History of GoFundMe in Timeline

GoFundMe is a for-profit crowdfunding platform that enables individuals to raise money for various events, including celebrations, graduations, accidents, and illnesses. Founded in 2010, it has facilitated the raising of over $30 billion from more than 150 million donors as of early 2024. The platform serves as a means for people to financially support life events and challenging circumstances by soliciting donations from a wide network of contributors.

2008: CreateAFund website launched

In 2008, Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester created the website under the name "CreateAFund" before upgrading and renaming it to GoFundMe.

May 2010: GoFundMe Founded

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

2010: GoFundMe Platform Launch

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

2010: GoFundMe Initial Setup

In 2010, GoFundMe was not purposefully set up to be a substitute for medical insurance, according to CEO Rob Solomon.

2014: Tuition project for homeless student

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

May 27, 2015: Louis Daniel Smith found guilty of fraud

On May 27, 2015, Louis Daniel Smith was found guilty of fraud and other charges related to selling "MMS" (Miracle Mineral Supplement).

May 31, 2015: MMSDefenseFund Removed from GoFundMe

On May 31, 2015, the mmsdefensefund, nominally a legal defense fund for Louis Daniel Smith, was removed from GoFundMe.

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

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

2015: GoFundMe Bans Legal Defense Funds

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

2016: GoFundMe Revenue

In 2016, GoFundMe made $100 million in revenue.

January 2017: GoFundMe acquired CrowdRise

In January 2017, GoFundMe acquired CrowdRise.

March 2017: GoFundMe Becomes Largest Crowdfunding Platform

In March 2017, GoFundMe became the biggest crowdfunding platform, raising over $3 billion since 2010, receiving over $140 million in donations per month.

November 2017: GoFundMe Eliminates Donation Fee

In November 2017, GoFundMe announced it would no longer charge a 5% fee per donation for US, Canada, and UK individual campaigns, instead relying on donor tips, while still applying processing fees for online credit card payments.

November 2017: GoFundMe allows campaigns for legal defense funds

As of November 2017, GoFundMe's terms and conditions allow for campaigns for certain kinds of legal defense.

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

On February 14, 2018, numerous GoFundMe fundraisers were created for individual victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in Parkland, Florida, to support survivors' recovery and causes chosen by family members.

2018: Social Media Sharing and Donations

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

March 2019: GoFundMe Bans Anti-Vaccine Activists

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

May 2019: Anti-Vaccine Campaigns Still Running on GoFundMe

As of May 2019, The Independent found that several anti-vaccine campaigns were still running on GoFundMe despite the ban.

June 2019: GoFundMe Terminates Fundraiser for Israel Folau

In June 2019, GoFundMe terminated a $3 million fund-raiser for Australian rugby player Israel Folau due to homophobic comments. An alternative fundraising site was set up, raising $2 million in 24 hours.

August 2020: Humanity Forward Foundation Matches $1K Project Donations

In August 2020, Andrew Yang's Humanity Forward Foundation committed to matching donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million for The $1K Project, which uses GoFundMe pages to match donors with families affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

August 2020: Indictment of We Build the Wall founders

In August 2020, Brian Kolfage, Steve Bannon, and two others were indicted on federal charges of defrauding donors to "We Build the Wall", diverting $350,000 to Kolfage's personal use.

October 2020: 800 families funded by The $1K Project

As of mid-October 2020, more than 800 families had been fully funded through The $1K Project.

May 2021: Brian Kolfage Indicted on Federal Charges

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

December 2021: GoFundMe Enabled 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 created

In January 2022, a GoFundMe project was created with the claim of raising money for fuel and food for the Freedom Convoy 2022, which protested vaccine mandates for truck drivers crossing into Canada.

February 4, 2022: GoFundMe Removes Freedom Convoy Fundraiser

On February 4, 2022, GoFundMe removed the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser for violating terms of service, citing "violence and other unlawful activity". Initially, donations were to be redistributed to charities, but later, the company announced refunds.

May 2022: GoFundMe Acquires Classy

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

January 2023: GoFundMe Funneled Donations to Fundraisers Claiming 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 After Nahel Merzouk's Killing

In June 2023, following the killing of Nahel Merzouk by a French police officer, far-right activist Jean Messiha organized a controversial crowdfunding campaign in favor of the police officer's family, which reached €1.6 million. The killing led to widespread protests and riots in France.

August 2023: GoFundMe Freezes Funds for The Grayzone

In August 2023, GoFundMe froze more than $90,000 from 1,100 contributors to The Grayzone, citing unspecified "external concerns", which Grayzone founder Max Blumenthal believed were politically motivated.

December 2024: Campaigns for Alleged Shooter in UnitedHealthCare CEO Killing Removed

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

2024: GoFundMe raises 30 billion

As of early 2024, GoFundMe has raised over $30 billion from more than 150 million donors.

October 2025: GoFundMe Sets Up Pages for Nonprofits Without Consent

In October 2025, KGO-TV reported that GoFundMe had set up pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without consulting them, allowing them to claim or unpublish the pages.