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U.S. Soccer Foundation
Founded in 1994 as the residual beneficiary of the World Cup USA 1994 net proceeds, the U.S.
U.S. Soccer Foundation
Founded in 1994 as the residual beneficiary of the World Cup USA 1994 net proceeds, the U.S. Soccer Foundation operates as the official charitable arm of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Unlike most sports nonprofits that grant lightly to local clubs, this foundation is a project developer. It designs, permits, and physically opens small-sided soccer courts — branded as the Mini-Pitch System — in partnership with organizations like Musco Lighting and adidas. The approach turns a 1994 windfall into an enduring asset portfolio, maintained under an ongoing corporate-partner model. The foundation fields three core programs. Soccer for Success delivers after-school, mentor-led soccer and nutrition education to roughly one million children annually. Safe Places to Play oversees mini-pitch construction, with more than 900 courts opened to date. Just Ball League offers free, structured league play for youth with no cost barrier. These programs fold together into a vertically-integrated model that pairs hard infrastructure with curriculum delivery, a blend that attracts multi-year commitments from partners such as MLS, RBC Wealth Management, and MetLife Foundation — the last issuing a $1.7 million grant in 2025 for additional mini-pitches and youth programming. President and CEO Ed Foster-Simeon leads the organization, with board muscle from figures like Jason E. Fox (CEO of W. P. Carey Inc.) and Paul Britton (CEO of Capula Investment Management). The team operates from its Washington, DC headquarters, channeling an estimated $53 million endowment base (Altss estimate) into direct programming and capital projects. The foundation is a founding member of the Child Rights and Sports Alliance and partners with the National League of Cities, integrating its work with municipal youth-development infrastructure as the 2026 World Cup approaches. The foundation’s structural differentiator is its Mini-Pitch System, a proprietary small-field product developed with technical partner Musco Lighting. This transforms the foundation from a grantmaker into a programmatic developer with a tangible, licensable physical asset — courts that often become permanent fixtures in schoolyards and parks — creating a moat that standard sport-for-good charities cannot replicate.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1994
AUM
~$53M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Washington
Corporate office
1140 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036, United States
Principals
Ed Foster-Simeon
President & CEO
Altss tracks 1 additional named team member for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
How is the U.S. Soccer Foundation related to the U.S. Soccer Federation?
The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the official charitable arm of the U.S. Soccer Federation. It was established in 1994 as the residual beneficiary of the net proceeds from the 1994 World Cup hosted by the US. The two organizations maintain an affiliate relationship, but the foundation operates independently from federation governance, run by its own board and President & CEO Ed Foster-Simeon.
Who runs investment decisions and programming at the foundation?
President and CEO Ed Foster-Simeon leads the foundation's overall strategic direction and programming. The endowment is overseen by board members who include institutional investors: Jason E. Fox, CEO of W. P. Carey Inc., and Paul Britton, CEO of Capula Investment Management. Day-to-day investment management of the endowment portfolio is handled operationally by the foundation’s finance and administration team.
What is the Mini-Pitch System and how does it work as a deployment model?
The Mini-Pitch System is a proprietary small-sided soccer court developed in partnership with Musco Lighting. The foundation identifies partner sites — often schools, parks, and municipal lots in under-resourced communities — and manages permitting, construction, and surfacing. The pitch becomes a permanent community asset, which distinguishes the foundation's capital deployment from traditional expendable grantmaking.
What kind of partners does the foundation work with, and what does the funding model look like?
The foundation partners with corporations (adidas, RBC Wealth Management), sports leagues (Major League Soccer), grant-making foundations (MetLife Foundation, which provided a $1.7 million grant in 2025), and municipalities via the National League of Cities. Funding is a mix of corporate sponsorship, institutional grants, and gifts, deployed both into capital projects (mini-pitches) and programming (Soccer for Success, Just Ball League).
Does the foundation do grantmaking to third parties, or does it run its own programs?
It mostly runs its own programs. Soccer for Success, Safe Places to Play, and Just Ball League are all directly-operated initiatives, though they are delivered through local community-based organizations and schools. The foundation’s role is program design, training, infrastructure build-out, and quality control, rather than passive check-writing.
How is the endowment invested, and what is its scale?
The foundation does not publicly disclose its asset allocation or investment policy. Altss estimates the endowment approximates $53 million based on public financial data. Board members with Wall Street backgrounds — notably Paul Britton of Capula Investment Management — suggest institutional-grade oversight of the portfolio, but specific manager relationships or fund commitments are not public.
How does the foundation approach the 2026 World Cup cycle?
The foundation is actively positioning for the 2026 World Cup in North America as a founding member of the Child Rights and Sports Alliance. It has set public goals to engage one million children annually and install 1,000 mini-pitches by 2026, using the World Cup as a catalyst to deepen municipal and corporate partnerships across host cities.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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