MENA Freedom 250 NFL Flag Football Launch and Championship

The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Riyadh, is soliciting applications to implement the "MENA Freedom 250" NFL Flag Football Launch and Championship program, with an application deadline of September 14, 2026. One award of $150,000 is anticipated under the FY26 Smith-Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds. This 12-month cooperative agreement carries no mandatory cost share, though cost sharing and private-sector sponsorships are encouraged.

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations with international sports programming experience, public and private educational institutions with athletics capacity, and public international organizations. For-profit entities may participate only as in-kind partners. All organizations must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier and register with SAM.gov.

The program establishes a regional flag football development pipeline in the Middle East and North Africa, culminating in a March 2027 championship event in Riyadh. Key activities include national team recruitment across seven participating countries (UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Tunisia, and Morocco); in-person clinics led by U.S. sports envoys (former NFL players and elite coaches); a round-robin tournament in Olympic 5-on-5 format; LA28 Olympic development workshops; and optional virtual or hybrid "Road to Podium" workshops for broader MENA community engagement. The recipient assumes responsibility for all program costs within the $150,000 budget, including international delegation travel, U.S. Sports Envoy expenses, interpretation/translation services, and event production costs; venue rental is secured through in-kind Saudi partner support.

Applications will be evaluated on program quality and feasibility (30 points), organizational capacity (20 points), ability to achieve objectives (15 points), budget (10 points), monitoring and evaluation (15 points), and sustainability (10 points). The program operates under CFDA 19.040 (Public Diplomacy Programs).