Travis Kelce Sends $35K Win to Efficient Charity Partner

When Travis Kelce won a $35,000 charity challenge for the third time this week, he made a surprising choice that puts kids first.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end sent his winnings directly to Operation Breakthrough, a Kansas City organization that serves children in poverty, instead of to his own foundation. His fiancée Taylor Swift recently donated $250,000 to the same group.

The decision came after Kelce's Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation faced questions about how it spent donations. Federal tax records showed the foundation spent only 41 cents of every dollar on actual charitable activities over three years.

Aaron Eanes, the foundation's business manager, told The Arizona Republic that the nonprofit mistakenly filed incorrect expense reports to the IRS for nearly a decade. Management costs that appeared high on paper were actually program expenses that got categorized wrong.

Why This Inspires

Kelce's choice to bypass his own foundation shows rare accountability in celebrity charity work. Rather than making excuses, he sent the money where it could help immediately while his team fixes the problems.

Eanes committed to correcting the errors and said management fees dropped significantly in 2024 and to zero in 2025. The foundation is also expanding its board of directors and bringing on nonprofit experts to restructure reporting processes.

Operation Breakthrough has partnered with Kelce's foundation for years, funding its Ignition Lab workforce program for teens. The organization provides education, childcare, and family support in a safe environment.

Charity watchdog CharityWatch called Kelce's decision "the right call" and "the responsible move under the circumstances." CEO Laurie Styron noted it gives the foundation time to get its accounting and governance in order.

The NFL changed its Walter Payton Man of the Year award rules in 2025 to require that players' designated nonprofits follow state and federal laws. The change came after reporting exposed widespread mismanagement among player charities, some spending less than 50 cents per dollar on actual charitable work.

When mistakes happen, redirecting resources to proven organizations keeps the focus where it belongs: on helping people.