The Kansas City Chiefs announced today that the selection process to identify a beneficiary for the 2021 Chiefs Charity Game has begun. The game, which has raised more than $14 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.
"When Lamar Hunt and local business leaders first conceived the Chiefs Charity Game, there's no way they could have foreseen the tremendous impact that it would have on charities and individuals in the Kansas City community," Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. "Chiefs Kingdom continues to offer vital support for this important initiative while the many charities that we've aligned with over the years have worked hard to maximize the platform to their benefit. We are thankful for the way Cornerstones of Care has stewarded the Chiefs Charity Game and we're excited for a great final year with them. We are also looking forward to identifying the next Chiefs Charity Game partner who will also work tirelessly to use this game to benefit others in the community."
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 5 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2019.
The 2021 recipient will be announced in the summer of 2020, after the review process is complete and prior to the start of the 2020 football season. The Chiefs Charity Game beneficiary must be located in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area and/or serve primarily residents of the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Complete details about requirements and the selection process can be found at www.growyourgiving.org/grant/chiefs-charity-game. Traditionally taking place in August each year, the official date for the 2021 Chiefs Charity Game will not be announced until the NFL schedule is released in April or May of 2021.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation will hold a grant information session on Friday, November 1, 2019 at 10 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.
Cornerstones of Care, the 2020 Chiefs Charity Game beneficiary, is concluding its final year of a three-year partnership (2018-20) with the Hunt Family Foundation and the Chiefs Charity Game. In addition to Cornerstones of Care, recent game beneficiaries over the past decade have included The Children's Place (2015-17), Big Brothers Big Sisters (2012-14) and the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (2009-11).
"The Hunt Family Foundation and the Kansas City Chiefs support of our agency has been a strong sign of endorsement of our work and the trust they have in our mission of protecting the children and families we serve across Chiefs Kingdom," said Denise Cross, President/CEO, Cornerstones of Care. "Our fundraising partnership brought new levels of safety, security and treatment services to the community. Additionally, the Chiefs Charity Game allowed us to elevate the community's awareness of the unique needs of children and families who have experienced trauma and how our mission aids in their treatment and healing every day. We are proud to have the Hunt Family and the Kansas City Chiefs as partners helping us create safe, healthy, healing communities for our children and families."
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 35 years of existence this year, is the longest-running and largest initiative of its kind in the National Football League.
