Car Donation Foundation
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Bill Bigley Randy Heiligman |
| Type | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Purpose | Car donation |
| Headquarters | St. Louis Park, Minnesota |
Executive director | Loren Dorshow |
| Subsidiaries | Wheels For Wishes Vehicles for Veterans Animal Car Donation |
| Website | https://cardonationfoundation.org/ |
The Car Donation Foundation is a nonprofit car donation organization based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.[1] It is the largest car donation organization in the United States,[2] and operates Wheels For Wishes, Veterans for Vehicles, and Animal Car Donation.
History
The foundation was established in 2009[3] by Bill Bigley and Randy Heiligman.[4] The executive director of the foundation is Loren Dorshow.[3] The foundation operates several car donation programs throughout the United States, doing business as Wheels For Wishes,[5] Vehicles for Veterans,[6] and Animal Car Donation.[7]
Wheels for Wishes partners with chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[8][9] Vehicles for Veterans benefits military veterans living with disabilities and unhoused veterans,[10] donating proceeds to organizations like the Gary Sinise Foundation[11] and Semper Fi & America's Fund.[12] Animal Car Donation benefits animal rescues that provide veterinary care, adoption services, and shelter.[7]
It is the largest car donation organization in the United States.[2] As of 2025, the organization had donated over $175 million to nonprofit organizations.[6]
References
- ^ Ibrahim, Mukhtar M. (2015-10-14). "Minnesota attorney general: Car charity had cozy deals". MPR News. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ a b "Report: "Wheels For Wishes" Charity Misled Donors About Make-A-Wish Donations". Consumerist. 2015-10-14. Archived from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ a b "CAR DONATION FOUNDATION". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ McCambridge, Ruth (2015-10-15). "Nation's Largest Car Donation Charity a Self-Dealing Mess". Nonprofit Quarterly. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ "Make-A-Wish Minnesota Severs Ties With Car Donation Foundation - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ a b "Vehicles For Veterans & Car Donation Foundation Achieve Milestone of $175 Million in Lifetime Donations to Charity". Vehicles for Veterans. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ a b "Animal Car Donation Reaches $175 Million in Lifetime Donations to Charity". animalcardonation. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (2024-09-04). "Green Day Giving Away Custom 'Holiday' Video Convertible In Wheels For Wishes Sweepstakes". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ Irshad, Zara. "Need a new car? Here's how to win Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' convertible". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ "These 11 charities in Fort Worth will pick up your donations from home". dallas.culturemap.com. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ Wilson, Vera. "How to donate your vehicle so everybody wins". Britannica. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ "Vehicles For Veterans Exceeds $3 Million Donation Milestone To Semper Fi & America's Fund - Semper Fi & America's Fund". 2025-03-13. Retrieved 2025-09-19.