FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund Awards Grants to First Group of Community-Based Organizations

Landmark Initiative Raising USD $100 Million to Help Transform the Lives of Millions of Children Around the World

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, May 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Global Citizen and FIFA today announced the first round of grant recipients from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. 27 grassroots organizations from 10 countries around the world have been selected to receive awards ranging from USD $50,000–$250,000 to further their vital work providing access to quality education and sports to children in underserved communities.

The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund aims to raise USD $100 million by the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ to expand access to quality education and football for children worldwide. To date, the Fund has raised over USD $30 million, with contributions from philanthropies, major brands and corporations, individual donors, and proceeds from ticket sales to major music and sporting events, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and the upcoming FIFA World Cup
2026™.

The first cohort of FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund grantees reflects both the scale of the need worldwide, and the potential for impact. The organizations selected are collectively reaching tens of thousands of children globally, with some operating in contexts where fewer than 15 percent of students complete secondary school, and where poverty rates exceed 60 percent, underscoring the urgency of targeted investment. By supporting proven models that combine education, sport, and community engagement, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is helping expand access to learning, improve education outcomes, and create pathways to opportunity for children in some of the world’s most underserved communities.

The first group of organizations to receive grants from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund include:

● Antonio Rudiger Foundation (Sierra Leone)
Combining football-based programs with education, health support, and infrastructure development to enable children to learn, grow, and overcome barriers to success.
● Autisme Rwanda (Rwanda)
Supporting children with autism and their families through education, therapy, and advocacy, promoting inclusion and improving quality of life.
● Beyond Soccer (USA)
Using soccer as a gateway to academic success, leadership, and career readiness, providing a continuum of support from childhood through early adulthood.
● Canada Scores (Canada)
Integrating soccer, poetry, and education to promote physical health, literacy, and social-emotional learning while building leadership and self-expression.
● Eduplex NPC (South Africa)
Integrating deaf and hearing students together through auditory-verbal therapy and technology-supported learning, enabling deaf learners to participate fully in school life.
● Eland School (South Africa)
Providing early education for Khomani San children, blending curriculum with indigenous knowledge, language preservation, and community engagement.
● Emmanuel Development Association (Ethiopia)
Promoting empowerment and resilience in vulnerable communities through education, health, child protection, and livelihood programs.
● Field of Dreams Academy (USA)
Preparing girls to become leaders in their communities by integrating STEM learning with sports programs, fostering confidence, purpose, and academia.
● Fundacion El Origen (Colombia)
Using technology and gamification to help underserved youth build the academic, social, and professional skills required to access employment.
● Fundacion Karis (Colombia)
Expanding education access in communities affected by poverty, displacement, and social exclusion through values-based learning, nutrition, and psychosocial support.
● Fundación Tiempo de Juego (Colombia)
Combining football, arts, technology and education to build leadership, resilience, and life skills, helping young people avoid violence and build positive futures.
● Grand River Friendship Society (Canada)
Supporting newcomer and low-income families by combining academic support, sports, and mental health services to foster inclusion and belonging.
● Hit The Books (USA)
Combining tutoring, mentorship, and mixed martial arts training to build academic skills, physical confidence, discipline, and personal growth.

● Ignite Durham (Canada)
Providing resources like food, clothing, and funding to support the well-being, stability and long-term success of students facing socioeconomic challenges.
● Instituto Rede Tenis (Brazil)
Using tennis and education to create opportunities in underserved communities, offering free training and academic support for young people.
● Knysna Education Trust (South Africa)
Improving early childhood development in marginalized communities through training, resources, and support for educators and preschools.
● MLSE Foundation Toronto (Canada)
Integrating sport with education, mental health, and career readiness to create opportunities for young people to succeed.
● Our Bright Future (USA)
Providing STEAM education, financial literacy, health and wellness, and life-skills programs for underserved youth.
● Scientiae (USA)
Integrating science, technology, and sports-inspired activities to equip young people with the skills and confidence needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.
● School on Wheels (USA)
Supporting students experiencing homelessness through tutoring, mentorship and resources, to overcome instability and succeed academically.
● SDGs Promise Japan (Japan, Africa)
Advancing sustainable development and reducing poverty, particularly in Africa, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
● Skateistan (South Africa)
Using skateboarding and creative education to help students, especially girls, build confidence and resilience to navigate social and economic challenges.
● SMILE Mass (USA)
Improving the lives of individuals with disabilities through inclusive recreation, education-adjacent programming, and community engagement.
● Spark Wheel (USA)
Providing students with academic, social, and practical support to help them stay engaged, succeed in school, and build brighter futures.
● Street Soccer USA (USA)
Fighting poverty and strengthening communities through free programs that combine sport, education, and life-skills for young people facing homelessness and hardship.
● Ubuntu FS (Japan)
Using sports, culture and social engagement to support community development, rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu – “I am because we are”.

● YMCA Mexico (Mexico)
Empowering youth, particularly girls, to build leadership skills and access new opportunities through education, health, and sports-based programs.

More information on the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and the inaugural grantees is available at globalcitizen.org/education-fund-grantees.

Applications are now open for the second cycle of grants from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. Organizations providing access to education and sports for children in underserved communities around the world are invited to apply for grants from $50,000 up to $250,000 USD by visiting globalcitizen.org/education-fund-apply.

“Football has the power to unite, inspire and create lasting change, and through the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund we are putting that power into action to invest in the future of children around the world”, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “These organisations are doing extraordinary work, often in the most challenging environments, to ensure children have access to education and the life skills that football provides. Together with Global Citizen, we are committed to expanding this impact and helping many more children realise their potential.”

“For children growing up in extreme poverty, access to education is not only life-changing, it’s life-saving,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Found & CEO, Global Citizen. “The impact of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is far reaching — beyond the lives of young people in classrooms and on sports fields, into these communities, where their quality of life will improve and cycles of poverty will be broken. I extend heartfelt congratulations to our first grantees, and gratitude for their remarkable work.”

“MetLife’s partnership with Global Citizen, and MetLife Foundation’s support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, exemplifies our commitment to building more confident futures for all,” said Nuria Garcia, Global Head of Sustainability for MetLife and Chair of MetLife Foundation. “By supporting the fund, we are helping local organizations expand access to education and sports for children while strengthening communities around the world.”

“We are deeply honored to play a role in an initiative of this scale and purpose — one that has the potential to transform lives and expand access to education for children around the world,” said Joseph Mrak III, CEO of Foundation Source. “For more than 25 years, we have maintained that impactful philanthropy requires more than good intentions. Strong operational and compliance infrastructure is the cornerstone that allows generous gifts to reach those who need it most.”

Founding donors to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund include MetLife Foundation and Bank of America, which also serves as the bank of record for the Fund. Other contributors include Cisco, ticket sales from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, the FIFA World Cup 2026™, and FIFA Collect. Additionally, proceeds from all tickets sold to The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour and Usher and Chris Brown’s ‘R&B’ tour will be donated, with thanks to Live Nation.


The non-fiduciary FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund advisory board includes Hugh Jackman, The Weeknd, Ivanka Trump, Gianni Infantino, Hugh Evans, Serena Williams, Shakira, Kaká and Bank of America co-president Jim De Mare.

Half of the funds raised for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund will be allocated to the FIFA Football for Schools (F4S) programme, an initiative that advances life skills, learning, and community development through football around the world.

The first group of FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund grantees were selected through a highly competitive, multi-stage process designed to ensure credibility and impact. All applications were subject to a rigorous evaluation framework developed by Global Citizen and administered jointly with Foundation Source, encompassing eligibility screening, compliance verification and comprehensive due diligence before any disbursements are made. Ongoing monitoring and spot checks will ensure accountability and results through the grant period. Grantees benefit from a single platform to manage their relationship with Global Citizen from application through grant agreement and reporting, simplifying the administrative process so organizations can stay focused on their work. More eligibility criteria details can be found here.

Click here to learn more about the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

Vista Kalipa
OnPoint PR
vista@onpointpr.co.za
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