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.

More Info

I would like to contribute

A list of the veterans groups Donald Trump says he donated to

Louis Jacobson
By Louis Jacobson May 31, 2016

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.

Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter

Our Sources

Donald Trump press conference, May 31, 2016

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Louis Jacobson

A list of the veterans groups Donald Trump says he donated to