Richard King Mellon Foundation awards $250,000 grant to enhance GoFundMe.org’s aid efforts
PITTSBURGH, PA AND PASADENA, CA – (July 14, 2025) – One of America’s longstanding philanthropic foundations has approved a $250,000 grant to GoFundMe’s strategic nonprofit partner GoFundMe.org to bring immediate relief to victims of last week’s historic floods in south-central Texas. This gift represents the single largest charitable donation to GoFundMe.org’s Texas flood relief effort, and will dramatically enhance the nonprofit’s capacity to help survivors.
“We all have been heartbroken by the devastation in Texas,” said Sam Reiman, Director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. “So many have lost loved ones. Others have lost their homes. And others have lost their livelihoods. GoFundMe works hard to quickly identify and verify the individuals and organizations that most need help, and get them financial assistance immediately. We urge anyone moved by the wrenching images we all have seen out of Texas to consider a contribution to GoFundMe.org’s Flood Relief Fund.”
The second top donor after Richard King Mellon Foundation, GoFundMe, Inc., seeded the Fund with a $100,000 contribution so granting could begin immediately. Donations to the Fund can be made via credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Venmo, Google Pay, Paypal or DAF. GoFundMe.org can also accept donations via stock, wire/ACH, check, and crypto. All donations to the Flood Relief Fund are tax-deductible.
“We are deeply grateful to the Richard King Mellon Foundation for this generous gift,” said Amanda Brown Lierman, Executive Director of GoFundMe.org. “The gift will enable us to provide hundreds of emergency cash relief grants to Texans impacted by this tragedy—helping more families meet immediate needs as they begin to rebuild.”“Working with so many partners, we together have made great progress in enabling these emerging industries to take root in Pittsburgh,” said Foundation Director Sam Reiman. “But those industries only will flourish if we are just as serious about creating the sector-based partnerships that will produce the trained workforce these emerging industries need.”
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About the Richard King Mellon Foundation
Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation’s 2024 year-end net assets were $3.1 billion, and its Trustees in 2024 disbursed more than $155 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.
About GoFundMe.org
A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, GoFundMe.org launched in 2017 with a mission to quickly mobilize and distribute donations for individuals and communities impacted by crises, natural disasters, and social inequalities. Since then, GoFundMe.org has worked with partners and organizations to raise over $175 million into more than 225 funds, delivering 35,000+ grants to people with urgent needs, and organizations and programs driving critical social change.
GoFundMe, Inc. supports GoFundMe.org by sharing resources, funds, tools, and employees so that GoFundMe.org can raise and distribute cash grants for individuals and nonprofits in a low-cost and effective manner.
Media Contacts
Tim Reeves
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Laura Shear
GoFundMe.org