• Venus and Serena Williams launch program teaching under-resourced youth ages 13 to 25 tennis and boardroom leadership skills.
• The sisters partner with USTA Foundation offering free training, scholarships, internships, and entrepreneurship programs for future leaders.
• The Williams Family Excellence Program aims to reach 2,500 young people annually by 2035 through mentorship and education.

Venus Williams and Serena Williams are serving up something way bigger than championship trophies. The tennis icons just announced their Williams Family Excellence Program at the U.S. Open, and it’s basically the ultimate power move for giving back.

This isn’t your typical celebrity charity moment where someone throws money at a cause and calls it a day. The Williams sisters are creating a full-blown pipeline to transform talented kids from under-resourced communities into the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers.

“We are honored to have this program named after our family and are proud to partner with the USTA Foundation to help create the leaders of tomorrow,” Venus and Serena said in a joint statement. “Our parents always encouraged us to strive for excellence, and tennis provided us the platform and opportunity to follow our dreams and achieve those moments.”

 

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From Compton courts to corporate suites

Let’s be real, Venus and Serena know exactly what it’s like to come from nothing and turn it into everything. Growing up in Compton with their father Richard Williams coaching them on public courts, the sisters faced obstacles that would’ve crushed most people’s dreams before they even started. Now they’re making sure other talented kids don’t have to fight those same battles alone.

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The program is serving up some seriously impressive perks. We’re talking no-cost or low-cost high-performance tennis training, college recruitment guidance, access to camps and competitions, scholarships, player grants, and here’s where it gets really good, internships and an entrepreneurship program designed to teach these kids how to boss up in the boardroom.

“This internship and entrepreneur program will provide young people with the opportunity to learn life lessons and lead from the baseline to the boardroom,” according to program details.

Business moguls making moves

Here’s the thing that makes this program so legit: Venus and Serena aren’t just tennis legends anymore. They’re straight-up business moguls who’ve successfully transitioned from athletic careers to crushing it in fashion, beauty, and investing.

Serena Williams founded WYN BEAUTY, which scored a major retail deal with Ulta Beauty. She’s also running Serena Ventures, her venture capital fund that’s invested in multiple unicorn companies while championing women and underrepresented founders. The girl literally has unicorns in her portfolio, both personally and through her VC fund.

Venus has been equally unstoppable, building business empires while still competing at age 45. Between them, they’ve collected 23 Grand Slam singles titles for Serena and 14 doubles championships together, but this program might end up being their most important legacy yet.

The real tea on impact

Brian Vahaly, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA, said it best: “Venus and Serena Williams have inspired millions of people to play tennis, but their impact goes far beyond trophies and titles. They changed the game in culture, fashion, and business, and their story is one of courage and resilience.”

The Williams Family Excellence Program builds on the USTA Foundation’s existing work, which already supports 300 community-based programs helping more than 200,000 young people from under-resourced communities in 2025 alone. But the sisters are taking it to a whole new level by focusing specifically on post-secondary education and career development for ages 13 to 25.

The program targets communities with the greatest desire, athletic potential, and financial need, working with community-based organizations to identify and recruit participants. It’s not just about creating tennis champions, it’s about creating doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who happen to have killer serves.

Full circle moment

The announcement at the U.S. Open, with Venus taking part in the on-court ceremony between women’s semifinal matches, wasn’t just about perfect timing. It was about making a statement on tennis’s biggest stage that excellence isn’t limited by your zip code or bank account.

In a world where celebrity charitable efforts sometimes feel more about publicity than impact, what Venus and Serena are doing here is refreshingly authentic. They’re not just lending their names, they’re creating sustainable change that will outlast their playing careers and continue opening doors for generations to come.

Will the Williams sisters’ business empire become as legendary as their tennis dynasty?

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