The Starfinder Foundation, a Manayunk-based nonprofit that uses soccer as a pathway to education for inner-city kids, has received a $26,000 grant from the English Premier League, writes Jonathan Tannenwald for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This year, the Premier League decided its International Development Fund grants would go to organizations across the Americas. So, it turned to Street Football World, a German organization that manages development programs for a number of soccer organizations, including FIFA and UEFA.

Starfinder had already worked with Street Football World on a number of projects. The nonprofit teaches inner-city kids how to play soccer while also offering them educational opportunities, such as SAT preparation classes and one-on-one tutoring.

Each year, Starfinder works with hundreds of students, including many from Philadelphia’s increasingly diverse immigrant populations. This helped in securing the $26,000 grant.

“My sense is that the Premier League’s International Development Fund is truly intentional about being an international development fund,” said Starfinder executive director Heidi Warren.

Read more about the Starfinder Foundation in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.