History of GoFundMe in Timeline

GoFundMe is a for-profit crowdfunding platform enabling individuals to raise money for various events, from celebrations to emergencies. Since 2010, it has facilitated the raising of over $30 billion from more than 150 million donors. It serves as a means for people to solicit financial assistance from others for personal needs or causes.

2008: CreateAFund Created

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

May 2010: GoFundMe Founded

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

2010: GoFundMe Established

From 2010 to the beginning of 2024, GoFundMe has raised over $30 billion with contributions from over 150 million donors.

2010: GoFundMe's Original Intentions

In 2010, according to CEO Rob Solomon, GoFundMe wasn't purposefully set up as a substitute for medical insurance or to be a health care company.

2014: $100,000 Raised for Homeless Valedictorian

In 2014, a tuition project 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 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: Majority Stake Sold

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

2015: Ban on Legal Defense Funds Announced

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

2016: $100 Million in Revenue

In 2016, GoFundMe made $100 million in revenue.

January 2017: GoFundMe Acquires CrowdRise

In January 2017, GoFundMe acquired CrowdRise. Tim Cadogan is GoFundMe's CEO.

March 2017: GoFundMe Becomes Largest Crowdfunding Platform

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

November 2017: Fee Changes

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. The processing fee for online credit card payments still applies.

November 2017: Terms and Conditions Update

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

There were a number of fundraisers created for individual victims of the February 14, 2018, Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in Parkland, Florida to help survivors' recovery and to fund causes chosen by family members in honor of the deceased.

2018: Social Media Sharing 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 results in $13 of donations on average.

March 2019: Anti-Vaccine Activists Banned

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

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 Terminated for Israel Folau

In June 2019, GoFundMe terminated a $3 million fund-raiser for Australian rugby player Israel Folau to finance a court case after he quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 on social media, which was said to be homophobic.

August 2020: Humanity Forward Foundation Matching 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.

August 2020: Brian Kolfage Indicted

In August 2020, Brian Kolfage, Steve Bannon, and two other co-defendants were indicted on federal charges of defrauding hundreds of thousands of "We Build the Wall" donors by diverting money to personal use.

October 2020: Over 800 Families Fully Funded

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

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 Enabled

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 Created

In January 2022, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that truck drivers crossing into Canada would have to be fully vaccinated, some truckers organized a convoy to Ottawa under the name Freedom Convoy 2022. A GoFundMe project was then created with the claim of raising money for fuel and food for the convoy.

February 4, 2022: Freedom Convoy 2022 Fundraiser Removed

On February 4, 2022, GoFundMe announced that the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser had been removed from the platform for violating terms of service, specifically "violence and other unlawful activity". Initially, donations were to be redistributed, but later, all donations were refunded.

May 2022: Acquisition of Classy

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

January 2023: Donations to Fundraisers for COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries

In January 2023, the British disinformation analysis organization 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 organised a controversial crowdfunding in favour of the police officer's family which reached €1.6 million. Nahel Merzouk's family has filed a complaint against Jean Messiha.

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".

December 2024: Campaigns for Alleged Shooter's Legal Defense Removed

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.