Local “philanthropreneur” helps raise millions to help RAVE Foundation build more soccer fields for kids

It was a demolition that will have a lasting impact.

"It’s huge. It’s giant. It’s game-changing," said Ashley Fosberg, Executive Director of the RAVE Foundation.

Named for the charitable arm of the Sounders FC, Seven "RAVE" Townhouses are going up in the Rainier Valley – with all profits going to the foundation’s initiative to build 26 soccer fields in 26 marginalized communities by the time the World Cup comes to Seattle in 2026.

"This allows us to think beyond that, which really leaves a legacy for the state of Washington and for children all over, so they can access the sport of soccer for free," Fosberg said.

It’s all the work of Thach Nguyen, a local real estate entrepreneur and Vietnamese immigrant, who first raised more than $400,000 in 2021 to help build two soccer fields in the NewHolly neighborhood in South Seattle.

But it’s this new form of philanthropy – buying old property and remodeling with the help of zero interest financing and subcontractors donating their services – that’s allowed Nguyen to donate all profits when he sells.

"This is my wheelhouse," Nguyen said. "I do this for a living everyday. And to be able to buy a piece of property and get all my vendors to come together and work together and to raise money at this level – that’s a fun way to do it."

Nguyen raised a million dollars for RAVE Foundation last year after a similar project in Kirkland.

"There have been a lot of people that have helped my family get on their feet. This is my way of paying back all of the people that helped my family when we came here to the United States in this neighborhood," Nguyen said.

"We talk a lot about legacy and what it means for the World Cup to come here – this is just a real life example of something that will last for well beyond the World Cup coming here," said Peter Tomozawa, CEO of Seattle’s 2026 World Cup Organizing Committee.

Added Sounders FC ambassador Brad Evans: "We’re not just laying down a pitch. It’s about building funding around it so we can go out and teach – not to just put a logo down, but to be there and implant ourselves in the community and make sure that everyone has a soccer ball. That’s the biggest thing about it."

The project is scheduled to be completed by November. Nguyen says he’s hoping to raise another million dollars for the RAVE Foundation this year.