ABOUT

Established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1994, the inspiration for Tickets for Kids came to founder Susan Weiner during a ballgame. The empty seats seemed so wasteful, and so unnecessary. Couldn’t those seats be filled by the community’s disadvantaged kids?

A nearly identical idea occurred in 2000 to Robb Neuenschwander, Twin Cities resident and avid University of Minnesota Gophers basketball fan. Frustrated that so many game seats went unused, Robb founded Minneapolis-based Tix for Tots to fill those seats with kids and mentors who could use them. Recognizing a shared vision and nearly identical missions, Tix for Tots was merged into Tickets for Kids in 2016.

In 2019 and 2021 respectively, NY-based Seats of Dreams and DC-based Most Valuable Kids were merged into Tickets for Kids.

Through partnerships with approved and vetted nonprofits serving disadvantaged kids and families, TFK has distributed more than 3.6 million tickets valued in excess of $83 million for experiences in arts & culture, education & STEM, sports & recreation, and family entertainment.

In 2023 alone, TFK distributed more than 183,000 tickets valued at over $6.1 million and partnered with nonprofit organizations in 27 states.