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.
Gianni Infantino
FIFA President
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.
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:
The FIFA Foundation Advisory Board delivers a multidisciplinary approach thanks to its range of members from a variety of industries, all of whom have an unwavering commitment to supporting young people and the planet. Serving a term of four years, the members help the foundation to lead meaningful social transformation in an interconnected world and also contribute to building global awareness of the organisation and its values.
Composition of the FIFA Foundation Advisory Board chaired by Mauricio Macri:
How we make an impact
What we do
Since 2018, the FIFA Foundation has supported a series of programmes and special projects, including contributing to the recovery and reconstruction of damaged or destroyed sports infrastructure worldwide, all with the core purpose of helping to improve the lives of young people.
By harnessing the unique ability of football to empower and inspire people, the FIFA Foundation strives to bridge the disconnect in society, promote physical and mental health and, most importantly, instil a sense of healing and unity through the beautiful game.
Community Programme
Launched in 2019, the FIFA Foundation Community Programme involves partnering with local projects that harness the power of football to effect positive social change and address the most pressing global challenges facing underprivileged children and young people within the communities in which they operate.
The programme has grown exponentially since its inception and, in the 2024 edition, applications from a record 130 non-governmental organisations from across 54 countries were accepted, supporting 154,924 people, including 74,863 women. In total, almost one million people have benefited from FIFA Foundation Community Programme-funded initiatives.
Digital Education Programme
A twofold programme of play-based learning for primary school students that combines football and quality education (in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4), in particular by emphasising the importance of essential 21st-century skills.
The programme ensures the provision of technological equipment and enables students to engage in a fun way and with a hands-on approach by applying technology to football while developing abilities such as computational thinking, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving.
Refugee Programme
The FIFA Foundation Refugee Programme aims to provide safe access to football for protracted refugees, particularly children and young leaders in underfunded contexts. This initiative focuses on enhancing access to football infrastructure, delivering comprehensive coaching and training programmes, supplying essential football gear and offering certified courses to build capacity and increase employability. The programme features a football-for-protection approach, championing a social agenda that boosts dialogue between refugee and host communities, facilitates the regular practice of football and empowers women and girls.
FIFA Foundation Humanitarian Fund
The FIFA Foundation established a dedicated fund for the provision of relief in emergencies due to natural and human-made disasters.
Recovery Programme
In times of great need, the FIFA Foundation supports communities that have been hit by natural disasters, providing funds to repair or rebuild damaged or destroyed football infrastructure.
By restoring these facilities, the FIFA Foundation helps to reinstate a sense of normalcy, underscoring the power of football to bring people together and foster resilience in the face of adversity.
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.
Other activities
The Twinning Project
The Twinning Project – which is supported by the FIFA Foundation – seeks to enlist professional football clubs to team up with penal institutions to help prisoners prepare for their release and find a job, thereby also reducing the reoffending rate.
First introduced in the United Kingdom in 2018 and working under the mantra “Don’t look down on someone unless you are helping them back up”, the project was extended to Italy when AS Roma signed up in March 2024, supported by funding from the FIFA Foundation.
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.
The establishment of a new chapter in Miami was made possible through significant support from the FIFA Foundation, which works alongside Concacaf to develop the sport at all levels across North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
News
Learn more about the foundation’s activities to reach out to millions of people globally with positive messages for a more inclusive world.