While the Kansas City Chiefs sit out of the playoffs for the first time in a decade, tight end Travis Kelce gave the organization something to celebrate. Kelce won the Walter Payton Man of the Year “Charity Challenge,” becoming the first player to ever win three times.
The fan-voted victory delivers a $35,000 donation to a charity of Kelce’s choice. The Chiefs announced on January 7, “Those funds will further add to Kelce’s already immense impact on Operation Breakthrough, which provides a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty throughout the Kansas City metro.
“Kelce has contributed nearly $2 million to the organization over the years through a combination of personal donations and various directed funds, spearheading the effort to build the ‘Ignition Lab”‘– a hands-on learning center – that has impacted 1,000 students since 2020.”
Before the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is announced next month, a deep dive into all 32 nominees’ foundations, including Kelce’s Eight-Seven & Running, raised some eyebrows this week.
According to federal tax records between 2021 and 2024, more money went to Kelce’s management than the foundation, with just 41 cents of every dollar going to charity, The Arizona Republic reported.
CharityWatch, an independent organization, “Expects efficient nonprofits to spend at least 70 cents of every dollar on charity.” Another issue was that Kelce’s foundation “has no official president, secretary or treasurer and just two board members, below the minimum of three required to ensure good governance,” The Arizona Republic reported.
Laurie Styton of CharityWatch told the outlet, “That’s not how charities work,” noting a lack of independence between the business-related interests and the charity. “It’s wrong.”
The 11-time Pro Bowler’s business manager, Aaron Eanes, who runs A&A management with his brother André Eanes, also serves as executive director of the nonprofit. He told the outlet that they made an error in their tax filings, which led to inaccurate reporting of funds.
Travis Kelce’s Foundation Committed Over $800,000 to Charities That ‘Won’t Appear in Current Filings’
GettyChiefs tight end Travis Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2025.
Further details on why the numbers don’t appear to stack up for Kelce’s charity emerged on Wednesday.
“The 990 forms didn’t tell the full story. Over the foundation’s history, Travis has been its primary funder, and expenses supporting charitable programs were categorized under a single line item rather than properly itemized,” a source close to the tight end told People.
“Additionally, Eighty-Seven & Running has committed $800,000 to the communities it serves over the next three years, which won’t appear in current filings until funds are deployed.”
“If what’s been committed is accounted for, the foundation is at over 80 percent directed toward charitable causes,” the source added. “The necessary changes to the reporting and operations to ensure this is reflected accurately from now on have already been made.”
Travis Kelce’s Business Manager Said They ‘Have Since Corrected’ Mistakes on Tax Forms
Eanes told The Arizona Republic that costs were “mistakenly reported under management rather than allocated adequately to program services.” Therefore, tax records do not accurately indicate “where the resources were truly directed.”
“We have since corrected this: Management fees decreased significantly in 2024 and dropped to zero in 2025,” he added. “Looking ahead, we are expanding our board of directors, bringing in advisers with nonprofit expertise, and restructuring our reporting processes to better reflect our actual program work. We are dedicated to ensuring this foundation operates at the highest standards.”
Eanes also explained that “management costs” didn’t go into A&A management’s bank account, but “covered the necessary operational infrastructure of the foundation to operate effectively, including coordinating fundraising events like Kelce Car Jam” and numerous other organizations and partners to ensure “the capacity to quickly mobilize resources when community needs arise.”
Kelce founded Eighty-Seven & Running in 2015. “Being able to give back to Kansas City and to my hometown, places that have done so much for me, has been a dream come true, and I’ll never take that for granted,” Kelce said after the Man of the Year nominees were announced last month.
