FY26 Sports and Entertainment Events Fund Grants

FIFA World Cup Related Round of Funding (FY26) 

REQUEST FOR RESPONSES (RFR) AND APPLICATION INFORMATION 

 

View the PDF here.

 

RFR RELEASE DATE: February 2, 2026 

ONLINE APPLICATION: Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 3:00pm eastern time. Application link: https://mott.submittable.com/submit. Online applications only. Applications must include all required documentation by the program deadline.

QUESTIONS: An optional webinar will be offered for potential applicants on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 10:00am. Pre-registration is required: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3YB0mjImSMKEZv8_sREIxA 

Grant questions must be submitted in writing to Charlie Ticotsky, Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (Charlie.ticotsky@mass.gov) by Monday, February 23, 2026 at 3:00pm. Questions and answers from email and the webinar will be posted online on approximately Wednesday, February 25, 2026. 

Any applicants experiencing technical difficulties or have technical application questions must alert MOTT by emailing WebManager.MOTT@mass.gov by Monday, March 2 at 3pm.

 

OVERVIEW 

The Sports and Entertainment Events Fund was established by Chapter 73 of the Acts of 2025 (“the Act”) to support major sports or entertainment events through a competitive grant program. The program is administered by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT). The same Act funded the grant program with $10 million to support costs related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

By law, no more than 50% of the program’s annual allocation may go to one recipient. Priorities of the fund include direct and economic impacts on the Commonwealth’s tourism industry, promotion of the Commonwealth in national and international media, and geographic equity. 

 

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY 

Only one application per applicant may be submitted. There must be one lead applicant, but multiple organizations may collaborate on an application. A public agency, municipality, tribal entity, or nonprofit organization incorporated in Massachusetts with 501(c)3, 501(c)4, 501(c)5, 501(c)6, status from the Internal Revenue Service is eligible to apply. Applicants must:

• have begun operations before January 1, 2025. 
• be in good standing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the municipality where it is located 
• must be current on all taxes due through December 31, 2024 
• have active and valid state licenses/registrations if applicable 
• be in compliance with MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A of MGL c. 40A) if applicable (municipal applicants only) 
• complete the online application, including all required documentation, by the deadline 

 

The following applicants are ineligible to receive funding: 

• For-profit organizations 
• Public colleges and universities or state agencies 
• A fiscal sponsor that will pass through funds to an ineligible organization 
• Organizations not located in Massachusetts 

 

GRANT CATEGORIES AND ELIGIBILITY 

Categories of funding are anticipated to include: 

• Expenses supporting hosting of FIFA World Cup matches 
• Expenses supporting official Fan Fest 
• Expenses supporting team home bases and base camps (i.e. hotels and practice facilities) 
• Expenses supporting watch parties  
• Notes: Watch parties must show a minimum of one of the matches taking place at Boston Stadium. Watch parties must operate in accordance with FIFA public viewing rules (including license if required) and brand protection and intellectual property guidelines. 

 

Eligible expenses may include: 

• Transportation 
• Public safety  
• Wayfinding and Signage 
• Services for Disabilities  
• Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability Efforts 
• Volunteer Support Costs 
• Event Services 
• Sports Marketing 
• Construction, functioning, or operation of a sports or entertainment event, including a viewing license

 

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Expenses incurred or obligated prior to or after the grant period 
• Annual operating expenditures or overhead expenditures (e.g. rent, utilities, etc.)
• Salaries, bonuses, or fringe benefits of personnel not directly related to the grant award 
• Prize money, gift cards, scholarships, awards, plaques, or certificates  
• Purchases of alcohol, cannabis or tobacco 
• Legal fees, insurance/liability insurances and/or membership fees 
• Mini-grants or reallocation to other organizations without written approval from MOTT 
• Any expenses not related to the described grant purposes 

 

MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENTS

All grants require at least a 1:1 match. This means that the grant recipient must raise an amount equal to or more than the grant amount. Costs incurred using matching funds must be used for expenses reasonably related to the event. Recipients will have until August 31, 2026 to both raise and incur matching funds. Grants that do not fulfill their 1:1 match will be required to reimburse the Commonwealth for the amount not met.  Matching funds may include any of the following assets: 

• cash funds, which may be in place prior to grant award 
• in-kind contributions to the project 
• capital equipment donation 
• municipal funding 
• donation of consultant time 

 

Match amount may not include: 

• donation of employee time or fringe benefits 
• consultant fringe benefits 
• endowment funds
• MOTT funds, other Commonwealth grant funds, including grants from independent and quasi-public state agencies, and federal grant funds 

 

APPLICATION REVIEW CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed by the strength of the following criteria. Not every bullet point will be applicable to every proposal, depending on category of proposal.

 

Viability (35%)

• Thoughtful budget 
• Ability to provide matching funds 
• Appropriate timeline 
• Has held relevant meetings and secured or made progress on local, state, or federal permits required to implement the proposal 
• Applied for viewing license 
• Demonstrated local support (can include up to two letters of support—a letter of support is strongly encouraged if the event does not have all necessary permits in place and/or is being held on property that the applicant does not own. Non-municipal applicants are required to provide a letter of support from the municipal CEO.) 
• Public safety and security plan in place and reviewed by authorities 
• Transportation and parking plan in place and reviewed by authorities 
• Alignment/partnership with local and regional agencies and organizations 

 

Economic Impact and Need (35%) 

• Articulation of need 
• Avoidance of state costs
• Risks if funding is not awarded 
• Expected return-on-investment for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
• Direct and indirect economic impacts on the tourism industry (Note: A tourist is defined as somebody who travels more than 50 miles or spends a paid overnight at their destination) 
• Promotion of Massachusetts in national and international media 
• Marketing plan 

 

Clarity and vision (20%) 

• Clarity and vision of how the proposal is a good fit for the inaugural rounds of Sports and Entertainment Events Fund Grants 
• How success will be measured 
• Unique attributes of proposal

 

Geographic equity other state priorities (10%) 

• Location of proposal within a Designated Cultural District (Chapter 10, Section 58A)  
• Includes commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence in Massachusetts 
• Sustainability elements 
• Equity and inclusion efforts, including for persons with disabilities 

 

PERMITTING, LICENSING, AND LOCAL SUPPORT FOR WATCH PARTIES

Local support is essential in organizing a successful event. Demonstrating local support as well as strong progress on obtaining necessary permits and licenses will be heavily weighed. If any permits are not in place, please describe progress made to date and the plan moving forward to secure permits and approvals. If the applicant does not own the property on which it proposes to organize a watch party, a letter of support from owner of the property is strongly encouraged. For applicants who are not municipalities, a letter of support from the municipal CEO is required. The portal to apply for a public viewing license from FIFA can be found at https://publicviewing.fifa.org/public_viewing. MOTT strongly encourages applicants to closely review FIFA’s Brand Protection Guide (https://inside.fifa.com/tournament-organisation/brand-protection) and Intellectual Property Guidelines (https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/3567360896991b48/original/FIFA-World-Cup-26-IP-Guidelines.pdf) to ensure compliance with FIFA’s regulations. Watch party applicants should also refer to the Boston 2026 Host Committee’s Community Celebrations Playbook (https://bostonfwc26.com/community-celebrations/). 

 

DOCUMENTATION, CERTIFICATIONS, AND DISCLOSURES

A number of required documentations, certifications, and disclosures are part of the application pursuant to Chapter 23A, Section 13W(c). These mainly concern procurement and labor regulations and practices. By statute, all applicants must provide documentations, certifications, and disclosures, if relevant to the nature of the application, in order to be eligible to receive grant funding. A successful applicant’s good faith failure to provide complete and accurate documentation, certifications and disclosures will result in suspension from the grant program for a period of 30 days, during which MOTT will provide an opportunity for the awardee to address application deficiencies to the satisfaction of MOTT. Failure to cure deficiencies will result in grant termination. A successful applicant’s willful failure to provide accurate documentation, certification and disclosures will result in termination of grant funding and trigger the return of all disbursed funds within 30 days. The Attorney General will take enforcement action for potential violations as necessary.

 

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS

The Sports and Entertainment Events Fund Grant Program anticipates awarding up to $10,000,000 in this funding round via a competitive grant process.  

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 3:00pm eastern time. Application link: https://mott.submittable.com/submit. Online applications only. Applications must include all required documentation by the program deadline.  

An optional webinar will be offered for potential applicants on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 a 10:00am. Pre-registration is required: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3YB0mjImSMKEZv8_sREIxA. 

Grant questions must be submitted in writing to Charlie Ticotsky, Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (Charlie.ticotsky@mass.gov) by Monday, February 23, 2026 at 3:00pm. Questions and answers will be posted online on approximately Wednesday, February 25, 2026. 

Any applicants experiencing technical difficulties or who have technical application questions must alert MOTT by emailing WebManager.MOTT@mass.gov by Monday, March 2, 2026 at 3:00pm. 

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) staff will review all complete, eligible proposals submitted by the application deadline. MOTT will award grants based upon criteria outlined above in consultation with Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) and other relevant state agencies, and subject to appropriation.  

As the range of uses of this funding is broad, MOTT reserves the right to group applications into categories to prioritize funding to the categories that most effectively suit overall state efforts to ensure a safe, successful, and positively impactful FIFA World Cup, while taking into account the goal of achieving geographic diversity. In the category of watch parties, it is MOTT’s intent to fund up to five watch parties at no more than $400,000 each, in geographically diverse parts of Massachusetts. Further, MOTT reserves the right to make awards in multiple rounds, with or without re-opening the application. 

Grant awards are anticipated to be announced in March 2026. 

 

GRANT MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING 

Grants will be managed by MOTT staff in conjunction with EOED staff.  

Grant funds will be reimbursed on a rolling basis, on a cost-reimbursement basis upon demonstration of incurred costs. Copies of original vendor invoices showing the actual matching and grant costs incurred, the check number, and date of the check corresponding to the invoices must be submitted by the conclusion of the grant period. 

All awardees are strongly encouraged to incorporate the statement “Funded in part by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sports and Entertainment Events Fund” on their website, signage, and/or marketing materials along with the VisitMA logo. Watch parties funded by this grant program will be required to be in compliance with the MOTT logo policy.  

As outlined above, all grantees must maintain compliance with required documentations, certifications, and disclosures outlined in the statute. 

Grantees are encouraged to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please see the Commonwealth’s Directory of Certified Businesses to find minority and women business enterprises. 

MOTT may require grant recipients to meet for progress meetings and anticipates holding progress meetings in May for all grant recipients.  

Grant funds (as well as required matching funds) must be spent by August 31, 2026. A final report must be submitted to MOTT by September 30, 2026.  

2026 Sports and Entertainment Events Fund Grant Application

Please review carefully and answer the following questions.