Key Takeaways
- AEG Community Foundation distributed $400,000 across 20 nonprofits, with grants ranging from $15,000 to $25,000
- LA Galaxy Foundation drives youth sports access through three core pillars: expanding access, promoting health and wellness, and fostering inclusive communities
- Special Olympics Unified Team completed an undefeated 2025 season under LA Galaxy Foundation programming
- Community Partner of the Match program provides financial support to local nonprofits at each LA Galaxy game
- Grant recipients include youth-serving organizations like Boys & Girls Club of Carson and Central American Resource Center
Corporate Foundation Targets Youth Development
AEG’s Community Foundation awarded $400,000 to 20 nonprofit organizations across the United States, focusing on K-12 education, arts, and health and wellness programs. The grants, announced August 25, range from $15,000 to $25,000 each and target communities where AEG and its partners operate.
Several grant recipients were nominated by AEG employees who had previously worked with these organizations. The Foundation’s national executive board reviewed nominations and selected final recipients based on their commitment to building stronger communities in underserved areas.
“For 25 years AEG has invested in non-profit organizations that make a meaningful difference in underserved communities with a goal of helping these communities thrive,” said Martha Saucedo, Chief External Affairs Officer at AEG.
Youth Sports Access Through LA Galaxy Foundation
The LA Galaxy Foundation operates as AEG’s primary vehicle for youth sports investment, focusing on three core areas: expanding access to youth sports, promoting health and wellness, and fostering inclusive communities. The Foundation uses soccer as what it calls “a vehicle for positive transformation” across Southern California.
Through strategic grants, programming, and partnerships, the Foundation targets underserved youth while working to reflect the diversity of Los Angeles. Programs include Greener Goals and the Special Olympics Unified Team, which completed an undefeated 2025 season.
The Foundation’s Community Partner of the Match initiative, presented by Dignity Health, highlights local nonprofits and provides financial support at each Galaxy game. This year’s recipients include organizations that also received AEG Foundation grants: Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), A Place Called Home, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carson.
Partnership Model During Funding Challenges
The corporate foundation approach comes as some nonprofits face federal funding constraints. Tony Brown, chief executive of downtown-based Heart of Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Business Journal that “AEG’s ongoing support – which they’ve provided for decades – is instrumental in moments like these when federal funding for programs has created a sense of scarcity.”
Brown noted that long-term partnerships become particularly valuable “when you need those partnerships that have been with you over a long period of time and continue to be part of the community, as we need to be strong in these moments of crisis.”
Strategic Implications for Youth Sports Funding
The AEG model demonstrates how entertainment and sports companies can create sustained community impact through dedicated foundation structures. By combining corporate foundation grants with venue-based programming like the Community Partner of the Match initiative, organizations can create multiple funding streams for youth-serving nonprofits.
The focus on employee nominations for grant recipients also creates internal engagement while leveraging staff knowledge of effective community organizations. For youth sports organizations, this approach suggests opportunities to build relationships with corporate employees who may become internal advocates for funding partnerships.
via: LA Galaxy
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