Florida Sports Foundation Awards Grants to 25 Florida Sports Events
The Florida Sports Foundation Board of Directors awarded 25 grants to Florida sports commissions at its September 17 Quarterly Board Meeting.
The 25 grants totaled $974,500. The events represent 15 areas of the state and will bring in 272,352 out of state visitors to Florida for an estimated economic impact of $192,973,377.56.
Of the 25 events, 13 sports are represented, along with a multi-sport festival. The events will take place between October and December, 2026. Leading the way among the 14 sports is six youth soccer tournaments.
The sports receiving the grants include Auto Racing, Baseball, Billiards, BMX, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Fastpitch Softball, Football, Lacrosse, Offshore Boat Racing, Soccer, Triathlon and Volleyball.
The funding for the Florida Sports Foundation (FSF) Grant Program is generated by the sale of Florida’s 10 professional sports license plates. Besides the funding for the Grant Program, the FSF donates 10% of each team plate to that team’s Youth Charity. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, the FSF donated over $217,000 to the 10 pro sports teams youth charities.
Florida Sports Foundation First Quarter Grants Awarded
October 8-19, 2026
Perfect Game WWBA (Baseball), Palm Beach County Sports Commission
October 10, 2026
Strongman’s Championship League (SCL) USA Florida, Columbia Count
October 10-11, 2026
Englewood Beach Waterfest, Visit Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach/Charlotte County
October 23-25, 2026
2026 AVP Grass Nationals (Volleyball), Gainesville Sports Commission
October 23-25, 2026
Tampa Bay Super Cup (Soccer), Tampa Bay Sports Commission
October 31-November 1, 2026
PGF Show Me The Money Fall (Fastpitch Softball), Gainesville Sports Commission,
October 31-November 1, 2026
2026 UCI BMX Racing World Cup, Visit Sarasota County
November 6-8, 2026
NASCAR Cup Series Championship, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
November 6-9, 2026
Girls Academy East Regional (Soccer), Manatee County
November 7-15, 2026
SEC Soccer Championship, Pensacola Sports
November 7-21, 2026
Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL) Fall Classic, Palm Beach County Sports Commission,
November 13-15, 2026
Backwards K College Exposure Showcase & Camp (Fastpitch Softball), Gainesville Sports Commission,
November 20-22, 2026
IWLCA Presidents Cup (Lacrosse), Manatee County
December 2-6, 2026
Snowball Derby (Auto Racing), Pensacola Sports
December 2-6, 2026
USA Softball High-Performance Program National Selection Event, Treasure Coast Sports Commission
December 3-6, 2026
American Youth Cheer, Experience Kissimmee Sports Commission,
December 3-8, 2026
Elite Academy League Winter Event (Soccer), Manatee County
December 5-7, 2026
2026 ECNL Girls Florida (Soccer), Greater Orlando Sports Commission
December 5, 2026
2026 AAU Cross Country National Championships, Visit Tallahassee Sports
December 5-12, 2026
UYFL Football and Cheerleading National Championships, Tampa Bay Sports Commission,
December 7-13, 2026
Battle Youth Football National Championship, Palm Beach County Sports Commission
December 10-15, 2026
United Soccer League (USL) Youth Finals, Tampa Bay Sports Commission
December 11-13, 2026
Ironman Florida 70.3, Polk County
December 12-January 7, 2027
2026 Junior Orange Bowl International Youth Festival, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
December 15-21, 2026
2026 Pro Billiard Series Championship, Visit Jacksonville
The deadline for FSF sports industry partners to submit grant applications to the Foundation for the second quarter of the 2026-27 fiscal year is October 10. The announcement of the second quarter grants will be made at the next FSF Board of Directors Meeting, on December 17.
The Florida Sports Foundation is the official sports promotion and development organization of the State of Florida. Currently celebrating its 35th Anniversary in 2026., The Foundation has been awarding grants to Florida sports events showing a significant out of state economic impact since 1996.