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FC Cincinnati Foundation details West End grants, youth programs to city committee
Summary
Kate Solomon, a representative of the FC Cincinnati Foundation, told the Equitable Growth & Housing Committee that the foundation provides focused programming and grant funding to the West End under a Community Benefits Agreement.
Kate Solomon, a representative of the FC Cincinnati Foundation, told the Equitable Growth & Housing Committee that the foundation provides focused programming and grant funding to the West End under a Community Benefits Agreement.
The foundation said it reached more than 60,000 children last year through education and soccer-access programs, operates 11 “mini pitches” around the city, and runs a West End grants program that opens twice yearly; the first application period closed April 30 and the foundation plans to award roughly $50,000 in June, with a second window from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31. Solomon said the foundation’s West End grant budget is a minimum of $100,000 each year and that individual grants will not exceed $10,000 to allow wider distribution.
The foundation highlighted several ongoing and pilot initiatives. Solomon described “Stay in the Game,” a statewide school-attendance incentive program the team is bringing to Southwest Ohio, and a “twinning” program that places staff in correctional settings to use soccer-based coaching as a reentry support. She also announced a scholarship pilot with the University of Cincinnati that will award $5,000 annually to four West End students, starting this August; the foundation said the award is intended to supplement Pell and other aid so recipients can focus on studies.
Members of the committee and council praised the foundation’s community engagement and asked about particulars such as the Community Benefits Agreement term and grant sizes. Vice Mayor Kearney was told the CBA runs 30 years and, over time, is valued at more than $50 million. Solomon said the foundation prefers that applicants to the West End grant program consult the West End Community Council and that the foundation “very heavily weighs” community council endorsements.
The committee heard that the foundation is testing a social-emotional‑learning assessment tool (Hello Insights) to better measure program outcomes and described partnerships with Cincinnati Recreation and Cincinnati Public Schools to deliver programming. The foundation said it averages more than one community appearance each day and that programming emphasis is education, leadership and access to sport equipment.
The committee filed the presentation as item number 1.
