Today, Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced the opening of the 2016 grant cycle of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund. This marks the 10th grant cycle for the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation. The majority of the grants distributed will help police and fire department K-9 units to purchase dogs and dog safety vests, but other types of needs are also considered. 

The Foundation will be distributing grants in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers during the 2016 NFL season including Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Buffalo, and Cincinnati areas. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation invites police and fire departments in these eight cities to submit proposals detailing their needs. In addition, the Foundation will continue to make grants to several police and fire department K-9 units in the Pittsburgh area following Super Bowl LI.

The mission of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA. Roethlisberger and the Foundation also strive to support Make-A-Wish. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributed more than $170,000 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2015 NFL season, including $93,250 in the Pittsburgh community.

The Foundation has distributed in excess of $1.5 million since 2007.

In commenting on why the mission of the foundation is so important to him, Roethlisberger said, "We're very fortunate to be in the position that we are able to help these K-9 units. The work that is performed by the dogs and their handlers as well as the bond that is formed is incredible. We're just thrilled to do our small part."

For the first time in 10 years, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is utilizing a paperless application process and all applications must be submitted online via http://thegivingbackfund.org/ben-roethlisberger-foundation-application-2016/ . Hard copies of the application received by mail, fax, or email will not be accepted.

Fans of The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation can support future K-9 grants by purchasing candy on Sarris Candies' website ( www.SarrisCandiesFundraising.com ) using a special purchase code (77-7777). Sarris will donate 25% of the purchase price to the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation.

For more information about the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation or The Giving Back Fund, visit www.bigben7.com or www.givingback.org .