- An investigation into nonprofits founded by Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominees reveals varying levels of charitable efficiency.
- Kelce’s business manager said the tax filings were incorrect and that operational costs for program services were mistakenly reported as management fees.
The nonprofits created by New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce each raised more than $1.5 million over the past three years, according to federal tax records, the most among independent nonprofits founded by 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award nominees.
But a dollar raised isn’t the same as a dollar spent.
Davis’ Devoted Dreamers Foundation was nearly twice as efficient with its donations, spending 81 cents of every dollar on charity from 2021-24, while Kelce’s nonprofit told the IRS it spent just 41 cents of every dollar on charity in that span and more on management, which his business manager said is incorrect.
Kelce’s Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to A&A Management Group, which was co-founded by Kelce’s longtime business managers, brothers Aaron and André Eanes.
Aaron Eanes is the executive director of the nonprofit, which has no official president, secretary or treasurer and just two board members, below the minimum of three required to ensure good governance.
“It appears to function more as an extension of the management company versus as an independent public charity,” said Laurie Styron, the executive director of CharityWatch, an independent charity watchdog group that reviewed the nonprofit’s tax filings for The Arizona Republic.
“That’s not how charities work. It’s wrong.”
Kelce has been nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award three times based on his work in the community, including with another nonprofit, Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City. He has been named to 11 Pro Bowls, is a four-time All-Pro, a three-time Super Bowl champion and is engaged to pop star Taylor Swift.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winner and nominees, one from each team, collectively receive more than $1.5 million in annual donations from the NFL Foundation and Nationwide, a corporate sponsor, to give to the charities of their choice, often ones the players founded.
The Arizona Republic has repeatedly exposed widespread waste and mismanagement among these nonprofits, some of which spend less than 50 cents of every dollar on actual charity, often because players and their families lack sufficient nonprofit guidance and education.
Many are directed by agents and marketing professionals to work with sports charity management companies geared toward profit and optics over impact.
“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 when Walter Payton nominees were announced Dec. 4.
“Representing the team, the Hunt family, our fans, and my foundation is incredibly special and I’m very grateful.”
Aaron Eanes said the tax filings for Kelce’s nonprofit are incorrect.
Operational costs for charitable efforts were “mistakenly reported under management rather than allocated adequately to program services,” Eanes told The Republic, so the public records do not provide an accurate “indication of where the resources were truly directed.”
“We have since corrected this: Management fees decreased significantly in 2024 and dropped to zero in 2025,” Eanes said.
“Looking ahead, we are expanding our board of directors, bringing on 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.”
Chicago Bears nominee had tax-exempt status revoked, but most follow nonprofit best practices
The NFL’s vetting process for 2025 Walter Payton nominees fell short of its commitment to ensure good standing for every player’s designated charitable foundation.
Most glaringly, the nonprofit created by Chicago Bears nominee DJ Moore had its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS in 2022 for never filing federal tax returns. Moore recently created another nonprofit with a nearly identical name.
But most nominees adhere to nonprofit best practices.
Ten of the 32 nominees, according to their Man of the Year award bios, appear to partner solely with existing nonprofits and use their celebrity to boost impact, which experts said is the safest, easiest and most efficient way to give back because the infrastructure is already in place.
Nine nominees have fiscal sponsorships, meaning their “foundations” are extensions of an existing nonprofit, which are often far more efficient than standalone entities. But tax records do not show the amount each player raised for their causes.
Thirteen nominees touted independent, tax-exempt nonprofits, which largely raise money to give to other nonprofits.
Charity watchdog groups: How to judge a nonprofit’s efficiency?
Charity Navigator, a nonprofit watchdog group, expects efficient nonprofits to spend at least 70 cents of every dollar on charity.
CharityWatch considers a nonprofit highly efficient when it spends at least 75 cents of every dollar on charity. Its rating system gives nonprofits that spent less than 50 cents per dollar on charity a grade of D or F.
The amount of each dollar spent on charity is determined by dividing a nonprofit’s annual expenses for program services by its total expenses, which are reported on federal tax forms.
For example, Davis’ Devoted Dreamers Foundation reported it raised $1.7 million and spent $1.4 million from 2021-24, with $1.1 million going to charity.
That’s nearly 81 cents of every dollar spent.
‘Tells the public nothing’: Kelce nonprofit reported lump sums for charity, management
Kelce’s Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation reported it raised $1.5 million and spent $1.1 million from 2021-24, with $469,000 going to management and $446,000 going to charity.
Again, that’s about 41 cents of every dollar spent.
Zooming out over the past decade, since Kelce’s nonprofit was created in 2015, it has reported $3.4 million in revenue and $2.7 million in expenses, with nearly $900,000 going to management and $1.5 million going to charity.
That’s about 56 cents of every dollar spent.
“The (management) costs covered the necessary operational infrastructure for the foundation to operate effectively,” Eanes said, “including coordinating fundraising events like Kelce Car Jam, maintaining ongoing relationships with partner organizations such as Operation Breakthrough and the University of Cincinnati, overseeing donor communications and the foundation’s website, and ensuring the capacity to quickly mobilize resources when community needs arise.”
Nonprofit oversight attorney Andrew Morton, a partner at Handler Law and chair of the firm’s sports and entertainment philanthropy group, told The Republic that management expenses should not be recorded as a 100 percent general expense on tax returns.
“The statement of functional expenses is supposed to be a good-faith allocation between program services, management and fundraising,” Morton said. “They’re implicit in operating a nonprofit. Nobody does 100% of anything.”
Similarly, Kelce’s nonprofit’s charitable spending each year has been reported on one vague line called “other fees for services,” rather than delineated, which “tells the public nothing about what the charity is accomplishing,” Styron said.
“Players and their managers need to stop using charities this way. Don’t get creative. Don’t look for loopholes. If you establish a charity, stop mixing in business interests or using friends to operate it. Do it the right way or don’t do it at all. There are a lot of ways for players to give back without founding their own charity.”
How efficient are the charities founded by Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award nominees?
The Republic determined the amount of each dollar that Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award nominees’ nonprofits spent on charitable giving and events based on what the organizations reported on federal tax forms.
The calculations are based on the past three years of publicly available federal tax returns (2021-24) unless noted. Figures are rounded.
Independent nonprofits (13)
Chicago Bears: DJ Moore, Moore 2 Life Foundation. (Revoked)
Incorporated in May 2019 in Pennsylvania. Tax-exempt status was revoked by the IRS in May 2022 for not filing federal tax returns for three consecutive years. There is no public record of how much money the organization received in donations and spent on charity. EIN: 84-1789712.
In May 2025, in Delaware, Moore created a second nonprofit with a nearly identical name. EIN: 33-4102204.
Cincinnati Bengals: Ted Karras, Cincy Hat Foundation. (57 cents/dollar)
Incorporated July 2024 in Ohio. Tax-exempt since August 2024. It’s filed one tax return for the final five months of 2024. EIN: 99-4143088.
Raised: $374,000. Spent: $137,000. On charity: $78,000. On management: $59,000. Net assets: $237,000.
Dallas Cowboys: Solomon Thomas, The Defensive Line. (N/A)
Beginning to operate as an independent nonprofit after years as a charitable project of the Players Philanthropy Fund, which spends 86 cents of every dollar on charity. Incorporated in Texas. Tax-exempt since April 2020. EIN: 85-0908917.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love, Hands of 10ve. (98 cents)
Private foundation. Founded in 2024 in Delaware. Tax-exempt since January 2025. EIN: 99-2782567.
Raised: $572,000. Spent: $53,000. On charity: $52,000. Net assets: $534,000.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Logan Cooke, Logan Cooke Foundation. (0 cents)
Private foundation reports no qualifying charitable distributions. Founded in 2023 in Mississippi. Tax-exempt since January 2024. EIN: 93-4138069.
Raised: $102,000. Spent: $2,000. On charity: $0. Net assets: $100,000.
Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce, Eighty-Seven and Running. (41 cents)
Raised $1.5 million over the last three years but spent more on management than charity, with $612,000 in unspent donations. The nonprofit is managed by A&A Management Group, which was co-founded by Kelce’s longtime business managers, brothers Aaron & André Eanes. Aaron Eanes is the executive director of the nonprofit. Incorporated in December 2015 in Ohio. EIN: 47-4569777.
Raised: $1,502,000. Spent: $1,097,000. On charity: $446,000. On management: $469,000. Net assets: $612,000.
Las Vegas Raiders: Maxx Crosby, Maxx Crosby Foundation. (96 cents)
The nonprofit spent less than half the donations it received in 2024. But it was extremely efficient with the money it did spend. Incorporated in Nevada. Tax-exempt since December 2023. EIN: 93-3370961.
Raised: $292,000. Spent: $140,000. On charity: $134,000. Net assets: $152,000.
Miami Dolphins: Bradley Chubb, Chubb Foundation. (77 cents)
Reported less than $50,000 in annual revenue each year through 2022, but tax returns for the last two years (2023 and ’24) provide greater insight. Incorporated in Georgia. Tax-exempt since January 2018. EIN: 82-3813411.
Raised: $95,000. Spent: $68,000. On charity: $52,000. Net assets: $79,000.
New Orleans Saints: Demario Davis, Devoted Dreamers Foundation. (81 cents)
Raised more than $1.7 million over the last three years, among the most of any nominee with an independent nonprofit, and rates among the most efficient of the group. Incorporated in Arizona. Tax-exempt since July 2020. EIN: 85-1358749.
Raised: $1,704,000. Spent: $1,396,000. On charity: $1,126,000. Net assets: $495,000.
New York Giants: Bobby Okereke, Nigerian American Football Outreach. (N/A)
The nonprofit is less than a year old and has not had to file a tax return. Incorporated in Maryland. Tax-exempt since May 2025. EIN: 33-3767244.
New York Jets: Quincy Williams, Quinnen Williams Foundation. (91 cents)
Private foundation. Incorporated in Alabama. Tax-exempt since January 2021. EIN: 85-0652445.
Raised: $243,000. Spent: $145,000. On charity: $133,000. Net assets: $225,000.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Alex Highsmith, Alex Highsmith Family Foundation. (70 cents)
Raised nearly half a million dollars over the last two years. It has spent less than half the money. Incorporated in North Carolina. Tax-exempt since September 2021. EIN: 86-1610694.
Raised: $481,000. Spent: $192,000. On charity: $134,000. Net assets: $317,000.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield, Baker and Emily Mayfield Foundation. (78 cents)
Formed as a private foundation in October 2022. Incorporated in Texas. Reclassified as a public charity in 2024. EIN: 88-4289185.
Raised: $745,000. Spent: $431,000. On charity: $335,000. Net assets: $314,000.
Walter Payton award nominees with fiscal sponsorships (9)
Atlanta Falcons: A.J. Terrell Jr., A.J. Terrell Jr. Foundation, Athletes Charitable/United Charitable. (88 cents)
Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Henry, Two All Foundation, Players Philanthropy Fund. (86 cents)
Buffalo Bills: Dion Dawkins, Dion’s Dreamers, Edward Charles Foundation. (94 cents)
Cleveland Browns: Grant Delpit, GD Express Foundation, Sport For Impact. Co-founded by former NFL star Anquan Boldin as a direct response to The Republic’s reporting. Tax-exempt since September 2024. Based on the 2024 tax return, the first four months of operation. (99.9 cents)
Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles, GB3 Foundation, Community Foundation of Utah. (95 cents)
Detroit Lions: DJ Reader, A Son Never Forgets Foundation, Athletes Charitable/United Charitable. (88 cents)
Indianapolis Colts: Kenny Moore II, Love One Foundation, Dreambuilders Foundation. (71 cents)
Minnesota Vikings: C.J. Ham, Ham Family Scholarship Fund, Boreal Waters Community Foundation. (87 cents)
Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons, Give Em A Reason Foundation, Edward Charles Foundation. (94 cents)
Nominees who only partner with existing nonprofits (10)
Carolina Panthers: Austin Corbett, All Within My Hands Foundation.
Houston Texans: Azeez Al-Shaair, HYPE Freedom School, Muslim Organization of Sports, Socials and Education.
Los Angeles Chargers: Cameron Dicker, LA Fire Department, Chargers Impact Fund, Wholehearted Foundation. (His “Wholeheartedly Foundation” is not an independent nonprofit but described as a club for middle school kids.)
Los Angeles Rams: Kyren Williams, LA Fire Department, Big Brothers Big Sisters.
New England Patriots: Hunter Henry, International Justice Mission.
Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Mailata, Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, American Association for Cancer Research, Eagles Autism Foundation.
San Francisco 49ers: Curtis Robinson, 49ers Foundation, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Drive 4 Change.
Seattle Seahawks: Julian Love, Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross.
Washington Commanders: Bobby Wagner, Phenia Mae Fund with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Foundation, Children’s National Hospital.
Tips or story ideas? Email sports features and investigative reporter Jason Wolf at jason.wolf@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JasonWolf.
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