Angel City and Klarna Commit 10% of Sponsorship to Powering Sustainable Shopping Initiative with Downtown Women's Center Boutique

LOS ANGELES (December 6, 2022) ‒ Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Klarna today announced that the Downtown Women’s Center’s (DWC) social enterprise, MADE by DWC, will be the beneficiary of grant money allocated through the Angel City Sponsorship Model where 10 percent of each sponsorship is reallocated back into the community. 

In October 2021, Klarna, the leading global bank, payments, and shopping service, announced it had joined ACFC as a Founding Partner, bringing the all-in-one shopping platform to new audiences, offering fans an innovative way to shop and pay. As part of the partnership, the organizations are supporting the MADE by DWC program at the Resale Boutique, focusing on promoting a circular economy of sustainable fashion while empowering women in Los Angeles to break the cycle of homelessness through employment.

“Through our partnership with Klarna, Angel City FC is excited to focus our impact on such a meaningful organization like the Downtown Women’s Center,” said Angel City FC President and Co-Founder, Julie Uhrman. “We know firsthand the benefits of empowering women in the workforce and we are excited to support the development of DWC members through their MADE by DWC program.”

In collaboration with Klarna, Angel City FC will call its network into action to donate clothing to the Downtown Women’s Center MADE by DWC Resale Boutique. The Klarna donation bin will be available at the Downtown Women’s Center through the end of December. This collaboration will allow both organizations to highlight key elements of the Boutique. First, the significance of donated items and the impact recycling clothing has on the environment. Second, the significance of the Boutique within the community, which continues to provide on-the-job training for women. 60% percent of the current MADE by DWC staff have graduated from this job-training program. 

“The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) is honored to be supported by ACFC and Klarna. What a perfect community building partnership. MADE by DWC is a social enterprise that is focused on ending homelessness for women through employment. This year alone, 56 women will be enrolled into our job-training program. Previous graduates of the program have been hired at MADE by DWC, and hired into roles in the community that include health and advocacy, retail, food service, administrative roles, and entrepreneurship. We are excited to continue expanding our support for women experiencing homelessness through this collaboration.” - Joe Altepeter, DWC, Chief Social Enterprise Officer.

“Through our partnership with Angel City, Klarna is committed to making a positive impact on planet health and the larger Los Angeles community, and we are excited to support the DWC's mission through the launch of this grant and clothing donation initiative. Klarna's  aim is to provide consumers with reuse options, to resell, donate, or recycle pre-loved items and empower them to minimize waste and extend the life of products through circular services.,” said Megan Gokey, Head of B2C Marketing, North America, Klarna. “This grant money will go towards empowering the community to live a sustainable lifestyle while creating additional opportunities to assist more women in gaining valuable experience they can bring with them into their next chapter.”

ACFC and Klarna launched the program in collaboration with DWC on October 9th at the DWC Gala to introduce the partnership, along with the attendance of ACFC players Cari Roccaro, Simone Charley, and Paige Nielsen. On Sunday, December 11th from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, Angel City FC and Klarna will host an in-person clothing donation event at the Angel City Brewery (216 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012), where fans can drop off new and gently used clothing for the DWC before enjoying fun activities and games hosted by ACFC. Clothing donations can also be made at the Downtown Women’s Center by scheduling a drop-off on their website throughout the week.

ABOUT ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

Angel City Football Club (ACFC), a member of the National Women's Soccer League, recently completed its inaugural season at Banc of California Stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The team is founded by Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and venture capitalist, 776 founder and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Freya Coombe leads the team as head coach and US Women’s National Team star Christen Press was the team’s first playing signing. 

Learn more about ACFC at www.angelcity.com and follow the team on social media @weareangelcity. Season tickets for the 2023 season are on sale now with limited quantities. Fans are encouraged to purchase soon at https://angelcity.com/tickets.