Arshay Cooper continues to change the narrative of rowing

Words: Katie Lane + Row360

Arshay Cooper is a man of many talents. An award-winning author. Motivational speaker and activist. Critically acclaimed documentary film star. He now adds director of a newly formed non-profit organization to his experience.

Established in 2021 following the success of the highly acclaimed film, A Most Beautiful Thing, the A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund (AMBTIF), seeks to break barriers within the sport of rowing by increasing sustainability, access to rowing, and diversity throughout youth rowing programs across the United States.

Approaching its third year, AMBTIF has introduced rowing to over 2,000 young people and awarded over $450,000 of equipment and funding. An additional $650,000 was raised by local stakeholders on the heels of AMBTIF events.

“We’ve put over a million dollars, raised locally in these communities, back into the community through hiring people, bringing in new leadership, creating educational opportunities for these young people, and building new facilities,” Cooper says. “We seek out to discover new ways to create and innovate to make rowing better and inclusive for those who don't feel included.”