Travis Kelce (Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end secured a $35,000 donation, but instead of directing the money to his own foundation, Eighty-Seven and Running, he chose Kansas City nonprofit Operation Breakthrough. He said the organisation has since changed its reporting practices and eliminated management fees in 2025. Earlier this year, Travis Kelce’s charitable work drew fresh attention after he won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Charity Challenge for the third time.
Aaron Eanes said the foundation had incorrectly categorised expenses on its tax filings for years. “Our previous approach to categorizing expenses on our 990 filings did not accurately reflect actual fund usage,” Eanes told The Republic in a written statement. “We have since corrected this: management fees decreased significantly in 2024 and dropped to zero in 2025,” Eanes said.
The decision came as his foundation faced questions over its financial reporting, governance and spending. The move put the focus not only on Kelce’s latest charitable contribution, but also on how athlete-led foundations manage money and maintain public trust.