly to North Star Lifeguards for approved applicants.
• Gateway ChurchsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for the annual Run4Elise 5K/1 Mile event in Southlake, Texas.
• Cook Children'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in drowning prevention efforts. Donated lifejackets to support the foundation's daycare outreach program. Awarded Green Crystal Award to recognize Swim4Elise's partnership in the 2017 Drowning Prevention Campaign.
• The Westin Dallas SouthlakeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hotel partner for Run4Elise, located steps from the race start and finish line.
• North Texas Swimming LSCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Swimming Committee of USA Swimming covering North Texas. The foundation's scholarships are available to swimmers registered with this LSC.
• Priority Sign and GraphicsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier sponsor providing signage and graphics support for events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Colin Jackson's Swimming Academy (Drowning Prevention focus): Multiple regional swim academies and drowning-prevention charities operate the same North-Texas model combining water-safety education, competitive-swim scholarships, and lifeguard certification support.

Direct peers

• Swim Across America: National nonprofit running open-water and pool swims as fundraising events for cancer research — comparable event-driven fundraising model serving an aquatic-sports community.
• The ZAC Foundation: A drowning-prevention foundation established following a child's pool drowning, focused on water safety education, advocacy, and family awareness — directly comparable mission, scale, and event-driven fundraising model.
• Live Like Jake Foundation: Nonprofit founded after a young child's drowning death, providing swim lessons, water safety education, and scholarships for lifeguard/water safety training — same tragedy-driven origin, dual prevention+scholarship structure.
• Abbey's Hope Charitable Foundation: Drowning-prevention nonprofit named after a child drowning victim, focused on swimming education access, advocacy, and water-safety grants — closely comparable nonprofit structure and beneficiary population.

Broad incumbents

• Pool Safely (CPSC Campaign): Federal consumer-product safety campaign focused on drowning prevention and water safety education — comparable educational content mission at national/government scale.
• USA Swimming Foundation: The philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, running the nationwide Make a Splash swim-lesson initiative for children — same drowning-prevention/competitive-swimming intersection at much greater scale.

Others

• Cook Children's Center for Children's Health: Regional pediatric health system and Swim4Elise partner — runs community drowning-prevention programming in the same DFW market and shares content/research resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0BVV8tAGM8IFCxs_p4FcQg
• Facebookfacebook.com/swim4elise
• Instagraminstagram.com/swim4elise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swim4elise-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Swim4Elise Foundation