CINCINNATI – As preparations for its inaugural Major League Soccer season in 2019 continue, FC Cincinnati has launched the FC Cincinnati Foundation, the team’s official 501(c)(3) non-profit arm.

The FC Cincinnati Foundation will support transformational change for Cincinnati-area children, impacting positive differences in children in underserved communities with programing that centers on character development, physical and mental well-being and community service.

The FC Cincinnati Foundation will use soccer as its driving catalyst by reinforcing character values and improved health and wellness for children who may not otherwise have access to such support. The Foundation will initially focus its community-based efforts in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood before gradually spreading deeper into the Greater Cincinnati area.

“We passionately believe that advancing our greater community and improving the lives of those around us are two of the key responsibilities of every professional sports team,” Carl H. Lindner III, FC Cincinnati Managing Owner and CEO, said. “From the day FC Cincinnati was founded, being active and visible in the community has been a value we’ve preached and lived daily.

“The formation of the FC Cincinnati Foundation cements our commitment to the Cincinnati community at large, and specifically the West End. We’re very excited about the good we can do, both on our own and by galvanizing our larger community of fans and partners to better our beloved city,” Lindner said.

“We’re so pleased to launch the FC Cincinnati Foundation,” Jeff Berding, FC Cincinnati President and General Manager, said. “In our first three years, we made community engagement a priority. Now with the formation of our Foundation, we have set even higher standards and benchmarks to guide our community involvement. We’re so excited to see how our FC Cincinnati Foundation programming can benefit our city’s underserved children and help guide them on a path to better life outcomes.”

The FC Cincinnati Foundation will work in a coordinated effort with FCC’s community relations staff and will steer the club’s community-based outreach and programming.

Coupled with FCC’s on-going initiatives – such as mini-pitch installations, community service activities, the club ambassador program and West End youth soccer teams – FC Cincinnati will also augment its own charitable activities with league-wide MLS community programs through MLS WORKS, including Soccer for All inclusion programming, Kick Childhood Cancer, Greener Goals and the Community MVP program.

“We have aggressive goals for year one of the FC Cincinnati Foundation and we’re thrilled to have such amazing challenges ahead of us,” Kate Solomon, FC Cincinnati Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of the FC Cincinnati Foundation, said. “Cincinnati – and especially FC Cincinnati supporters – have proven to be key drivers in our community efforts. We wouldn’t be so confident in our ability to tackle such big goals without our fans’ and region’s support behind us.”

To augment its community work, the FC Cincinnati Foundation is planning major fundraising events quarterly in 2019. In addition to the tentpole events, the Foundation will be integrated in all areas of FCC’s game day experience for fans attending matches at Nippert Stadium. Outside donations and grants will also be pursued to further expand the Foundation’s resources.

The FC Cincinnati Foundation will be overseen by an outside Board of Directors, which will be named at a later date. Solomon will oversee the Foundation’s day-to-day activities.

For more information about the FC Cincinnati Foundation, visit fccincinnati.com/foundation.

The next time Cincinnati takes the field, it will be as MLS’ 24th team in 2019 when the club debuts in the top professional league in the U.S. and Canada. Season tickets for the 2019 season are now on sale at fccincinnati.com/tickets.

For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. For more information about FC Cincinnati tickets - including 2019 season tickets - call 513-977-KICK (5425) or visit fccincinnati.com/tickets