The NFL, Entergy and other sponsors of next year's Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans said Tuesday that they are aiming to give away $3 million to qualifying area charities over the next month or so.
The giveaway is part of the NFL Foundation's longstanding Legacy Grant Program which seeks to have a lasting impact on the host city. The Super Bowl is scheduled to be held at the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025.
"This is to ensure that the Super Bowl impact endures far beyond the final whistle," Saints owner Gayle Benson said at a press conference at the Saints' training facility in Metairie.
The NFL Foundation will provide $1.5 million, lead sponsor Entergy $1 million, and the rest will come from other sponsors including Ochsner Health System.
Annual giveaway
The NFL and sponsors of last year's Super Bowl gave away $3 million to 117 nonprofit organizations in Las Vegas, which hosted the game for the first time last February.
Jay Cicero, CEO of the Greater New Orleans ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Foundation and a member of the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee, noted that the giveaway amount has increased by $1 million since the last Super Bowl was held in New Orleans in 2013. Next year's game will be the 11th in New Orleans, which will tie the city with Miami for hosting the most.
To qualify, the nonprofit must be based in one of the 10 parishes that make up the Greater New Orleans area: Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington.
The grants range from $25,000 up to $250,000, depending on the size of the nonprofit. Local schools can also apply for funding of programs that go beyond the scope of normal school activities.
Applications are being accepted via up through August 23.
Cicero noted Tuesday that the Super Bowl events are expected to generate as much as $500 million of economic activity for a hosting city.
Money maker
The Las Vegas Super Bowl was the most expensive one so far, with the hotel prices surging 140%, and the average rate per room being $573. The last Super Bowl held in Miami in 2020 created 4,500 new jobs, city officials there estimated.
Part of the NFL's mandate for Super Bowl-hosting cities also is to create a supplier diversity program, which  have been trying to use as a springboard to longer-term development of local businesses from underserved communities.
While some for hosting cities is exaggerated, Super Bowls are also an opportunity for a city to showcase its attractions to visitors and potential investors. The upcoming event has been used by politicians and business leaders as improvements and a commitment to clear homeless encampments and cover up blighted buildings.
The biggest winner from the Super Bowl is the NFL itself, which is a private entity owned by the 32 teams. The revenue from advertising alone in 2023 was estimated at $600 million, and the NFL also makes money from streaming deals, ticket sales, merchandising, corporate sponsorships and increasingly from gambling partnerships.
