The Kansas City Royals Foundation uses the power of sport to improve the lives of Kansas Citians by supporting literacy and education efforts, promoting healthy and active communities, uplifting our military and veterans, and more.
A defining feature of The Kansas City Royals Foundation F/k/a Royals Charities Inc is how closely its grantmaking follows the Royals’ community footprint: its largest recent awards reach local institutions tied to education, baseball history, and youth opportunity in Kansas City. One 2025 grant went to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for programs, and another sizable 2025 award supported SchoolSmart KC for programs. The foundation also backed Kansas City Public Schools, KCPS Education Foundation, City Year, and Downtown KC Civic Ventures in six-figure or near-six-figure amounts across 2024 and 2025, showing repeated support for organizations working with students, schools, and neighborhood systems. Its stated priorities center on literacy and education, healthy and active communities, and military and veteran support, with additional grantmaking for youth sports participation, scholarships, and baseball and softball field improvements. The recent-grants list shows a pattern of large program grants alongside place-based support for Kansas City organizations, while its active programs add in-kind donations, ticket access, scholarship activity, and matching support for field renovation. The result is a funder that uses both cash and non-cash contributions to support community organizations connected to sport, learning, and local service.
Education-related grants make up a large share of the foundation’s recent giving. In 2025, it gave $116,000 to Kansas City Public Schools for programs and $110,050 to KCPS Education Foundation for programs, and in 2024 it backed Association of Missouri Charter Schools with $110,000 for programs. Literacy-focused support also appears in awards such as $50,000 to Literacy Kansas City in 2024 and $50,000 to Lead to Read KC in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also funds youth and community development through sports-linked and student-serving organizations. It granted $50,000 to Boys & Girls Club of GKC in 2025 and $87,500 to Great Jobs Kansas City in 2024. Military and veteran support is part of its stated grantmaking priorities, and its active programs include recognition nominations for veteran and military service members at games. It also operates scholarship support through All-Star Scholars.
$2.4M
$780K
$5M
$4.6M
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$25K
JOHN SHERMAN
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Typical awards cluster at a modest-to-mid size for the foundation’s overall budget: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $15,000, and the 75th percentile is $25,000. At the same time, the recent-grants list includes much larger program awards, which suggests a layered approach that combines smaller grants with selective major support. The foundation is a regional grantmaker and works through both general grants and program-specific initiatives. Its active programs include unsolicited options in some areas, such as the community ticket program, donation requests, and the Royalty Fields Grant Program. Recipients also appear across multiple years, indicating repeat support rather than one-time-only giving.
Grantmaking is concentrated in the Kansas City metro area, but it reaches across the wider region. Missouri recipients make up 67% of grants, while Kansas is the top state by grant count overall. Many of the largest awards go to Kansas City, Missouri organizations, including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, SchoolSmart KC, Kansas City Public Schools, and KCPS Education Foundation. The list also includes Overland Park, Kansas, and Towson, Maryland, though the grant country distribution shown is entirely U.S.-based.
Its stated pillars are literacy and education, healthy and active communities, and military and veteran support. The active programs also include scholarships, youth sports participation, and baseball and softball field improvements, which fit the foundation’s sports-led community model.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution centers at $10,000 for the 25th percentile, $15,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also show larger program grants, including six-figure support for schools and education-related organizations.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, KCPS Education Foundation, City Year, Downtown KC Civic Ventures, Teach for America Kansas City, and Lead to Read KC. That pattern suggests recurring support rather than isolated one-time gifts.
The foundation’s programs indicate support for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, especially those serving Kansas City-area students, youth, military members and veterans, and community groups working in education, physical activity, and field renovation. Its ticket and donation programs also serve charitable organizations working with underserved populations.
It has active programs for youth baseball and softball field renovation, including the Royalty Fields Program and Royalty Fields Grant Program, which provide matching funds for major improvements. The foundation also supports youth physical activity through its Healthy and Active Communities pillar and ticket access for underserved groups.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Kansas City Royals Foundation F/K/A Royals Charities that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations must request a minimum of 20 tickets and a maximum of 200 tickets per submission, may request up to six games throughout the regular season, and must utilize at least 70% of the requested tickets.
Deadline: Requests should be submitted in advance; no specific deadline listed.
Who can apply: Must operate in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area; must be a 501(c)(3) organization with a federal tax identification number; preference given to organizations with operating budgets not exceeding $5 million.
Deadline: 2026 cycle open August 17 to September 14.
Who can apply: Open to any 501(c)(3) organization or local government entity that operates a youth baseball and/or softball program in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, or Arkansas. Applicants must provide documentation that they have secured funding (monetary and/or in-kind support) to receive matching funds.
Deadline: The 2026 Royalty Fields Grants Cycle will be open from September 14 to October 12.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM | KANSAS CITY, MO | $242,225 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| SCHOOLSMART KC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $167,813 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| KANSAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | KANSAS CITY, MO | $116,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| KCPS EDUCATION FOUNDATION | KANSAS CITY, MO | $110,050 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| MO CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL ASSOC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $110,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| CITY YEAR | KANSAS CITY, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| DOWNTOWN KC CIVIC VENTURES | KANSAS CITY, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| LEAD TO READ KC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| TURN THE PAGE KC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GKC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| UNITED WAY OF GREATER KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| 2020 LEADERSHIP | KANSAS CITY, MO | $46,250 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| PLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND | TOWSON, MD | $45,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| TEACH FOR AMERICA - KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $40,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| CROSSROADS CHARTER SCHOOLS | KANSAS CITY, MO | $36,250 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| ACADEMY FOR INTEGRATED ARTS | KANSAS CITY, MO | $36,250 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $35,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| SCUOLA VITA NUOVA CHARTER SCHOOL | KANSAS CITY, MO | $29,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| CITIZENS OF THE WORLD CHARTER SCHOOL-KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $29,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| HICKMAN MILLS C-1 SCHOOL DISTRICT | KANSAS CITY, MO | $29,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GREATER KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, KS | $27,500 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| EDUCATOR ACADEMY INC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| THE BATTLE WITHIN | OLATHE, KS | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | KANSAS CITY, MO | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| KANSAS UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT ASSOCIATION | KANSAS CITY, KS | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| VARIETY OF GREATER KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| HARVESTERS | KANSAS CITY, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| LEAGUE 42 FOUNDATION | WICHITA, KS | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| VETERANS COMMUNITY PROJECT | KANSAS CITY, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| TNTP INC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| VALOR PARTNERS FOUNDATION | OVERLAND PARK, KS | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| GIRLS ON THE RUN OF GREATER KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GKC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| THE RABBIT HOLE | NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| TURN THE PAGE KC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $17,172 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| SANTA FOR A DAY | EVANSTON, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| HORSES & HEROES | SHAWNEE, KS | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| DREAM FACTORY OF GREATER KANSAS CITY | OVERLAND PARK, KS | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| CITY OF WAYNE | WAYNE, NE | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| CITY OF NORFOLK | NORFOLK, NE | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| PLAINVILLE RECREATION COMMISSION | PLAINVILLE, KS | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| BRADEN'S HOPE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER | OLATHE, KS | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| MINDEN COMMUNITY CLUB OF MINDEN IOWA | MINDEN, IA | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| TEMPLE MADE FOUNDATION | LEES SUMMIT, MO | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| KC HEALTHY KIDS | KANSAS CITY, KS | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| VARIETY OF GREATER KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY KANSAS CITY | KANSAS CITY, MO | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| OPERATION BREAKTHROUGH | KANSAS CITY, MO | $14,700 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
| EMMANUEL FAMILY & CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER | KANSAS CITY, MO | $14,700 | 2025 | PROGRAMS |
SCHOOLSMART KC
$167,813PROGRAMS
KANSAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
$116,000PROGRAMS
PROGRAMS
TURN THE PAGE KC
$50,000PROGRAMS
2020 LEADERSHIP
$46,250PROGRAMS
ACADEMY FOR INTEGRATED ARTS
$36,250PROGRAMS
KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
$35,000PROGRAMS
SCUOLA VITA NUOVA CHARTER SCHOOL
$29,000PROGRAMS
HICKMAN MILLS C-1 SCHOOL DISTRICT
$29,000PROGRAMS
VALOR PARTNERS FOUNDATION
$20,000PROGRAMS
GIRLS ON THE RUN OF GREATER KANSAS CITY
$20,000PROGRAMS
TURN THE PAGE KC
$17,172PROGRAMS
SANTA FOR A DAY
$15,000PROGRAMS
HORSES & HEROES
$15,000PROGRAMS
DREAM FACTORY OF GREATER KANSAS CITY
$15,000PROGRAMS
CITY OF WAYNE
$15,000PROGRAMS
CITY OF NORFOLK
$15,000PROGRAMS
PLAINVILLE RECREATION COMMISSION
$15,000PROGRAMS
BRADEN'S HOPE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER
$15,000PROGRAMS
MINDEN COMMUNITY CLUB OF MINDEN IOWA
$15,000PROGRAMS
TEMPLE MADE FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAMS