Travis Kelce’s charitable foundation, Eighty-Seven and Running, is facing questions after federal tax records reviewed by The Arizona Republic showed that a relatively small share of its reported expenses was classified as charitable spending.
The foundation reported raising roughly $1.5 million between 2021 and 2024, with about $1.1 million in total expenses. Of that amount, approximately $446,000 was categorized as charitable spending, while about $469,000 was listed as management costs. Based on those figures, about 41 cents of every dollar the foundation spent was recorded as going toward charitable programs.
Charity watchdog groups generally use higher benchmarks for efficiency. Charity Navigator typically considers nonprofits efficient when they direct at least 70% of their spending toward programs, while CharityWatch uses 75% as a threshold for high efficiency.
The review also highlighted the foundation’s ties to A&A Management Group, a company co-founded by Aaron and André Eanes, who have long worked as Kelce’s business managers. Aaron Eanes also serves as executive director of Eighty-Seven and Running.
Laurie Styron, executive director of CharityWatch, reviewed the nonprofit’s filings for The Arizona Republic and said the structure raised concerns about the foundation’s independence from the management company. “It appears to function more as an extension of the management company versus as an independent public charity,” Styron told The Arizona Republic. “That’s not how charities work. It’s wrong.”
Kelce’s representatives dispute the picture presented by the filings. Aaron Eanes said some expenses connected directly to the foundation’s charitable activities had been incorrectly recorded as management costs. He said operational costs for charitable efforts were “mistakenly reported under management rather than allocated adequately to program services.”
Eanes also said the organization has made changes, with management fees dropping significantly in 2024 and falling to zero in 2025. The foundation plans to expand its board, bring in nonprofit advisers, and revise its reporting procedures, he said.
Kelce has built a substantial public profile around his football career and charitable work. He has been nominated three times for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award and has supported causes in both Kansas City and his hometown of Cleveland.