The Kansas City Chiefs announced today that the selection process to identify a beneficiary for the 2018 Chiefs Charity Game has begun. The game, which has raised more than $11.6 million since its inception in 1985, offers one local nonprofit agency an opportunity to work with the Chiefs to raise awareness and fundraise on behalf of its organization.
Through a number of assets donated by the Chiefs, the organization will have the ability to create sponsorship opportunities for existing individual and corporate donors, as well as new donors who wish to support the Chiefs Charity Game beneficiary. The Chiefs Charity Game represents a unique opportunity for the beneficiary to establish a signature partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs for a three-year term so long as the conditions of the partnership are met each year.
"The Chiefs Charity Game is one of the many traditions started by Lamar Hunt that exemplifies his innovative ideas and his spirit of uniting our community," Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. "Thanks to the generous support of Chiefs fans and the tremendous work of so many local charities, this game has grown to heights that not even Lamar himself could have imagined. As we finish our third season with The Children's Place this fall, we look forward to identifying a new Chiefs Charity Game partner who will pick up the tradition for the next three years and approach it with the same enthusiasm that we've seen over the past 32 years."
The Hunt Family Foundation and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation will jointly administer the application process for qualified agencies. Interested 501(c)(3) organizations must submit a preliminary statement of interest to the Community Foundation prior to Friday, February 10, 2017 by 5 p.m.
The 2018 recipient will be announced this summer after the review process is complete and prior to the start of the 2017 football season. The Chiefs Charity Game beneficiary must be located in or primarily serve residents in Jackson County. Complete details about requirements and the selection process can be found at https://www.grantrequest.com/SID1164/?SA=SNA&FID=35334. Traditionally taking place in August each year, the official date for the 2018 Chiefs Charity Game will not be announced until the NFL schedule is released for the 2018 season in April or May of next year.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation will hold a grant information session on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 9 a.m. at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (1055 Broadway, Suite 130, Kansas City, MO 64105). This session will provide organizations with an opportunity to learn more about the Chiefs Charity Game, as well as answer questions about the application and selection processes.
The Children's Place, the 2017 Chiefs Charity Game beneficiary, is concluding its final year of a three-year partnership with the Hunt Family Foundation. In addition to The Children's Place, recent game beneficiaries over the past decade have included Big Brothers Big Sisters (2012-14), the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (2009-11) and Operation Breakthrough (2005-08).
"Surrounded by the loyalty of Chiefs Kingdom, the generosity of the Chiefs organization and our dedicated supporters, The Children's Place has raised over $1.4 million through the spectacular platform of the Chiefs Charity Game," The Children's Place President and CEO Ann Thomas said. "This opportunity has been a game-changer in our ability to raise funds to support the youngest survivors of abuse and trauma in our community." The Hunt Family Foundation, formerly known as the Chiefs Children's Fund, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Hunt family in 1983 to support charitable agencies in the greater Kansas City community. The Hunt Family Foundation is committed to making a positive impact on those in need in the communities where we live and work through philanthropy, programming and volunteerism. The Chiefs Charity Game, which celebrated more than 30 years of existence in 2015, is the longest-running and largest initiative of its kind in the National Football League.
