Canada Soccer Foundation’s fundraising campaign surpasses $25-million goal

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The Canada Soccer Foundation, a charitable body that raises money to support the non-profit, governing body for soccer in the country, announced that its “Canada Rising” fundraising campaign has surpassed its $25-million goal about a year-and-a-half ahead of schedule.

“It’s a significant milestone for us,” Samantha Rogers, Canada Soccer’s vice-president of philanthropy, said in an interview on Friday.

The Canadian men’s unprecedented run at the World Cup – they play Morocco in the round of 16 in Houston on Saturday – is also helping the cause.

“The attention and success of the men’s national team right now is certainly creating a bit of a cultural shift and nation-building,” Ms. Rogers said. ”For us, that’s really exciting."

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The original goal of the fundraising drive, which launched in September with $11-million in gifts and commitments, was to reach $25-million by the end of 2027. ​The campaign will now continue, Ms. Rogers said.

“There’s going to be so much interest around the sport in the country. And that’s what will continue to garner interest from donors,” Ms. Rogers said.

She believes philanthropy is the “the future of funding in sport.

“We’re incredibly grateful for being able to create this new culture of philanthropy around the sport and have it drive us into the future.”

The money raised from the campaign goes to support youth programs, coaching development and enhanced high-performance environments for Canada’s senior and youth national teams. It also helps pay the salaries of men’s coach Jesse Marsch and women’s coach Casey Stoney.

Thanks to a $2.5-million gift from the Vancouver-based MacIsaac family, the funding is also helping families and loved ones see the players in action through the newly formed MacIsaac Family World Cup Player Support Program.

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It will help pay for the compensation players receive under Canada Soccer’s “World Cup Friends & Family Program” as detailed in its collective bargaining agreement with the players. It provides each player on the men’s World Cup roster with $20,000 in compensation for friends and family to help cover travel, hotel and related expenses to attend the opening round of matches. The players get an additional $5,000 to cover expenses for each knockout game.

The women will receive the same compensation at their 2027 World Cup.

“Behind every athlete is a network of people who have supported them along the way,” Matt MacIsaac said in a statement. “We’re proud to help create an environment where Canada’s players feel supported during some of the most important moments of their careers.

“Representing your country on the world stage is extraordinary, and we hope this program helps make that experience even more meaningful for players and their families.” ​

The donation from the MacIsaac family is one of the biggest the foundation has received. The largest comes from an anonymous donor.

They are among some 50 “major gift donors” who have contributed more than $10,000, according to Rogers.

The fundraising campaign has also been fuelled by 14,000 donors through CanadaRED, the national organization’s supporters group. Many people joined it to access the governing body’s allotment of World Cup tickets through a lottery.

CanadaRED, revamped in advance of the World Cup, offers seven tiers, ranging from free to $5,000 a year, with tax receipts available for the charitable component of each contribution.

The higher the tier, the better the odds of getting a ticket in Canada Soccer’s lottery – and the more perks there are in terms of getting access to coaches and players.