GoFundMe
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GoFundMe |
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| Industry | Crowdfunding and online fundraising platform |
| Country | United States |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California, United States |
| Parent company | |
| Status | Active |
| Verification |
Verified |
Overview
GoFundMe is a U.S.-based online crowdfunding platform that hosts personal, charitable, and organizational fundraising campaigns. The company positions itself as a neutral intermediary while maintaining a Trust & Safety enforcement framework governing acceptable use of the platform, including restrictions related to violence, criminal activity, and legal-defense fundraising.
Public reporting confirms that GoFundMe actively moderates and removes campaigns it determines to violate its Terms of Service, including campaigns connected to violent acts, hate crimes, or criminal wrongdoing. However, enforcement has been shown to be inconsistent and discretionary, particularly in cases involving law enforcement or state actors.
Boycott
GoFundMe is listed for boycott due to its documented failure to enforce its own policies in relation to fundraising connected to state violence and ICE operations, including:
- Hosting fundraisers benefiting an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting: GoFundMe has continued to host and facilitate fundraising campaigns raising substantial sums of money for ICE agent Jonathan Ross following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, despite widespread public reporting, scrutiny, and direct comparison to prior campaigns removed under similar circumstances.
- Contradiction of stated platform policies: GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit fundraising that supports individuals responsible for violent wrongdoing or that raises funds for legal defense in connection with violent acts. Despite this, the platform has allowed multiple campaigns connected to the Ross shooting to remain live while stating publicly that they are “under review.”
- Selective and delayed enforcement: GoFundMe has acknowledged awareness of the campaigns and confirmed they are being reviewed by Trust & Safety teams, yet has not removed them, even as funds continue to be collected. This mirrors a documented pattern in which enforcement action is delayed or withheld in cases involving law enforcement actors, while similar campaigns involving non-state actors are removed more rapidly.
Because GoFundMe’s continued hosting of these fundraisers materially enables financial support connected to ICE violence while asserting neutrality and compliance, ICE List documents GoFundMe as a boycott-listed company.
Background
GoFundMe’s moderation framework has previously been used to remove or freeze campaigns connected to violent incidents, including shootings and politically motivated attacks. In this case, however, GoFundMe has cited the absence of formal criminal charges while allowing fundraising to continue, despite the platform’s own policies focusing on conduct rather than prosecutorial status.
The disparity between GoFundMe’s written policies and its operational decisions has been highlighted by journalists, digital-rights advocates, and civil-rights organizations, raising concerns about selective enforcement and reputational shielding of state actors.