MENA Freedom 250 NFL Flag Football Launch and Championship

The U.S. Department of State, through the U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia, is offering the MENA Freedom 250 NFL Flag Football Launch and Championship under Assistance Listing 19.040, Public Diplomacy Programs. The opportunity is part of the U.S. Department of State-NFL Sports Diplomacy Partnership and is intended to establish a foundational development pipeline for flag football athletes across the Middle East and North Africa. The program will culminate in a regional championship in Riyadh in March 2027 and is designed to use flag football as an American cultural export while advancing U.S. public diplomacy, economic interests, sports governance leadership, youth engagement, and the LA28 Olympic narrative. Targeted countries with active flag football programs include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Tunisia, and Morocco. The program has a 12-month performance period and an anticipated start date of October 2026. It consists of four phases. Pre-Championship Preparation runs from October 2026 through February 2027 and includes national team recruitment, recruitment and vetting of U.S. Sports Envoys, coordination of potential NFL and Saudi partnerships, and delegation logistics. March 2027 Championship activities include clinics led by recipient-sourced U.S. Sports Envoys, a Freedom 250 Cup using the official Olympic 5-on-5 format, and LA28 Road to Podium workshops addressing subjects such as league administration, youth development, sports nutrition, refereeing, and coaching. National Outreach and Knowledge-Sharing is planned for April through August 2027, followed by monitoring and reporting through September 2027. One cooperative agreement of 150000 dollars is anticipated, and total available funding is 150000 dollars, subject to availability of funds. The recipient will recruit, select, manage, and fund the required U.S. Sports Envoys, including their honoraria, travel, visas, and itineraries; coordinate delegation logistics with U.S. Embassies; work with Saudi partners on event execution; support national outreach and follow-on monitoring; and track program deliverables. Embassy Riyadh will have substantial involvement, including coordinating diplomatic and NFL partnership channels, approving the final tournament format, venue, and Sports Envoy selections, managing applicable co-branding requirements, and coordinating delegation nominations with regional posts. Cost sharing is encouraged rather than required. Applicants are encouraged to pursue private-sector partnerships, sponsorships, and in-kind contributions. Award funds may not support partisan political activity, direct social services, construction, fundraising campaigns, commercial projects operated primarily for private profit, illegal activities, payments or transfers to UNRWA, or alcoholic beverages. Additional federal restrictions and certifications described in the notice also apply. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations with demonstrated international sports programming experience, public and private educational institutions with athletics or exchange programming capacity, public international organizations, and governmental institutions with relevant sports programming experience. For-profit entities are not eligible as prime recipients, although they may participate as in-kind partners. Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier and active SAM.gov registration unless an approved exemption applies. The notice states that organizations based in the United States and other countries are subject to these registration requirements, indicating that applicant eligibility is not limited to a particular U.S. state. Applicants requesting a UEI or SAM.gov exemption must contact the point of contact at least two weeks before the application deadline and receive Grants Officer approval before an application can be considered eligible for review. Applications must be submitted by email to RiyadhGrants@state.gov no later than September 14, 2026, at 23:59 EDT. Required application materials include the appropriate SF-424 or SF-424-I, SF-424A, and SF-424B when applicable, as well as a proposal of no more than 25 pages and a separate budget justification narrative. The proposal must address the proposal summary, applicant background and previous U.S. government grants, problem statement, project goals and measurable objectives, activities, methods and design, schedule and timeline, key personnel, project partners, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability. Required attachments include one-page CVs or resumes for proposed key personnel, letters of support from program partners, the latest NICRA when applicable, and official permission letters when required. An optional summary page may also be submitted. Documents must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars, pages must be numbered, and specified document formatting requirements must be followed. Eligible applications will be reviewed by a committee using a 100-point evaluation framework. Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea is worth 30 points, Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants is worth 20 points, Program Planning and Ability to Achieve Objectives is worth 15 points, Budget is worth 10 points, Monitoring and Evaluation is worth 15 points, and Sustainability is worth 10 points. The Department will also conduct a federal risk review addressing financial stability, management systems, performance history, audits, and implementation capacity. If applications receive equivalent scores, the applicant with the lower indirect cost rate receives preference as a tie-breaking mechanism. Award documents will be issued and administered by the Grants Officer, and recipients may incur project expenses only beginning on the start date specified in the signed award. The notice does not provide a specific award notification date. Questions about the application process should be directed to riyadhgrants@state.gov. The opportunity is an initial announcement and does not state that it recurs annually or on another regular schedule.

Prioritize a detailed and feasible implementation plan because program quality and feasibility carry 30 points. Demonstrate relevant organizational expertise, internal controls, financial management capacity, and subaward management experience where applicable. State measurable goals and objectives and connect activities directly to expected results. Provide output and outcome indicators, measurement methods, and milestones in the monitoring and evaluation plan. Submit a detailed and realistic budget covering all necessary expenses. Explain how program benefits will continue after the award period. Ensure proposed activities comply with applicable Executive Orders and all stated program restrictions.