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A month after being named the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee, Travis Kelce’s charitable work continues to draw strong public support, both online and from fans who have rallied behind his foundation.
That support is reflected as the tight end, 36, won the fan vote for Nationwide’s Charity Challenge, tied to the Man of the Year honor and announced on the Wednesday, Jan. 7 episode of his and his brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast.
The win secures additional funding for Kelce’s nonprofit organization, 87 & Running, which focuses on empowering underserved youth through education, mentorship, entrepreneurship and enrichment programs across the U.S., according to their website.
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“You’re the only player to win the Charity Challenge each time they’ve been nominated as the club’s Walter Payton Man of the Year,” Jason, 38, said while announcing the news.
Travis reminisced while sharing throwbacks of himself with several of the youths he has worked with throughout the years. “We’ve been doing this since the beginning of my career,” he said. “It’s cool to see some of these familiar faces grow into high school kids, and it’s awesome.”
The charity work by Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees has come under scrutiny in a Dec. 31 Arizona Republic report, which reviewed tax filings linked to several nominees, including Kelce. The outlet reported that IRS filings between 2021 and 2024 showed that Kelce’s nonprofit spent 41 cents of every dollar raised on charity, and more went to management. Kelce’s business manager told the Republic that the filings were incorrect.
A source close to Travis tells PEOPLE exclusively, “The 990 forms didn’t tell the full story. Over the foundation’s history, Travis has been its primary funder, and expenses supporting charitable programs were categorized under a single line item rather than properly itemized. Additionally, Eighty-Seven & Running has committed $800,000 to the communities it serves over the next three years, which won’t appear in current filings until funds are deployed.”
Mary Schulte/Operation Breakthrough
“If what’s been committed is accounted for, the foundation is at over 80 percent directed toward charitable causes,” the source adds. “The necessary changes to the reporting and operations to ensure this is reflected accurately from now on have already been made.”
Last month, the Super Bowl champion was nominated for the highly prestigious Man of the Year award which recognizes players who “demonstrate a steadfast commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game.”
Travis is one of 32 nominees for the award, the winner of which will be announced on Feb. 6 during the NFL Honors ceremony.
The Chiefs celebrated Kelce’s nomination with a special video shared on social media, showing him sweetly talking about his work in the Kansas City community through his 87 & Running Foundation — and as a child, running football drills.
“Growing up, I had a beautiful childhood and that has everything to do with my parents,” the football star said in the video, crediting his mom Donna and dad Ed.
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Travis said he loved growing up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, calling it “such a melting pot of social class and race and religion.”
“And I was able to relate to all those kids growing up,” he continued. “I don’t care what you look like, where you come from; I’m gonna be friendly and lend a helping hand.”
