Our Story
Overview
The FIFA Foundation was established in 2018 as part of FIFA’s commitment to making a positive social impact and addressing the most pressing global challenges. Aligned with FIFA’s Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027, FIFA’s flagship Football Unites the World campaign and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the FIFA Foundation leverages the intrinsic values of the beautiful game for the benefit of people and the planet.
The FIFA Foundation is an independent organisation that shares FIFA’s goals of using football to unite the world and bring about positive change in society. It does this through a number of programmes bound by a common thread: making lives around the world better thanks to the beautiful game.
Its work tackles a range of issues, including the social challenges facing young people, and provides support in a number of areas, such as education, empowering women and girls to play football and realise their full potential, and revamping sports infrastructure.
Recently established initiatives such as the Digital Education Programme and the Refugee Programme reflect the new challenges of modern society, and they all have the help and support of the FIFA Legends, some of the game’s most iconic figures, who play their part in passing on the foundation’s message.
To be able to positively impact society through the power of football is a shared goal and responsibility.
How we make an impact
What we do
The FIFA Foundation supports programmes and partners worldwide that harness the power of football to drive long-term social impact.
Working with local organisations, Member Associations and international partners, the FIFA Foundation funds and supports initiatives that address pressing social challenges - from education and inclusion to gender equality and mental health - in communities where the need is greatest.
To date, FIFA Foundation programmes have reached over one million people across 90 countries, through 300 local NGO partners worldwide since 2018.
Community Programme
The FIFA Foundation Community Programme partners with local organisations that harness the power of football to tackle social challenges and support underprivileged children and young people in their communities.
In the programme’s 2025-2026 cycle, support is being provided to 139 non-governmental organisations in 57 countries, which are delivering football-based initiatives that promote education, inclusion, gender equality and social cohesion.
Through grants and technical assistance, the FIFA Foundation helps local organisations implement community-led projects that respond to the specific needs of the populations they serve. In total, almost one million people have benefited from initiatives funded under the FIFA Foundation Community Programme.
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Digital Education Programme
The FIFA Foundation Digital Education Programme equips children with essential digital and life skills by combining football-based learning with programming, robotics and creative digital tools. Using football as an entry point, the programme helps bridge the digital divide and advance inclusive, equitable access to quality education.
Currently delivered in Belize, Bhutan, Mauritania, and Paraguay in collaboration with Ministries of Education, local Member Associations and schools, the programme fosters essential 21st-century skills such as creativity, problem-solving and collaboration. Over the next three years, it aims to reach more than 100,000 students across the four programme countries, while generating insights to support future expansion and global scalability.
Refugee Programme
The FIFA Foundation Refugee Programme aims to provide safe access to football for forcibly displaced people, particularly young adults, women and girls, from vulnerable communities. The initiative, which has already been launched in Malawi, Poland, Morocco and Armenia, is being delivered in collaboration with UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. It provides access to regular football activities, football equipment and coach training programmes to strengthen capacity and employability, using football to promote community development and social cohesion.
The programme adopts a football-for-protection approach that strengthens dialogue and cooperation between refugees and host communities. It empowers community leaders to be role models and mentors, equipping them with knowledge and skills to support the well-being and inclusion of people forced to flee their homes.
Humanitarian Fund
The FIFA Foundation maintains a dedicated humanitarian fund to provide timely, life-saving relief in response to natural and human-made disasters worldwide. Over the years, this mechanism has supported responses in numerous emergency contexts, across diverse geographic and humanitarian settings. Working closely with organisations on the ground enables the Foundation to act swiftly and appropriately, reaching vulnerable populations where response capacity is limited and needs are most acute.
Recovery Programme (2018-2025)
From 2018 to 2025, the FIFA Foundation Recovery Programme supported communities affected by disasters and crisis situations through the repair and rebuilding of damaged football infrastructure. Working with Member Associations and local partners, efforts focused on restoring pitches, training centres and community football facilities, contributing to recovery efforts and the return of football activities in affected areas.
Support was delivered in 15 countries worldwide, serving to create safe spaces for football and community activity.
Other activities
Spotlight Initiatives
YourSide
Established under the auspices of the FIFA Foundation, YourSide is a pioneering initiative offering impartial guidance and confidential expert support to survivors, victims, and whistleblowers seeking support in cases of interpersonal violence within the football ecosystem.
YourSide remains fully independent in its operations and serves as a trusted first point of contact, connecting individuals with the right resources and helping to strengthen football’s global response to violence and abuse.
For more information and to seek support visit yourside.org.
World Football Remission Fund
On 23 August 2021, the United States Department of Justice awarded the sum of USD 201,776,233 to the FIFA Foundation as compensation for the losses suffered by FIFA, Concacaf and CONMEBOL as victims of decades of football corruption schemes. These funds were seized from the bank accounts of former officials who were involved in, and then prosecuted for, corruption in football. The money went into the newly formed World Football Remission Fund, established under the auspices of the FIFA Foundation to help finance football-related projects with a positive community impact across the globe.
Supported Projects
The Twinning Project
The Twinning Project partners professional football clubs with correctional institutions to help prisoners prepare for life after release. Through football-based programmes, participants improve their well-being, gain accredited qualifications and develop skills that boost their rehabilitation, employability and reintegration.
Launched in the United Kingdom in 2018, the project has since expanded internationally with the FIFA Foundation support including programmes in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.
Miami SCORES
The FIFA Foundation and Concacaf's support for the Miami SCORES project has helped positively impact the lives of thousands of young people across the city.
The project is part of America SCORES, a leading youth development initiative providing high-need young people with free after-school programming combining soccer, poetry and service learning. This innovative programme serves over 15,000 students annually across 13 cities in North America.
Integrated Dreams
The FIFA Foundation supports Integrated Dreams’ Football for All Leadership Programme, which empowers people with disabilities to cultivate leadership skills and opportunities in football.
Delivered through a combination of training, mentorship and hands-on project development, the programme enables participants to implement inclusive football initiatives in their local communities, fostering more accessible avenues for involvement throughout the game.
Homeless World Cup Foundation
The FIFA Foundation has an ongoing partnership with the Homeless World Cup Foundation, which includes an initiative to protect vulnerable women in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe in collaboration with local organisations.
The project engages women in safe football activities, providing training, support and access to services that reduce the risks of exploitation and strengthen their well-being and inclusion.
World Amputee Football Federation
The FIFA Foundation supports the World Amputee Football Federation’s delivery of programmes that expand access to amputee football worldwide.
Through tournaments, development initiatives and community activities, the partnership helps increase participation, particularly among women and young people, while driving greater visibility and inclusion for amputee footballers across the sport.
Our team
Mauricio Macri is the Executive Chairman, a position he has held since January 2020. Macri has an extensive track record as a leader at the highest echelon in both politics and football. He served as the President of the Republic of Argentina from 2015 to 2019, having previously spent 12 years as the President of Boca Juniors from 1995 to 2007 and overseen the most glittering period in the club’s history, which yielded 16 trophies, 10 of them international.
Meanwhile, Mariana Banús is the Head of the FIFA Foundation Administration and oversees the day-to-day operations of the organisation.
In parallel, the FIFA Foundation is supported by a group of distinguished individuals from diverse industries, all united by a strong commitment to supporting young people and protecting the planet. They contribute diverse expertise and perspectives to the Foundation's mission of driving meaningful social impact in an interconnected world.
The supreme body of the organisation decides on the use of the endowment fund. It is composed of a President and at least two further members.
Composition of the FIFA Foundation Board since July 27, 2022:
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