Kennedy Center says it’s being paid $7.4 million ahead of the World Cup draw

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Kennedy Center said Friday that it is being paid $7.4 million to hold the draw for the World Cup at the performing arts venue on Dec. 5.

FIFA is donating $2.4 million to the Kennedy Center as it prepares to host one of the biggest events in sports, Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told The Associated Press. Soccer’s world governing body “has also given us sponsorship opportunities separate from their commitments for an additional $5 million,” she said.

“When you look at the full picture, it totals $7.4 million to the Kennedy Center, plus incurred expenses,” Daravi added.

The figures, which haven’t been previously reported, emerged as Senate Democrats question spending and management practices by Kennedy Center leadership. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, released documents Thursday showing the Kennedy Center entered into an agreement giving FIFA “exclusive” use of the facility from Nov. 24 through Dec. 12 at no cost, arguing that the venue was at risk of losing millions in potential revenue because of the arrangement.

Responding to the committee in a letter and on social media, Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s president, said FIFA paid several million dollars as a sponsor, instead of participating in a traditional rental agreement. He added the FIFA was paying for all expenses related to the event.

Asked for comment on the $7.4 million figure, a spokesperson for Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee said they have requested that the Kennedy Center answer its questions with documents and have not yet received any documents.

More broadly, Democrats sought to portray wasteful spending by the venue’s management, including thousands of dollars spent on meals, champagne and other beverages along with hotel rooms. Whitehouse targeted $10,773.19 spent by Kennedy Center leaders between April 17 and July 2 on private lunches, dinners and alcohol purchases that he said were unrelated to fundraising needs.

In his response, Grenell insisted the food and beverage costs were related to “donor-based events” and paled in comparison to the amount spent under the Kennedy Center’s previous leadership. He wrote that fundraising costs totaled $4 million from April through June 2024 and $9.3 million for the full year.

Whitehouse also questioned $27,185 spent on rooms at the Watergate Hotel for new hires between April 21 and July 16. Grenell said such expenses are incurred as new employees prepare to move to Washington and said the prior leadership spent $878,000 at the Watergate in 2024.

The final weeks of the year are typically a lighthearted period for the Kennedy Center, with the focus on holiday programming and the annual awards program celebrating some of the top artists in the U.S. But the dispute between Whitehouse and Grenell reflects how the Kennedy Center has become a backdrop for partisan politics.

“I have ample reason to be concerned by reports and information that cast doubt on your stewardship of the institution,” Whitehouse wrote in a letter to Grenell.

Grenell assailed Whitehouse for advancing “careless attacks on me and my team.”

“I take financial responsibility extremely seriously,” he said, noting that he has raised $117 million this year.

During his first term in the White House, President Donald Trump largely eschewed the Kennedy Center and never attended the annual awards ceremony celebrating the arts. But shortly after returning to Washington this year, he ousted the institution’s leadership, appointed Grenell and filled the board of trustees with his supporters. Trump also announced he was elected the board’s chair.

The World Cup draw is a reminder of Trump’s influence at the Kennedy Center. The event was widely expected to take place in Las Vegas but Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino started discussions about bringing it to Washington when they attended the Club World Cup final in July. Infantino has forged a close bond with Trump ahead of the World Cup, appearing with the president in the Oval Office earlier this week as the administration announced a new initiative for foreigners traveling to the U.S. for next year’s tournament.

Infantino was also among the attendees this week at a dinner honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Kennedy Center Honors will take place just days after the draw and will recognize George Strait, Kiss, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone. Trump has said he will host this year’s event.

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Associated Press writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.