DC SCORES receives Social Innovation Fund Sub-Grant from U.S. Soccer Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Jake Lloyd

jlloyd@americascores.org

202.393.6999 x313

DC SCORES Receives Social Innovation Fund Sub-Grant from U.S. Soccer Foundation to Support Soccer for Success

Washington, DC – On March 7, the U.S. Soccer Foundation awarded a Social Innovation Fund Sub-Grant to DC SCORES, in partnership with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) and KIPP DC, to support the implementation of Soccer for Success in Washington, DC. Soccer for Success is the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s after-school, sports-based youth development program that uses soccer as a tool to combat childhood obesity and provides nutrition education and mentorship to children in at-risk communities.

In August 2011, the U.S. Soccer Foundation was awarded a grant from the prestigious 2011 Social Innovation Fund, on behalf of the Corporation for National and Community Service, to support programs that promote healthy lifestyles and reduce obesity rates for children in urban, underserved communities. The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, was one of five intermediaries to receive this award.

In 2012, the Soccer for Success program will expand to serve 13 cities and over 12,000 children, as a result of the award the Foundation received from the Social Innovation Fund.

“The U.S. Soccer Foundation is proud to receive an award from the Social Innovation Fund to expand the Soccer for Success national footprint,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO. “We believe that Soccer for Success is an innovative program that can make a positive impact on youth. We are happy to assist organizations that are committed to improving the well-being of children in at-risk communities using soccer.”

“DC SCORES is incredibly proud to be a part of the Soccer for Success landscape,” said DC SCORES Executive Director Amy Nakamoto. “The US Soccer Foundation has done a tremendous job in elevating the role of sports and physical activity in students’ lives. In a city where childhood obesity and inactivity rates are staggering, this investment in the District of Columbia is critical. 

"DC SCORES, alongside LAYC and KIPP DC, will be able to serve over 650 students through this initiative. We couldn’t be more excited about our partners and our ability to spread the game of soccer to almost double the number of students we currently serve.”

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said: "I am thrilled by the $200,000 grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to promote healthy lifestyles in the District and help stop the rolling tide of obesity among our kids. Let our kids have at a soccer ball and the rest will take care of itself."

The Social Innovation Fund requires that each federal dollar granted be matched by the intermediaries and again by the organizations selected to receive a Sub-Grant. DC SCORES was one of 13 non-profit organizations across the nation to receive the 2012 Soccer for Success SIF Sub-Grant. Implementation of Soccer for Success will begin in fall/winter 2012.

This opportunity will allow DC SCORES to utilize the Soccer for Success curriculum to expand and enhance their current soccer programming. They have partnered with LAYC and KIPP DC to ensure this program has a definite and lasting impact in the Greater DC area

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.

About DC SCORES

For people who believe in a well-rounded childhood, DC SCORES is the quality, team-based approach providing youth with the arts, athletics, and academics that will engage, enrich, and improve their lives. DC SCORES builds teams through after-school programs for over 800 low-income DC youth at 27 schools by instilling self-expression, physical fitness, and a sense of community. DC SCORES accomplishes this in an innovative model combining poetry and spoken word, soccer, and service-learning year-round.

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.

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