Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
In a contentious press conference, Donald Trump -- after prodding from the media -- released the list of veterans groups that he and supporters raised money for earlier this year.
Trump said his efforts resulted in $5.6 million in donations to 40 veterans’ groups. Below is a list of the organizations, with links to their pages on Charity Navigator, an independent organization that rates the transparency and efficiency of charitable groups.
The 40 groups that benefited from Trump’s largesse run the gamut from large, highly rated charities to smaller groups about which very little is known.
Of the 40 groups, 16 received ratings from Charity Navigator -- 13 that received four out of a possible four stars and three groups that received three out of four stars.
Charity Navigator has not yet rated seven groups -- a decision that is not a reflection either way on the efficiency and transparency of the organization, it says.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Charity Navigator has declined to rate another 13 of the groups because their revenues are too small, and two other groups were not rated because they have an "atypical business model" or "nontrivial fundraising expenses." (Charity Navigator cautions that neither factor indicates that it is making "a positive or negative assessment" about those groups.) We were unable to immediately find independent information on two other groups.
The groups that received donations from Trump varied in size. Some had annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars. Others had annual revenues in the $100,000 to $200,000 range, making Trump’s donations of $75,000 to $200,000 a sizable part of their annual income. And a half-dozen groups have not filed federal tax forms, according to Charity Navigator, leaving it unclear how large their revenues are.
The recipient groups are headquartered all across the country, but the early caucus state of Iowa was home to five of them. Trump’s original fundraising event was held in Iowa, when he dropped out of a debate sponsored by Fox News, with which he was feuding at the time.
Here is the complete list, with links to Charity Navigator’s main page on the organization. Not included on our list is a $100,000 donation to a group called Projects for Patriots that Trump said is on hold pending further review of the group’s finances.
CHARITY NAVIGATOR FOUR-STAR RATING
America's Vet Dogs, the Veteran K-9 corps, Inc., Smithtown, N.Y. Annual revenues: $9.1 million. Trump donation: $75,000
AMVETS, Lanham, Md. Annual revenues: $30.4 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Armed Services YMCA of the U.S., Springfield, Va.. Annual revenues: $36.4 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust, Cold Spring, Ky. Annual revenues: $8.1 million. Trump donation: $115,000
Fisher House Foundation, Rockville, Md., Annual revenues: $55.6 million. Trump donation: $115,000
Hire Heroes USA, Alpharetta, Ga. Annual revenues: $5.4 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Homes for Our Troops, Taunton, Mass. Annual revenues: $17.7 million. Trump donation: $50,000
Hope for The Warriors, Jacksonville, N.C. Annual revenues: $6 million. Trump donation: $65,000
Navy SEAL Foundation, Virginia Beach, Va. Annual revenues: $15.4 million. Trump donation: $465,000
Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Arlington, Va. Annual revenues: $25 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Operation Homefront, San Antonio, Texas. Annual revenues: $62.2 million. Trump donation: $65,000
The Mission Continues, St. Louis, Mo. Annual revenues: $10.8 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc. (New England Center and Home for Veterans), Boston, Mass. Annual revenues: $11 million. Trump donation: $75,000
CHARITY NAVIGATOR THREE-STAR RATING
Achilles International, New York, N.Y. Annual revenues: $3.1 million. Trump donation: $200,000
Freedom Alliance, Dulles, Va. Annual revenues: $11 million. Trump donation: $75,000
The National Military Family Association, Inc., Alexandria, Va. Annual revenues: $3.9 million. Trump donation: $75,000
ELIGIBLE FOR CHARITY NAVIGATOR RATING BUT NOT YET RATED
Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, Inc., New York, N.Y. Annual revenues: $9.2 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Central Iowa Shelter and Services, Des Moines, Iowa. Annual revenues: $1.6 million. Trump donation: $100,000
Folds of Honor Foundation, Owasso, Okla. Annual revenues: $12.3 million. Trump donation: $200,000
Veterans Airlift Command, Minneapolis, Minn. Annual revenues: $5.6 million. Trump donation: $100,000
NOT YET ELIGIBLE TO BE RATED BY CHARITY NAVIGATOR
Green Beret Foundation, San Antonio, Texas. Annual revenues: $1.9 million. Trump donation: $350,000
K-9s for Warriors, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Annual revenues: $4.1 million. Trump donation: $50,000
Task Force Dagger Foundation, McKinney, Texas. Annual revenues: $1.1 million. Trump donation: $50,000
NOT REQUIRED TO FILE 990
22Kill, Dallas, Texas. Annual revenues: Not reported. Trump donation: $200,000.
American Hero Adventures, Eugene, Ore. Annual revenues: Not reported. Trump donation: $100,000
Americans for Independent Living: Cedar Falls, Iowa. Annual revenues: Not reported. Trump donation: $100,000
Honoring America's Warriors: El Reno, Okla. Annual revenues: Not reported. Trump donation: $100,000
Partners for Patriots: Sioux City, Iowa. Annual revenues: Not reported. Trump donation: $100,000
Support Siouxland Soldiers: Sioux City, Iowa. Annual revenues: $33,970. Trump donation: $100,000
Veterans in Command, Inc., Jamaica, N.Y. Annual revenues: Not reported. Trump donation: $150,000
TOO SMALL FOR CHARITY NAVIGATOR TO RATE
Connected Warriors, Inc., Boca Raton, Fla. Annual revenues: $179,401. Trump donation: $75,000
Liberty House, Manchester, N.H. Annual revenues: $276,474. Trump donation: $100,000
New England Wounded Veterans, Inc., Boston, Mass. Annual revenues: $202,289. Trump donation: $75,000
Puppy Jake Foundation: Des Moines, Iowa. Annual revenues: $289,340. Trump donation: $100,000
Racing for Heroes, Inc., Beech Creek, Pa. Annual revenues: $227,542. Trump donation: $200,000
Warriors for Freedom Foundation: Oklahoma City, Okla. Annual revenues: $459,622. Trump donation: $50,000
NOT RATED BY CHARITY NAVIGATOR DUE TO ATYPICAL BUSINESS MODEL
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, New York, N.Y. Annual revenues: $10.4 million. Trump donation: $175,000
NOT ELIGIBLE FOR RATING BY CHARITY NAVIGATOR BECAUSE OF "NONTRIVIAL FUNDRAISING EXPENSES"
Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, Tuckahoe, N.Y. Annual revenues: $3 million. Trump donation: $1,100,000
STATUS UNCLEAR
Foundation for American Veterans: West Bloomfield, Mich. Annual revenues: $8 million. Trump donation: $75,000
Veterans Count (Easter Seals affiliate in Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Vermont). Annual revenues: Not available. Trump donation: $25,000
UPDATE, June 1, 2016: After our article appeared, the Washington Post reported that one of the groups on Trump's list, the Foundation for American Veterans, had earned an "F" rating from CharityWatch, another nonprofit that rates charities for effectiveness. The Foundation for Americans Veterans has been criticized in the past for spending less than half of its incoming donations on programs that help veterans, the Post reported.
Our Sources
Donald Trump press conference, May 31, 2016