The City of Burlington is encouraging residents to celebrate the upcoming summer soccer season by rebranding its neighbourhood grant program to Soccer in My Neighbourhood for 2026. This initiative offers community groups and residents up to $500 in funding to host local events such as soccer tournaments, potlucks, cultural celebrations, or watch parties.
Administered by the City of Burlington, the program is designed to bring people together during the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2026. In addition to the $500 grant for eligible expenses like food, decorations, and entertainment, recipients can receive support including free use of city facilities for up to three hours, free park space, and road closure permits with necessary barricades.
Applications for the grants are accepted year-round through the city website. The city recommends that residents submit their applications at least four to six weeks before their planned event date.
This community program coincides with Burlington’s role as one of only 26 Canadian host communities for the FIFA Canada Celebrates program. As the only municipality in the Halton and Hamilton area to host an activation event for the tournament, Burlington will hold a free celebration at Spencer Smith Park on July 9, 2026.
To support this, the Burlington City Council approved $160,000 in December 2025 from the Cultural Initiatives Reserve Fund. These funds cover the required activation fees for the FIFA event, as well as local costs for site logistics, programming, staffing, and security.
