FIFA World Cup Grant Program Fact Sheet

Overview

The FIFA World Cup Grant Program (FWCGP), established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 2025 (Pub. L. No. 119-21, Sec. 90005(a)), provides $625 million in funding to host cities, through governor-designated State Administrative Agencies (SAAs). The funding will allow recipients to carry out the extensive security activities required to protect players, staff, attendees, venues, and critical infrastructure across the host cities, strengthening them against potential terrorist attacks. The scale of the event poses significant security challenges. This program supports activities such as training and readiness exercises, staff background checks, cybersecurity defense, as well as increased police and emergency response for FIFA venues, hotels, transportation hubs, and other critical infrastructure to enhance security and preparedness.

Funding

The total amount of funds available under the FWCGP is $625 million. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for additional details about the funding available under this program.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

The SAAs are the only entities eligible to submit FWCGP applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Funds will be awarded to SAAs in nine eligible states: California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri (on behalf of Missouri and Kansas), New Jersey (on behalf of New Jersey and New York), Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.

Subapplicants

SAAs distribute FWCGP funds through subawards to the 11 designated Host City Committee Task Forces in: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York City/Northern New Jersey Area (East Rutherford, NJ); Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara, CA); and Seattle, WA. The Host City Committee Task Forces will then make subawards to local units of government. These organizations, called subrecipients, use the funds for enhancing safety and security for the World Cup matches in their cities.

Restrictions

• Tribal governments may not apply directly but may participate as subapplicants.
• Foreign nationals or noncitizens must be properly vetted and approved under applicable federal statutes and policies.

Funding Guidelines

Costs charged to federal awards (including federal and non-federal cost share funds) must comply with applicable statutes, rules and regulations, policies, the NOFO, the relevant sections of the Preparedness Grants Manual as identified in the NOFO, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. This includes, among other requirements, that costs must be incurred, and products and services must be delivered within the budget period. See 2 C.F.R. § 200.403(h).

Recipients may not use federal funds or any cost share funds for the following activities:

1. Matching or cost sharing requirements for other federal grants and cooperative agreements (see 2 C.F.R. § 200.306).
2. Lobbying or other prohibited activities under 18 U.S.C § 1913 or 2 C.F.R. § 200.450.
3. Prosecuting claims against the federal government or any other government entity (see 2 C.F.R. § 200.435).

Pass-Through Requirements

SAAs are required to pass-through 100% of the FWCGP funding to Host City Committee Task Forces. The Host City Committee Task Forces will then make subawards to local or tribal governments. For more information on the pass-through requirement, please refer to Sections 2.A, 2.B, and 8.B of the FWCGP NOFO.

As directed by Section 2008(b)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (codified as amended at 6 U.S.C. § 609(b)(2)), FWCGP recipients and subrecipients may not use more than 50% of their total award amount to pay for personnel activities unless a waiver is approved by FEMA. Recognizing that 94% of these funds will be used to support operational overtime activities, when a state submits a grant application indicating that more than 50% of the funding will be allocated to personnel costs, FEMA will treat the grant application as a formal request for a waiver of the 50% limitation. FEMA's subsequent awarding of the grant will constitute approval of the waiver. A separate waiver request will not be necessary.

Application Process

Due to the lapse in appropriations, FEMA has made temporary adjustments to the application process. During this time, the NOFO and application materials will be distributed via email to the eligible SAAs to allow them to begin submitting applications via email.

During the appropriation lapse, all applications must be submitted via email. Completed applications should be emailed directly to [email protected] by 5 p.m. ET on December 5, 2025.

Once the lapse in appropriations is resolved, the application process may transition back to the standard process using FEMA GO. All application information submitted via email during the temporary process may need to be entered into FEMA GO. FEMA will provide additional guidance to assist SAAs in managing the email application process and ensuring a smooth transition back to FEMA GO.

Multi-Step Application Process

Applying for an award under the FWCGP involves multiple steps. Applicants (SAAs only) are strongly encouraged to ensure their Unique Entity Identifiers are up to date in SAM.gov, as the registration process can take four weeks or more to complete. Early registration is critical to avoid delays that could impact submission deadlines. For detailed instructions, please refer to Section 5 of the FWCGP NOFO.

Accessing Application Materials

Eligible SAAs will receive materials via email. Once the lapse in appropriations is resolved, materials will be posted on https://www.grants.gov/.

Submission Deadline

Completed applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. ET on December 5, 2025.

Required Application Documents and Information:

To ensure a complete submission, applicants must submit the following materials via email:

• Application Worksheet: A tool to help applicants organize and complete their submissions.
• Investment Justification (IJ): A detailed explanation of the proposed projects.
• Standard Forms (SF): Standard forms are available at Grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family
  • SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance
    • Grants.gov Lobbying Form, Certification Regarding Lobbying
    • SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction)
    • SF-424B, Standard Assurances (Non-Construction)
    • SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Application Review

The FWCGP applications will be reviewed through a two-phase state and federal review process for completeness, adherence to programmatic guidelines, feasibility, and how well the project descriptions and justifications address the identified risk(s). The review process includes the following steps:

1) STATE REVIEW - The SAA is the sole entity authorized to submit FWCGP applications to FEMA on behalf of the subrecipients. The SAA reviews subaward applications to ensure they meet the legal, financial, and programmatic requirements set forth by FEMA and the state's guidelines before submitting on behalf of the state to DHS/FEMA. As part of the review for the FWCGP, the SAA must:

• Conduct an eligibility review;
• Coordinate with the Host City Committee Task Force(s), then prioritize projects that align with the NOFO requirements;
• Submit IJs that are recommended for funding to DHS/FEMA; and

• Submit all IJs received and not recommended for funding, including incomplete IJs and IJs from subapplicants deemed ineligible to DHS/FEMA.

2) FEDERAL REVIEW - All applications are then reviewed by federal reviewers for compliance with programmatic, legal, and financial requirements. Reviewers use qualitative criteria to assess each application's feasibility and alignment with FWCGP objectives. No formal numerical or weighted scoring system is used; any internal scoring is advisory only and does not serve as the basis for selection or funding levels.

3) FINAL SELECTION - Final funding decisions are made by the Secretary of Homeland Security, taking into account risk, subject-matter expert input, project feasibility, and national priorities.

Application Status

FEMA will review all submitted applications and notify SAAs of the status of their projects. SAAs will be informed whether their projects are approved, require revisions or additional information, or are denied.

1. Allowability

To maximize the impact of the grant program, Planning, Organization, Equipment, Training, Exercises (POETE) activities should be integrated into a cohesive strategy.

THE FWCGP SUPPORTS THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES:

Planning

• Developing and enhancing plans and protocols.
• Conducting assessments.
• Developing related terrorism and other catastrophic event prevention activities.
• Development, review, and revision of continuity of operations plans.
• In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.447, reasonable costs of general liability insurance that subrecipients pay or that are required or approved and maintained by the terms and conditions of the federal award.

Organization

• Development of whole community partnerships.
• Tools, resources, and activities that facilitate shared situational awareness between the public and private sectors.
• Operational overtime associated with increased security measures associated with FIFA World Cup 2026 events, including the match venues, practice venues, fan zones, team hotels, dignitary movements, public transportation nodes, etc.
• Operational overtime associated with increased intelligence and information sharing and analysis needs during the conduct of FIFA World Cup.

Equipment

• Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) operational search and rescue equipment.
• Personal protective equipment.
• Cybersecurity enhancement equipment.
• Physical security enhancement equipment.
• Inspection and screening services.
• Critical emergency supplies.
• Power (e.g., generators, batteries, power cells).
• Terrorism incident prevention equipment.
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
• Equipment for detecting and tracking UAS.

Training

• Training workshops and conferences.
• Travel and supplies.
• Overtime and backfill for emergency preparedness and response personnel attending DHS/FEMA-sponsored and approved training classes.

Exercises

• Design, conduct, and evaluate exercises compliant with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).
• Full- or part-time staff or contractors/consultants.
• Overtime and backfill for emergency preparedness and response personnel attending HSEEP-compliant exercises.

Management and Administration

• Necessary direct costs incurred in direct support of the federal award or as a consequence of it, such as travel, meeting-related expenses, and salaries of full/part-time staff in direct support of the program. As such, management and administration (M&A) costs can be itemized in financial reports. If an outside consultant or contractor is used for grant writing or grant management, additional federal requirements may apply.
• Subrecipients may use up to 5% of the funding passed through by the state specifically for M&A related to the FWCGP award.

Investment Justifications

Applicants must submit an IJ that includes:

1. Project Description:
   • Overview of planned activities or equipment purchases.
   • Alignment with the POETE framework.
2. Capability Gap:
   • Explain how planned activities will address or have addressed gaps in public safety and security.
3. Project Objectives:
   • Specify how requested funding will enhance the ability of local law enforcement, emergency responders, and public safety officials to prepare for, protect against, and respond to threats and emergencies during the World Cup matches.
4. Subrecipient Impact (if applicable):
   • Description of how subrecipients will contribute to achieving program goals.
5. Performance Goals:
   • Specify how the requested funding will address the performance goals listed in Section 3.E of the NOFO (e.g., number of training sessions, number of security incidents mitigated).
6. Budget and Timeline:
   • Detailed breakdown of costs and key milestones for project implementation.

Additional Guidance for Completing the Investment Justification

• Use Data to Support the Need: Include data, risk assessments, or real-world examples to substantiate the operational need for each activity.
• Focus on Impact: Emphasize how the project will enhance public safety, protect critical infrastructure, and address threats and emergencies during the FIFA World Cup.
• Be Specific and Measurable: Avoid vague statements. Provide concrete details about the project's scope, activities, and expected outcomes.

FWCGP Resources

There are a variety of resources available to address programmatic, technical, and financial questions, which can assist with FWCGP applications:

• The Fiscal Year 2025 Preparedness Grants Manual is available online at https://www.fema.gov/grants. Applicants should only reference the sections of the Preparedness Grants Manual identified in the NOFO.
• For additional program-specific information, please contact [email protected].
• For support regarding financial grants management and budgetary technical assistance, applicants may contact the FEMA Award Administration Help Desk via email at [email protected].

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