One of the NFL’s biggest stars, Travis Kelce, known for his on-field dominance and off-field relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift, is now facing a serious credibility crisis—not on the gridiron, but in the world of philanthropy. His nonprofit, the Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation, is under intense public scrutiny after financial disclosures revealed a startling statistic: from 2021 to 2024, only 41 cents of every dollar raised went directly to charitable programs. The rest? Paid out in management fees and administrative costs.
For fans and donors who believed their support was directly helping underserved youth, this news is a bitter pill to swallow. The situation has ignited a firestorm online, with some even levelling serious accusations of financial mismanagement. So, what’s really going on with the Travis Kelce foundation? Let’s dive deep into the numbers, the players involved, and the foundation’s defense.
Table of Contents
- The Alarming Numbers: A Deep Dive into the Finances
- The Management Fees Controversy
- Governance Issues: A Two-Person Board?
- The Foundation’s Response and Planned Changes
- The Broader Context: NFL Foundations Under the Microscope
- Conclusion: Rebuilding Trust for the Travis Kelce Foundation
- Sources
The Alarming Numbers: A Deep Dive into the Finances
The core of the controversy stems from the foundation’s publicly available IRS Form 990 filings for the years 2021 through 2024. According to these documents, the Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation raised a total of $1.5 million and spent $1.1 million during that period . While raising $1.5 million is a significant achievement, the allocation of that money is what has raised eyebrows.
Here’s the critical breakdown of where that $1.1 million in spending went:
- $469,000 was classified as management and general expenses.
- $446,000 was spent on charitable programs.
Doing the math, that $446,000 in program spending amounts to just 41% of the total expenditure. For context, respected charity watchdogs like Charity Navigator generally recommend that at least 65-75% of a nonprofit’s budget should be spent on its core mission and programs. This figure for the Travis Kelce foundation falls dramatically short of that benchmark, creating a massive gap between public perception and financial reality.
The Management Fees Controversy
A large portion of those management expenses went to a specific firm: A&A Management Group. This is not just any third-party company; reports indicate that A&A Management Group was co-founded by members of Kelce’s own business team . The foundation paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to this entity for its services .
This arrangement has created a clear conflict of interest and a significant transparency problem. When a foundation pays a company closely tied to its founder for management, it raises serious questions about the nature of those services and whether they represent fair market value. Critics argue this structure could be used to indirectly funnel money back to the founder’s business interests, which is a major red flag for any charitable organization.
Governance Issues: A Two-Person Board?
Compounding the financial concerns are issues with the foundation’s governance structure. In its initial stages, the Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation reportedly had a board of directors consisting of just two members . Effective nonprofit governance typically requires a diverse, independent board with multiple members to provide oversight, ensure accountability, and prevent any single individual or small group from having unchecked control.
A two-person board, especially if those members are closely affiliated with the founder, offers virtually no independent oversight. This lack of a robust governance framework is seen by nonprofit experts as a fundamental flaw that can enable the very kinds of financial irregularities now being questioned. It’s a classic warning sign for a charity that may not be operating in the best interests of its stated mission or its donors.
The Foundation’s Response and Planned Changes
In the face of mounting criticism, the Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation has not remained silent. An official statement, attributed to Executive Director Aaron Eanes, acknowledged the concerns and pointed to a key issue: the misclassification of expenses in earlier tax filings .
The foundation claims that some expenses that should have been categorized as program-related were instead filed under management and general costs. While this could potentially explain part of the discrepancy, it doesn’t fully account for the hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to the management firm.
More importantly, the foundation has pledged to take concrete steps to address these issues and restore trust:
- Expanding the Board: They are actively working to bring on new, independent board members with specific expertise in the nonprofit sector.
- Restructuring Reporting: They are committed to overhauling their financial reporting structure to ensure greater accuracy and transparency going forward .
These are positive initial steps, but for many donors and observers, they are just that—initial steps. The true test will be in their future financial disclosures and whether they can demonstrate a significant and sustained increase in the percentage of funds going directly to their charitable mission.
The Broader Context: NFL Foundations Under the Microscope
The scrutiny of Kelce’s foundation is not happening in a vacuum. It’s part of a much larger, growing trend of examining the charitable arms of professional athletes, particularly in the NFL. This issue gained significant traction during the annual Walter Payton Man of the Year award season, of which Kelce was a nominee .
An investigation by The Arizona Republic found that several nominees’ charities had financial practices that fell short of industry standards . In direct response to these concerns, the NFL itself has announced a new policy: starting in 2025, all charities associated with Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees must be in compliance with nonprofit laws and demonstrate sound financial health . This league-wide policy shift underscores just how serious the issue has become and suggests that the days of loosely-run athlete foundations may be numbered.
For more on how leagues are handling athlete philanthropy, check out our analysis on [INTERNAL_LINK:nfl-philanthropy-oversight].
Conclusion: Rebuilding Trust for the Travis Kelce Foundation
The controversy surrounding the Travis Kelce foundation serves as a powerful reminder for all donors: it’s crucial to look beyond a celebrity’s name and investigate a charity’s actual track record. While Kelce’s stated mission to empower underserved youth is admirable and he has been personally involved in various initiatives, the financial data from 2021-2024 paints a concerning picture of a charity whose operations were not aligned with its mission.
The foundation’s acknowledgment of misclassification and its plans for structural reform are a necessary first step. However, the road to rebuilding public trust will be long. It will require consistent, transparent, and verifiable actions over the next several years. Until then, potential donors should proceed with extreme caution and demand clear evidence that their contributions will go directly to the programs they wish to support.
Sources
- Financial data and management fee details: The Arizona Republic
- Initial board composition and foundation statement: Times of India
- NFL’s new policy for Walter Payton nominees: The Arizona Republic
- General information on the Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation: 87andrunning.org