Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday announced that the Evers Administration is awarding $1.8 million to the city of Green Bay for work done to support the 2025 NFL Draft earlier this year. The grant, funded through the Opportunity Attraction and Promotion Fund program, will help the city of Green Bay, the village of Ashwaubenon and Brown County cover security and other public safety costs associated with hosting the 2025 NFL Draft in April.
To support Wisconsin’s success in recruiting and hosting large-scale events like the NFL Draft, Gov. Evers proposed creating and funding a $30 million opportunity and attraction fund in his 2023-25 Biennial Budget. The final budget, as enacted by Gov. Evers, created the Opportunity Attraction and Promotion Fund with a $10 million investment to be administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The governor’s 2025-27 Executive Budget proposal includes an additional $5 million to continue the fund in fiscal year 2025-26.
Approximately 600,000 people attended the three-day event in Green Bay, which has a population of just over 105,000. Initial estimates projected the draft will generate $94 million in economic activity across Wisconsin, including a $20 million benefit for the Green Bay area specifically.
