Where the money goes
Every charity goes home with money.
Snake Saturday was built so the charities win. Nonprofits enter the parade or the cook-off, and every one that takes part leaves with a check. Sponsors fund the prizes; volunteers run the rest.
How it works
Three ways charities get paid.
Parade floats
501(c)(3) charities pay a $50 entry and compete for cash. The 2023 top prize was $7,500, down to $500 for 16th place.
Charity Cook-off
Charities grill steaks the night before the parade. A $6,000 purse, $1,000 for first, and at least $100 for everyone.
Auctions
Live and silent auctions at the Grand Marshal's Emerald Hooley, plus the Emerald Cash Award for one organization.
The books, in public
About 40 cents of every dollar goes back out.
Northland Festivals runs on about $130,000 a year, and nobody on the board is paid. Here's 2025, from its own IRS filing.
| Spending, 2025 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Parade prizes to entrants | $50,000 |
| Scholarships | $5,000 |
| Parade and festival operations | $28,628 |
| Insurance | $10,817 |
| Office, advertising, publicist, admin | $31,075 |
| Grand Marshal celebration | $5,747 |
| Back to the community as prizes and scholarships | 40% |
Source: Northland Festivals, Inc. Form 990-EZ for FY2025, Schedule O. Northland Festivals is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit; gifts to it are not tax-deductible. Figures to be confirmed by the board before launch.
2026
46 charities competed last year.
The 501(c)(3) float division and the Charity Cook-off, 2026. Over the years, more than a hundred organizations have taken part.
- A Bum’s CharitiesCharity Cook-off
- A Turning PointCharity Cook-off
- Adaptive Warrior KC FoundationParade float
- Amiyahs AngelsCharity Cook-off
- Boy Scout Troop 992Charity Cook-off
- Briarcliff Business Partner AllianceCharity Cook-off
- Central Auto Racing BoostersCharity Cook-off
- Cryptic Masons Medical Research FoundationCharity Cook-off
- Finish Strong FoundationCharity Cook-off
- First Baptist Church, North Kansas CityParade float
- Friends In Service of Heroes (FISH)Charity Cook-off
- Gelle FoundationCharity Cook-off
- Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW MissouriParade float
- Gladstone Rotary ClubCharity Cook-off
- Halos And HogsCharity Cook-off · Parade float
- Heart of America Newfoundland RescueParade float
- Heartland Church of ChristCharity Cook-off
- Independence 76 Fire CompanyParade float
- Jordans jumpstartCharity Cook-off
- JuneteenthKC (2026 Pageant Girls)Parade float
- Kansas City English Bulldog RescueParade float
- Kansas City OasisParade float
- Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium.Parade float
- KCPD Friends & FamilyCharity Cook-off · Parade float
- Lee’s Summit Underwater RecoveryParade float
- Liberty Sertoma ClubCharity Cook-off
- Life Unlimited IncCharity Cook-off
- Life Unlimited Inc.Parade float
- Lost & Found KCMOCharity Cook-off
- M.G.R.A. (Missouri Gay Rodeo Association)Parade float
- Missouri German Shepherd Rescue (MOGS)Charity Cook-off · Parade float
- North Kansas City RotaryCharity Cook-off
- Northland Animal Welfare Society (NAWS)Parade float
- Northland Clown GuildParade float
- Northland JC FoundationCharity Cook-off
- Northland Shepherd’s CenterCharity Cook-off
- Our Lady of Mercy Country HomeParade float
- Redemptorist Social Services CenterCharity Cook-off · Parade float
- Relay for Life of KC North/American Cancer SocietyParade float
- Santa AmericaParade float
- Teamsters Horse HitchParade float
- The Breakfast ClubCharity Cook-off
- The Dakota Roger’s ProjectCharity Cook-off
- Troop 96Parade float
- Troop96Parade float
- Wayside WaifsParade float
From the organizers' published 2026 results.