History of GoFundMe in Timeline

GoFundMe is a for-profit crowdfunding platform that enables individuals to raise money for various events, from celebrations to emergencies. Established in 2010, it has facilitated the collection of over $30 billion from more than 150 million donors as of early 2024. It is used for life events, challenging circumstances, and other fundraising needs.

2008: CreateAFund Initial Launch

In 2008, Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester initially created the crowdfunding website under the name "CreateAFund".

May 2010: GoFundMe Founded

In May 2010, Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester founded GoFundMe in San Diego, California; the site was built off of PayPal's API.

2010: GoFundMe Platform Launch

In 2010, GoFundMe was launched as a for-profit crowdfunding platform.

2010: GoFundMe Debut

Since its debut in 2010, GoFundMe was responsible for raising over $3 billion by March 2017.

2014: Tuition Project Success

In 2014, a tuition project on GoFundMe raised over $100,000 for a homeless high school valedictorian to attend college and help his family.

May 27, 2015: Louis Daniel Smith Found Guilty

On May 27, 2015, Louis Daniel Smith, associated with the "MMS" (Miracle Mineral Supplement) legal defense fund on GoFundMe, was found guilty of fraud and other charges.

May 31, 2015: mmsdefensefund Removed from GoFundMe

On May 31, 2015, the mmsdefensefund was removed from GoFundMe.

June 2015: GoFundMe Stake Sold to Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures

In June 2015, Damphousse and Ballester agreed to sell a majority stake in GoFundMe to Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures, valuing the company at around $600 million, and they stepped down from day-to-day oversight.

2015: Ban on Legal Defense Funds

In 2015, GoFundMe announced it would no longer support legal defense funds after the site suspended funding for the defense of Sweet Cakes by Melissa.

2016: GoFundMe Revenue

In 2016, GoFundMe made $100 million in revenue.

January 2017: GoFundMe Acquires CrowdRise

In January 2017, GoFundMe acquired CrowdRise.

March 2017: GoFundMe Becomes Largest Crowdfunding Platform

In March 2017, GoFundMe became the biggest crowdfunding platform, having raised over $3 billion since its debut in 2010.

November 2017: Fee Structure Change

In November 2017, GoFundMe announced it would no longer charge a 5% fee per donation for US, Canada, and UK individual campaigns, and instead rely upon tips left by donors.

November 2017: Terms and Conditions Update

As of November 2017, GoFundMe's terms and conditions allow for campaigns for certain kinds of legal defense, after previously banning all legal defense funds in 2015.

February 14, 2018: Fundraisers for Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting Victims

On February 14, 2018, there were a number of fundraisers for individual victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in Parkland, Florida.

2018: Social Media Campaign Impact

According to a 2018 report by GoFundMe, a donor sharing a campaign on social media results in $15 of donations on average, while any share of a campaign on social media results in $13 of donations on average.

March 2019: Ban on Anti-Vaccine Activists

In March 2019, GoFundMe banned fundraisers from anti-vaccine activists, including Stop Mandatory Vaccination founder Larry Cook.

May 2019: Anti-Vaccine Campaigns Still Running

Despite the ban in March 2019, The Independent found that several anti-vaccine campaigns were still running on GoFundMe as of May 2019.

June 2019: Fundraiser Termination for Israel Folau

In June 2019, GoFundMe terminated a $3 million fund-raiser for Australian rugby player Israel Folau due to homophobic comments, leading to an alternative fundraising site being set up.

August 2020: Humanity Forward Foundation Matching Donations

In August 2020, Andrew Yang's Humanity Forward Foundation committed to matching donations to The $1K Project, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million.

August 2020: Kolfage Indicted on Federal Charges

In August 2020, Brian Kolfage, along with Steve Bannon and others, was indicted on federal charges of defrauding donors to the "We Build the Wall" campaign, diverting money to personal use.

October 2020: The $1K Project Impact

As of mid-October 2020, more than 800 families had been fully funded through The $1K Project, which was created in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

May 2021: Kolfage Indicted on Tax Charges

In May 2021, Brian Kolfage was separately indicted on federal charges of defrauding the IRS and filing false tax returns.

December 2021: Donations to Anti-Vaccine Campaigns

In December 2021, The Sunday Times reported that GoFundMe had enabled the donation of over €300,000 to anti-vaccine campaigns and challenges to vaccine certificates.

January 2022: Freedom Convoy 2022 Fundraiser

In January 2022, a GoFundMe project was created with the claim of raising money for fuel and food for the Freedom Convoy 2022.

February 4, 2022: Freedom Convoy 2022 Fundraiser Removed

On February 4, 2022, GoFundMe removed the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser, which had raised money for fuel and food, from the platform for violating terms of service related to violence and unlawful activity. The donations were initially to be redistributed to charities but were later refunded.

May 2022: Acquisition of Classy

In May 2022, GoFundMe announced the acquisition of nonprofit donation site Classy, which will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary.

January 2023: Fundraisers for COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries

In January 2023, Logically reported that GoFundMe had funneled over $330,000 in donations to fundraisers for injuries supposedly caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

June 2023: Controversial Crowdfunding for Police Officer's Family

In June 2023, following the killing of Nahel Merzouk, far-right activist Jean Messiha organized a controversial crowdfunding in favor of the police officer's family, reaching €1.6 million.

August 2023: GoFundMe Freezes The Grayzone's Funds

In August 2023, GoFundMe froze more than $90,000 from 1,100 contributors to The Grayzone, citing unspecified "external concerns".

December 2024: Removal of Legal Defense Fund Campaigns

In December 2024, multiple campaigns for the legal defense fund of the alleged shooter involved in the killing of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson were removed from GoFundMe.

2024: GoFundMe's Growth

By early 2024, the GoFundMe platform had raised over $30 billion contributed by over 150 million donors.

October 2025: Nonprofit Pages Created Without Consent

In October 2025, it was reported that GoFundMe had set up pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without consulting with the nonprofits themselves.