Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States announced on February 3, 2012 that it awarded sixty grants totaling $2.4 million to non-profit organizations serving at-risk youth in twenty states.

Through the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s 2012 Annual Grants program, the Foundation strives to continue its mission of enhancing and growing the sport of soccer as well as improving the well-being of children in underserved areas.  Grant awards support the programming and equipment needs of non-profit organizations that provide children with the opportunity to play soccer and live a healthy lifestyle.

In addition to providing grants to support soccer programs, the U.S. Soccer Foundation awarded eighteen Synthetic Field Building grants to develop new FieldTurf soccer fields around the country. Supported by adidas, FieldTurf and MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative, the Synthetic Field Building program provides safe places for children to play in at-risk communities.

“The U.S. Soccer Foundation is honored to support initiatives that give children in underserved urban communities access to soccer programs that encourage positive physical and social development,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “All children should have the opportunity to be involved with programs that promote active, healthy lifestyles and that provide an alternative to the many negative influences children face today.”

Support for the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Annual Grants program is provided by the Foundation’s Corporate Partners’ Council, a cohort of soccer industry leaders including Eurosport, FieldTurf, Hunter Industries, Musco Sports Lighting, PEVO Sports and Sport Court.

Since its inception in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has awarded more than $55 million in grant awards to non-profit organizations in all 50 states.

The 2012 Program Grant Recipients

Algonquin Sports for Kids (Buffalo, NY)

America SCORES Chicago (Chicago, IL)

America SCORES New England (Jamaica Plain, MA)

Arcade Creek Recreation and Park District (Sacramento, CA)

Arvin Union School District (Arvin, CA)

Aurora Public School District – Adams Arapahoe (Aurora, CA)

Beyond Soccer, Inc. (Lawrence, MA)

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)

Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows (Reno, NV)

Challenged Athletes Dream Complex (Victoria, TX)

Challengers Boys & Girls Club (Los Angeles, CA)

Chattanooga Sports Ministries (Chattanooga, TN)

City and County of Denver – Parks and Recreation (Denver, CO)

City of Bell Gardens (Bell Gardens, CA)

City of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, CT)

City of Sanger (Sanger, CA)

City of Yuma Parks and Recreation (Yuma, AZ)

Clark Park Coalition (Detroit, MI)

Crew Soccer Foundation (Columbus, OH)

Downtown Soccer Club (Los Angeles, CA)

Hancock Soccer Association, Inc. (Findlay, OH)

Heart of Los Angeles Youth Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)

Helping Hand Rescue Mission (Philadelphia, PA)

Hollenbeck Police Activities League (Los Angeles, CA)

Kensington Soccer Club (Philadelphia, PA)

Kids in Sports (Los Angeles, CA)

KIPP DC (Washington, DC)

McFarland Parks and Recreation District (McFarland, CA)

Mother Caroline Academy and Education Center (Dorchester, MA)

Project GOAL Inc. (Providence, RI)

SEED School of Washington, D.C. (Washington, DC)

Soccer in the Streets (Atlanta, GA)

Soccer Sisters United, Inc. (Philadelphia, PA)

South Bronx United, Inc. (Bronx, NY)

Starfinder Foundation (Philadelphia, PA)

The JT Dorsey Foundation (Harrisburg, PA)

The Salvation Army – Red Shield Youth & Community Center (Los Angeles, CA)

Urban Initiatives, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

Urban Ministry Center (Charlotte, NC)

Washington Jesuit Academy (Washington, DC)

William Trippley Youth Development (Wallingford, PA)

The 2012 Synthetic Field Building Grant Recipients

Centennial Soccer Club and Columbia River United FA (Gresham, OR)

Charlotte Soccer Academy (Charlotte, NC)

Cincinnati United (Cincinnati, OH)

City of Bell Gardens (Bell Gardens, CA)

Encinitas Soccer League (Encinitas, CA)

Friends of Grant Athletics (Portland, OR)

Hawthorne Park District (Cicero, IL)

KIPP DC (Washington, DC)

Lehigh Valley United, F.C. (Whitehall, PA)

National Sports Center (Blaine, MN)

New Britain Parks and Recreation Department (New Britain, CT)

Newburgh Armory Unity Center, Inc. (Newburgh, NY)

Oakland Unified School District (Oakland, CA)

Rich May Foundation (Atherton, CA)

RYSL (Rochester, MN)

Take the Field (Chicago, IL)

United Neighborhood Organization (Chicago, IL)

Urban Ventures (Minneapolis, MN)

Westside Metros Soccer Club (Beaverton, OR)

About the U.S. Soccer Foundation

The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States.  Established in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has invested more than $55 million in all 50 states.  The U.S. Soccer Foundation supports programs and field building projects that provide underserved youth, in urban communities, with opportunities that promote positive behavior, healthy lifestyles, self-confidence and positive alternatives to drugs, crime and other at-risk behaviors.

Media Request: When referring to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, please refer to the organization only as the U.S. Soccer Foundation or the Foundation, and never as USSF or US/U.S. Soccer.  Furthermore, please format “U.S.” with periods and never without. We appreciate your cooperation.

**UPDATE: The Annual Grant Cycle is now closed. It will re-open in the Fall of 2012.

The application will only be available online, and must be submitted via the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s website. You can access this application by visiting the APPLY tab, located at the top of the screen. You will then see a yellow “Apply Now?” button, please click to be redirected towards the Footprint Fields page on the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s website. 

2012 Annual Grant Focus

The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s highest priority is to support projects and programs that focus on using soccer as a youth development tool in economically disadvantaged urban areas.

Footprint Field Grants will be awarded for the installation of a synthetic field surface from FieldTurf. This funding can be applied toward new field constrution or the upgrading of existing fields.

Grant Amount

 While $200,000 represents the maximum amount of grant money awarded, we ask that you please request an accurate amount that realistically represents your organization’s need and budget capacity.

Eligibility Rules

 To be eligible for a Field Building Grant, you must:

•  Apply on behalf of a program or project operating in the United States
•  Be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, school, municipality, college or university, or sovereign tribal nation
•  Apply as, or on behalf of a field building project
• Own, or have a minimum of a 10 year land lease/land use agreement on the land where the field building project will take place

Since 1995, the US Soccer Foundation has awarded grants to more than 600 organizations in all 50 states. The Footprint Fields Grants support field building projects throughout the United States that aim to develop durable and high quality soccer fields, which ultimately provide children in underserved communities safe places to play.

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Thank you to everyone who applied for a Footprint Field Grant this year. We would like to commend you for your efforts and hope you will apply again next year! The competition was steep, but now we would like to introduce you to the recipients.

Congratulations to all of our Grantees for 2011. We wish you the best of luck as you move forward with the Footprint Fields Program, and continue the process towards providing your community with a new and improved soccer pitch.

City of San Bruno

San Bruno, CA

The City of San Bruno’s Community Services Department works closes with a number of different youth-based organizations (including AYSO and CYSA) to provide soccer programming to its young residents. The refurbishment of Lion’s Field will help to address the city’s pressing need for soccer facilities. Once completed the field will see a 67% increase in use and will be the only year-round public athletic facility in the City of San Bruno or the two nearest cities, South San Francisco and Millbrae.

Concordia University – Portland

Portland, OR

Concordia University – Portland is committed to impacting the lives of vulnerable children and young people. The Concordia Athlete Corps and Teacher Corps provide hundreds of tutors and mentors to the community and work to expand opportunities for at-risk youth. The construction of the Concordia Community Athletic Complex will allow the University to expand its soccer-based youth development programming and enhance the impact it can in the city of Portland.

Cordova Recreation and Park District

Rancho Cordova, CA

The Cordova Recreation and Park District will use its Footprint Fields Grant to turn an unused dirt lot into a safe, accessible play space for the community. The Cordova Recreation and Park District will run free and low-cost programming designed to create healthy habits and improve the fitness of local youth.

Enlace Chicago

Chicago, IL

Enlace Chicago is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of the residents of the Little Village Community by fostering a physically safe and healthy environment in which to live and by championing opportunities for educational advancement and economic development. The new Footprint Field will directly serve 2,000 children and the 90,000 members of the Little Village Community.

Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis – Michael A. Carroll Stadium

Indianapolis, IN

The revitalization of the Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium field will allow Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis I to host world class soccer events at their facility while also addressing the city’s significant need for soccer facilities in the downtown area which contains a large population of underserved youth who are currently being shut out of the game because programming, fields, instruction and facilities are not affordable.

Kansas City Soccer Foundation

Kansas City, MO

The Kansas City Soccer Foundation was founded in 2006 by Sporting KC (then the Kansas City Wizards) to provide charitable and educational programs to youth in the Kansas City metropolitan area, using soccer as a tool. These programs range from providing college scholarships to high school students giving back to their communities to developing health education programs for young children. The construction of a Footprint Field in Northeast Kansas City will help to improve and expand the programs currently being offered by the Kansas City Soccer Foundation to an area that is in desperate need of safe, sustainable and accessible soccer facilities.

Madison Area Youth Soccer Association

Madison, WI

The organization’s mission is to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of youth through soccer, at all ages and levels of competition. MAYSA has made a commitment to providing opportunities to low-income children in a number of ways by providing low-income programs with logistical support, donations of equipment, free facility use and annual grants. The creation of a new FieldTurf field will allow MAYSA to further expand the support it can provide to programs catering to underserved communities.

Michigan Wolves & Hawks Soccer Club

Detroit, MI

Despite operating in one of the most economically distressed areas of the country, the Michigan Wolves & Hawks Soccer Club continues to provide affordable programming to underserved children in Southeast Michigan through its Wolves Hawks Youth Academy. Highly qualified coaches and players from the club volunteer their time every week to mentor younger players in the Academy.

Northside Independent School District

San Antonio, TX

Located in San Antonio, TX, Northside ISD is the largest school system in South Texas and the fourth largest in the state. Northside ISD is committed to maintain a broad-based sports program that will afford all students with athletic interests the opportunity for safe and healthy participation in their sport of choice. Moreover, Northside ISD uses sports to provide student athletes guidance and information on gang prevention, conflict resolution, health, self-empowerment, truancy prevention, tutoring, and improved academic performance.

Parkways Foundation

Chicago, IL

The Parkways Foundation works to enrich the physical and cultural landscape of Chicago’s pars which encourage the feeling of community, foster a sense of ownership, enhance the quality of life, and engage the neighborhood. As the philanthropic partner of the Chicago Park District, Parkways funds projects throughout the City of Chicago that include the needs of children and families. The East Garfield field project is part of a much larger effort to provide safe play spaces for children and families in Chicago’s economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Salt Lake City Corporation

Salt Lake City, UT

The municipal government of Salt Lake City is working with a number of community partners including the Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer team to develop an athletic complex designed specifically to address the quickly growing need for facilities in the city. The Salt Lake Regional Athletics Complex represents a serious commitment to the continued support and growth of the game of soccer in the greater Salt Lake City area.

St. Benedict’s Preparatory School

Newark, NJ

St. Benedict’s is committed to serving Newark’s at-risk youngsters and those from low-income backgrounds in the hopes of providing them with the necessary education and instruction to become responsible, contributing members of society. Home to one of New Jersey’s storied soccer programs, St. Benedict’s also provides facilities and support to soccer-based youth development programs, including the Claudio Reyna Foundation and the Brick City Soccer program. Both programs will be able to expand their capacity once the artificial turf surface at St. Benedict’s has been replaced.

The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division

Chicago, IL

The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the City of Chicago, having served the region since 1885. With the construction of this new Footprint Field the Salvation Army Metropolitan Division will have the unique opportunity to radically transform one of the most distressed communities in the city, the Far South Side, by investing in the 74,000 youth who live nearby. The field will support the organization’s youth development initiatives by coupling the educational elements of the programs to sports, specifically soccer.

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District

Beaverton, OR

The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District works with the local recreational soccer league and competitive leagues to offer programs that expand the availability of soccer to its residents. In addition, the Portland Timbers, through their Hispanic Outreach, are active partners, providing players as mentors to low-income youth clubs in the greater-Portland area through the Adopt-a-Club program.  The project will provide a much needed soccer facility and in doing so, support various other community soccer programs that promote health and wellness, curbing childhood obesity, mentoring at-risk youth and education initiatives.

West Aurora High School

Aurora, IL

West Aurora High School has a rich athletic tradition, one that engages the local community and encourages its student-athletes to resist the influences of gang culture that affect the Aurora community. Beyond providing the community with a safe, professional quality playing surface, the field will provide the children and teens of Aurora with a positive alternative to the negative influences they face.

Widener University

Chester, PA

Widener University has developed a strong partnership with the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer and the two are teaming up to build a field in the economically distressed Chester Upland area outside of Philadelphia. The field, as part of a larger athletic complex, will be used to improve the health and well-being of urban youth. Specifically, the project will provide year round programming with a special emphasis on the summer months to when youth violence and gang activity spikes.

The 2011 Footprint Fields Grant Cycle is now CLOSED.

All applications and paperwork must have been received by 5 P.M. Eastern Standard Time on October 29, 2010.

Thank you all for your interest, participation, and applications thus far.

The Footprint Fields 2011 Grant Cycle has now been open for five days. To easily access the application form, please follow these easy steps:

1. Click on the “Apply” tab from the menu above (under the Footprint Fields banner).
2. Click on the big yellow box that says “Apply Now” (you can’t miss it).
3. This will send you to the Footprint Field Grants page at USSoccerFoundation.org.
4. Click on the blue “APPLY ONLINE NOW!” link.
5. You will now arrive at the 2011 Grant Application.

The 2011 Footprint Fields Grant Cycle opens on October 1, 2010 and closes October 29, 2010. The Footprint Fields program is the product of a collaborative effort between adidas, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, FieldTurf, and MLS W.O.R.K.S.

The 2011 Footprint Fields Grant Cycle opens on October 1, 2010 and closes October 29, 2010. The Footprint Fields program is the product of a collaborative effort between adidas, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, FieldTurf, and MLS W.O.R.K.S.

The Footprint Fields Program fosters the devlopment of durable, cost efficient fields in community areas where there are inadequate safe places for children to play. A Footprint Field is a turf field that can be used in all weather conditions,  requires little maintenance, and also:

• Has an 8-year warranty
• Withstands inclement weather
• Resists wear and tear
• Requires no watering, fertilizing, over-seeding or “rest”
• Available for use at all hours when lighted

The Footprint Fields Grant ensures that this technology is more affordable for communities throughout the nation, especially in economically disadvantaged urban areas where there is a severe shortage of fields. The grant provides a credit up to $200,000 toward the cost of constructing or upgrading a full-size synthetic grass soccer field. As a result of these grants, artificial turf fields have been built and are in use in cities across the U.S., such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C.

For more information about the Grant, please click the “Apply” tab on the on the Footprint Fields home page.

The Footprint Fields Program fosters the devlopment of durable, cost efficient fields in community areas where there are inadequate safe places for children to play. A Footprint Field is a turf field that can be used in all weather conditions,  requires little maintenance, and also:

• Has an 8-year warranty
• Withstands inclement weather
• Resists wear and tear
• Requires no watering, fertilizing, over-seeding or “rest”
• Available for use at all hours when lighted

The Footprint Fields Grant ensures that this technology is more affordable for communities throughout the nation, especially in economically disadvantaged urban areas where there is a severe shortage of fields. The grant provides a credit up to $200,000 toward the cost of constructing or upgrading a full-size synthetic grass soccer field. As a result of these grants, artificial turf fields have been built and are in use in cities across the U.S., such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C.

For more information about the Grant, please click the “Apply” tab on the on the Footprint Fields home page.